Rosbrian Farm's front-running Teodoro jumped a fence in his Fair Hill maiden victory on May 25. (Tod Marks photo)
Saratoga Race Course winds up its final week of jump racing this season with a competitive $65,000 allowance hurdle on Wednesday. Post time for Saratoga’s steeplechase finale for the 2019 season is 12:50 p.m.
At 2 3/8 miles, the race attracted the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers from an allowance hurdle dominated by Snap Decision on Aug. 14.
Eve Ledyard’s Go Get the Basil, making his first start for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, finished a game second in the 2 1/16-mile race, a neck in front of Lee Pokoik’s homebred Roller Rolls On, who is trained by Doug Fout. Jack Doyle takes over the mount on Go Get the Basil, and Kieran Norris returns aboard Roller Rolls On.
Finishing fourth, 3¼ lengths farther back, was Armata Stables’ Zanzi Win, who was making his first U.S. start. The four-year-old is trained by Ricky Hendriks and will be ridden by Michael Mitchell, who remains atop the jockey standings as the summer season nears its conclusion.
Hendriks also will saddle Rosbrian Farm’s Teodoro, a 14-length maiden winner at the Fair Hill Races on May 25 in his second U.S. start. He had led in his American debut at Middleburg Spring but jumped erratically before being caught in the stretch and finishing second.
Ross Geraghty returns aboard Teodoro, a five-year-old Irish-bred who won Haydock Park’s Rose of Lancaster Stakes (Eng-Gr. 3) last August.
Sheppard also will be represented by his Hepcat, a maiden winner at Colonial Downs on Aug. 10. Gerard Galligan will ride.
Completing the field are two contenders trained by Kathy Neilson. Gill Johnston’s Set to Music finished fifth in a Colonial Downs ratings handicap on Aug. 10, and the trainer’s Soluble has strung together three straight second-place finishes over fences after a maiden victory at Aike Spring on March 23.
Sean McDermott will ride Set to Music, and Graham Watters has the mount on Soluble.
Here is the field for the $65,000 allowance hurdle in post-position order.
Roller Rolls On. 2015 b. g., Lemon Drop Kid—Classofsixtythree, by Include. Owner: Lee Pokoik. Trainer: Doug Fout. Jockey: Kieran Norris. Breeder: Lee Pokoik (Ky.) 2019 NSA record: 3-0-0-2, $14,000. 2018 NSA record: 3-1-1-0, $21,000. Finished third in 2019 Radnor allowance hurdle, then was fourth in Saratoga allowance hurdle on July 21 and third on Aug. 14. In first start over fences, won 2018 Shawan Downs maiden hurdle for three-year-olds. Finished second in Far Hills’ 2018 Gladstone Stakes. (110)
Go Get the Basil. 2010 ch. g., Andromeda’s Hero—Images in Jade, by Jade Hunter. Owner: Eva Ledyard. Trainer: Jonathan Sheppard. Jockey: Jack Doyle. Breeder: John T. Esposito and Anthony J. Lo Grippo (N.Y.). 2019 NSA record: 3-0-1-0, $14,500. 2018 record: 8-1-4-0, $47,000. Finished second in 2019 Saratoga allowance hurdle. Opened 2019 with fifth-place finishes at Carolina Cup and Middleburg Spring before trainer change. Posted second-place finishes in Shawan, International Gold Cup, and Charleston allowance hurdles after fifth in 2018 Saratoga allowance hurdle. Finished second in 2018 Aiken Spring maiden hurdle and then won at Georgia Steeplechase. (115)
Teodoro (Ire). 2014 ch. g., Teofilo (Ire)—Altesse Imperiale, by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). Owner: Rosbrian Farm. Trainer: Ricky Hendriks. Jockey: Ross Geraghty. Breeder: John Connaughton (Ire). 2019 NSA record: 2-1-1-0, $23,400. Won 2019 maiden hurdle at Fair Hill by 14 lengths after second in Middleburg Spring maiden. Won Haydock’s Rose of Lancaster Stakes (Eng-G3) on flat in 2018. (116)
Zanzi Win (Fr). 2015 b. g., Zanzibari—Go to Win, by Coroner. Owner: Armata Stables. Trainer: Ricky Hendriks. Jockey: Michael Mitchell. Breeder: EARL Haras de Grandcamp (Fr). 2019 NSA record: 1-0-0-0, $3,250. Finished distant fourth in 2019 U.S. debut in Saratoga allowance hurdle. Won maiden hurdle at Plumpton in April 2019 in his fifth start over fences. Formerly trained by Harry Whittington and departed England with a second in a Plumpton allowance hurdle. (122)
Hepcat. 2015 dk. b. or br. g., Bluegrass Cat—Officer Pepper, by Officer. Owner-trainer: Jonathan Sheppard. Jockey: Gerard Galligan. Breeder: Daybreak Stables (W.Va.) 2019 record: 3-1-2-0, $27,000. 2018 NSA record: 2-0-0-1, $2,000. Won 2019 maiden hurdle at Colonial Downs after two second-place finishes at Carolina Cup and Monmouth Park. In first start over fences, led before last in 2018 Shawan Downs maiden hurdle for three-year-olds and faded slightly to finish third, beaten 3 1/4 lengths. (116)
Soluble (Ger). 2012 b. g., Galileo (Ire)—So Squally (Ger), by Monsun. Owner-trainer: Kathy Neilson. Jockey: Graham Watters. Breeder: Stiftung Gestut Fahrof (Ger). 2019 NSA record: 4-1-3-0, $32,400. 2018 record: 3-0-1-0, $5,100. Won maiden victory at 2019 Aiken Spring and then had three consecutive second-place finishes. (119)
Set to Music. 2011b. g., Dynaformer—Pussycat Doll, by Real Quiet. Owner: Gill Johnston. Trainer: Kathy Neilson. Jockey: Sean McDermott. Breeder: Mr. and Mrs. M. Roy Jackson (Ky.). 2019 record: 3-0-0-1, $6,000. 2018 record: 5-1-2-2, $42,600. Finished third in 2019 Middleburg Spring allowance hurdle and fourth in Radnor handicap before fifth in Colonial Downs ratings handicap. Had third-place finishes in 2018 International Gold Cup handicap and Aflac Supreme Hurdle at Steeplechase at Callaway. After two close second-place finishes, broke through for a maiden hurdle victory at the 2018 Fair Hill Races. (115)