Saratoga Race Course will be buzzing Aug. 8 with three grade 1 races, topped by the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1). The $200,000 Troy Stakes (G3T), one of two grade 3 stakes on the undercard, drew a field of seven headed by Patricia Generazio's multiple grade 3 winner Pure Sensation.
The 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint will be just the second start of the year for the 9-year-old son of Zensational trained by Christophe Clement. In his June 20 season debut, Pure Sensation finished off the board in the Jaipur Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park.
"I was very disappointed with his race in the Jaipur. He was in a speed duel that day, and I hope it's the reason that he ran poorly," Clement said. "He came back and had a very good work on the turf the other day here. He worked well and looks well. He's 9 years old, so we'll go one race at a time with him. It's an important race for him as he has to do well in order for me to carry on. He's a very good-looking horse. He still looks very well, and he's very sound."
Last year, Pure Sensation was successful in four of six starts, including a fourth win in the Turf Monster Handicap (G3T) at Parx Racing. He was third in the 2019 Troy.
Pure Sensation has won primarily at Parx but earlier in his career also won stakes at Belmont. A turf sprinter, he has competed in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) four times in the past five years with his best placing in 2016 when he finished third at Santa Anita Park.
Pure Sensation, who has more than $2 million in earnings, drew Post 5 and will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche.
Clement also has Shekky Shebaz in the Troy for owners Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethleham Stables. The 5-year-old Cape Blanco gelding is winless in three starts this year, but he placed third in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint ahead of Pure Sensation, who finished fifth.
Shekky Shebaz, who last finished third behind winner Archidust and fellow Troy entrant American Sailor in the July 18 Wolf Hill Stakes at Monmouth Park, will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from Post 4.
Breeze Easy's Imprimis drew the rail and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz for trainer Joseph Orseno. The 6-year-old Broken Vow gelding enters off a nine-month layoff. Imprimis last raced in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, in which he finished sixth.
Last year, Imprimis won back-to-back stakes after five wins from seven starts in 2018. He took the five-furlong Silks Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park and then added graded status to his résumé in the Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. But after a sixth-place finish in the King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, Imprimis has not found the winner's circle in three graded starts.
Stakes winner American Sailor will be taking his first dip into graded waters in the Troy for trainer Wayne Potts and owner Raj Jagnanan. The 8-year-old City Zip gelding won his season debut June 8 at Laurel Park at the Troy distance and then finished second in the Wolf Hill. He has not won a stakes since February 2016.
Trainer Bill Mott has entered Chewing Gum for his second try at the graded level, and allowance-level winners Lonhtwist and Pulsate round out the field.
One race later, the fillies and mares get their chance on the turf in the $150,000 Waya Stakes (G3T) at 1 1/2 miles. Trainer Chad Brown brings a pair into the Waya, with co-highweight Fools Gold drawing the outside Post 7 and My Sister Nat in Post 4.
Fools Gold, last year's Waya winner, is coming off a fifth-place finish in the June 27 New York Stakes (G2T), which could give the 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro an advantage over the other highweight, Mrs. Sippy, who has not raced since finishing off the board in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) in November for trainer Graham Motion.
"I wanted to have a race before that. She kind of showed some speed and backed up," Brown said. "It's her second start going a mile and a half. She seems to be doing well, so we'll see. She had some success here last year."
Fools Gold will be ridden by Javier Castellano.
My Sister Nat is a group 3 winner in her native France, but since arriving in the U.S. last year, the daughter of Acclamation has not found the winner's circle. She's come close in her past two efforts, finishing second in both the Nov. 30 Long Island Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack and the New York, where she was 5 1/4 lengths behind Mean Mary.
She will be ridden by Jose Ortiz.
Clement brings another French-bred in Olympic Games, who raced previously in France and Italy and began racing in the U.S. in the June 7 Treasure Coast Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Martin Schwartz, she finished second in that 1 1/8-mile test and followed with another runner-up finish July 12 in the 1 1/2-mile River Memories Stakes at Belmont Park.
The daughter of Olympic Glory will race from Post 5 under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Beau Belle, Quiet Dignity, and main-track-only entrant Another Broad make up the remainder of the field.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 8, 2020, Race 8Entries: Troy S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Imprimis (FL) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Joseph F. Orseno 8/5 2 2American Sailor (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Wayne Potts 12/1 3 3Lonhtwist (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Keith O'Brien 20/1 4 4Shekky Shebaz (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Christophe Clement 5/2 5 5Pure Sensation (FL) Kendrick Carmouche 124 Christophe Clement 3/1 6 6Pulsate (KY) Manuel Franco 118 Robert Ribaudo 15/1 7 7Chewing Gum (KY) Joel Rosario 118 William I. Mott 9/2
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 8, 2020, Race 9Entries: Waya S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Mrs. Sippy (KY) Joel Rosario 122 H. Graham Motion 6/5 2 2Beau Belle (KY) Manuel Franco 118 Thomas Albertrani 10/1 3 3Quiet Dignity (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Michael J. Maker 20/1 4 4My Sister Nat (FR) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Chad C. Brown 2/1 5 5Olympic Games (FR) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Christophe Clement 4/1 6 6Another Broad (MD) John R. Velazquez 118 Todd A. Pletcher 7/5 7 7Fools Gold (KY) Javier Castellano 122 Chad C. Brown 5/1
