“Anytime.”
That’s how Cherie DeVaux answered when asked about hosting the Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour. It helps when you’re walking out of the winner’s circle after your second win, just three days into the meet. DeVaux added another win Sunday to make it three.
With a gaudy 50 percent strike rate, DeVaux stood even with Chad Brown, Bill Mott and Mark Casse at the top of the leaderboard after four days of racing.
Let’s just say there is a positive vibe at DeVaux’s barn, tucked between Phil Serpe’s railside barn and Jimmy Toner’s old barn near the half-mile pole of the main track.
The Special’s Sean Clancy walked the 19-stall barn with DeVaux Sunday morning.
Not Guilty
Owned by Martin Schwartz, the daughter of Blame sports a fourth and a sixth in two starts at Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old filly is entered in the fifth race Friday. “Maiden 75. Nice little filly trying to find her level. Ran a few times in Kentucky.”
Shotgun Hottie
DeVaux points to an awaiting stall, bedded deep for the four-time stakes winner owned by Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje. “This on Tuesday will have Shotgun Hottie. She had a nice breeze at Keeneland, she’ll run in the Shuvee on Sunday. I am a Kentucky trainer and Keeneland to train on is awesome. I’ve had a lot of success by training there, shipping and running them. It’s what I’ve done basically my entire career with all of them. A lot of times when you get soreness, it’s from changing track surfaces. If I can, I try to get all their prep work done, then they can run and acclimate to the track for a couple of weeks after and then ease a breeze in, just try to keep as much the same until race day.”
Good Conduct
Bred and owned by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock, the daughter of Without Parole prepped at Keeneland for her debut Thursday. “She’s entered in a turf sprint. She’s really precocious, done everything right. We’ll just see. She shows plenty of speed. I’m happy to see her get to the races. I have four Without Paroles. They’re all different types but they all act like they have ability. Probably longer down the road.”
Taking Candy
A $155,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale in 2021, the bay colt returned from a 10-month layoff to win a tough turf allowance here. Owned by Lael Stable, the son of Twirling Candy finished second in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga last summer. “Here we have the three that ran (Saturday). He won off a 10-month layoff. I was kind of expecting him to need a race, so I don’t really have a plan going forward. Just want to make sure with that layoff that he came out of it good and so far, so good. He’ll probably go back into stakes company. I was confident. I try to keep things as normal as possible for them. He had run two great races here in Saratoga, Jose Lezcano rode him, the timing of the race fit, and he had shown talent enough to be here. That’s what’s important when you’re keeping a rider with a horse, he knows the horse, he knew he had to put him into the race. He wasn’t expecting the horse to have that much speed out of the gate. Last year, when he rode him, he really had to get into him and ride him out of the gate. With the freshening, he didn’t take into account that he was going to jump out of there. I wouldn’t have been upset if he had gotten a little tired, but he hung in there.”
Rebel Red
How many sons of Frankel live on the backside of Saratoga? Here’s one. Another Gunther-Eurowest homebred, the 4-year-old broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in June and won again here Saturday. “He’s a full to Without Parole. Came over from Europe and took a long time to get acclimated here. We got him at Palm Meadows in the winter. Ran him at Keeneland, ran just OK. Irad (Ortiz Jr.) gave some really good constructive feedback with maybe adding blinkers but was positive about the horse. Jose (Ortiz) jumped on at Churchill to break his maiden and was really impressed with how he performed. He’s got the pedigree to go longer, and he’s obviously well meant. His last two races put him into stakes company, but he’s still lightly raced so it’s something we need to monitor in his works coming up.”
Northern Invader
Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and DeVaux’s husband David Ingordo, the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale graduate won the Gio Ponti Stakes last year and finished third in the Grade 3 Kelso Saturday. “We probably have to regroup with him. He really gets stressed from the heat, we’ll probably wrap him up for the summer.”
Zverev
Owned by Belladonna Racing, Peachtree Stable, Twin Brook Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds, the son of Oscar Performance rolls into Saratoga fresh off a 2 1/2-length score on the turf at Churchill. “The common theme right now is I have all turf horses and turf meant. He’s put it together. Beautiful horse. Gorgeous. Nice on the track, really forward, really into his job. We’ve just been waiting for him to have his a-ha moment which he finally has the last time out. We have him penciled into the Hall of Fame. He’s going to have to make sure that he’s there mentally leading up to the race to try it. He’s shown a lot of promise and always trained well, it’s just trying to get the brain to connect with the ability.”
Without Caution
Bred and owned by Gunther, the 2-year-old colt drew post two in the first race Saturday. “This is the second Without Parole we are planning to run here. This horse is gorgeous. The other filly, Good Conduct, she’s a more compact type. This horse has a lot more substance to him. Handsome, handsome dude. Great head. Kind eye. Worked really well and he’s doing really well. He shows a lot of ability, but we’ll have to wait and see when he gets out there. He’s one to get excited about. He’s real mature.”
Deep Satin
Another Gunther-Eurowest homebred, the daughter of American Pharoah finished second in her first two starts and won here Sunday. “She’s been unlucky. She’s had two seconds, just got nipped at the wire in her last start in Kentucky.”
Kairyu
Owned by Schwartz and Michael O’Callaghan, the Irish-bred won twice in her homeland before venturing here. She’s produced two seconds in turf stakes so far. “Ran second in the Coronation (Cup). She ran great. We tried to stretch her out to no avail in the Appalachian. She ran second in the Soaring Softly. She probably needs a bit more distance than the 5 1/2 but it’s hard to find in North America. We talked about the $2 million race at Kentucky Downs. The Music City Stakes. It’s going 6 1/2 and she can probably handle the course. She only runs for the $1 million. That’s the beauty of Kentucky racing and the KTDF. She’s had two races in a row that were really good. She’s been a solid little filly.”
Faded Jeans
The Gunther-bred filly has breezed six times at Keeneland in preparation for her debut. “She’ll run in a maiden special weight on the turf. She’s a Kingman filly. She’s a half to Without Caution. She’s taken some time, she acts nice, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Profound
Owned by Belladonna, Twin Brook and other partners, the son of Twirling Candy drew post six in the same race as Without Caution Saturday. “This horse acts super talented. He’s really shown a lot in the mornings. Really precocious. Big but quick. My 2-year-olds, we have expectations, but their future is way ahead of them at this point. What they do as a 2-year-old is a bonus. He’s another I’m really excited about getting him started. This horse is gorgeous.”
Pisciotta
Owned by Edward and Lynne Hudson Jr. and Ingordo, the British-bred daughter of Wootton Bassett finished third behind stablemate Deep Satin Sunday. “The other half of my entry. She’s named after my grandparents. Showed a lot in her first start, it’s taken us a little while to get her back. Expecting a good showing from her. It’s hard when you have two in the race but they’re both doing excellent. You’ll have to update it (done).”
She Feels Pretty
Lael Stable’s daughter of Karakontie grazed under a tree Sunday morning. She won her debut at Ellis Park last summer, tacked on the Grade 1 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes in her next start before finishing third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. This year, she won the Hilltop in May and finished third in the Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks June 6. “Came out of the Belmont Oaks in great order. Probably just a little too far for her. Not terribly unpleased with that. She’s won going a mile and the shorter distances, so we’ll come back in the Lake Placid. She’s doing great. Looks great.”
Sy B
Bred and owned by Bonnie Baskin’s and Adam Corndorf’s Blue Heaven Farm, the daughter of English Channel broke her maiden at Keeneland in April, finished second in the Grade 2 Wonder Again in May and finished eighth in the Belmont Oaks. “She didn’t fire in the Belmont Oaks. Again, she’s a 1X. We’ll try to develop her more and run her back in an allowance race. She’s got the black type.”
Sandborn
The son of Yoshida flaked out across his stall Sunday morning. Madaket Stable’s 3-year-old colt finished ninth in his debut June 30. “He ran really green at Belmont. I hope he puts it together. He’s a hunk of a horse. Back in a maiden claiming race. We’ll breeze him back this week and go from there.”
Prospero
Owned by Gunther, Eurowest and Borders Racing Stable, the Irish-bred son of No Nay Never finished fourth under John Velazquez at Aqueduct July 6. “He ran really well on the same day as the Oaks. Going 6 furlongs. He’s probably a miler. Johnny really liked him. We’ll probably see him in a maiden special going farther than the 6 furlongs. Every girl who sees him is in love with him.”
As for Kentucky-based runners of the 125-horse string…
Cagliostro
The son of Upstart joined burgeoning international powerhouse Wathnan Racing after winning an allowance at Keeneland in April. He came back to finish second in the Grade 3 Blame and won the Hanshin Stakes at Churchill Downs June 30. “Likely for the Forego. He’ll do the same thing, he’ll come up here when he’s ready to run.”
Vahva
The daughter of Gun Runner won her last two, the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff and the Grade 3 Chicago Stakes. “Same thing. Pointing for the Ballerina. We gave her a freshening from the Chicago. She likes to go get turned out for two weeks, eat some grass, comes back in and picks up right where she left off.”
Brilliant Berti
Klein Racing’s homebred is 3-for-4, including the American Derby in his most recent start. “He probably won’t come up here. He’s likely to go to the Secretariat instead of the Hall of Fame.”
Barn Goat
“Then there’s Nikki, sleeping under the picnic table.”
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