With another year coming to an end, BloodHorse staff members were asked to reflect on what they had seen over the last 12 months and vote on the best races of 2024.
The Top 10 countdown started Dec. 20 with No. 10, the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), followed by No. 9, the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). And now, here's No. 8: the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1), June 8 at Saratoga Race Course.
How it played out
In Hollywood, sequels to hit movies usually fall flat in attempting to match the popularity of the original. For every "Godfather II" there are 50 bombs like "Godfather III."
The same can sometimes be said of rematches on the racetrack.
But not with the Ogden Phipps Stakes.
In the 2023 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), Idiomatic and Randomized turned in quite a show, with Idiomatic prevailing by a half-length over her 3-year-old rival.
Seven months later, they met again in the Ogden Phipps at Saratoga Race Course and turned in an even more thrilling duel.
As she did in the Distaff, Klaravich Stables' Randomized set the pace in the Phipps. But this time Juddmonte's Idiomatic was unsettled at the break and found herself fourth after the opening quarter-mile.
While Randomized cruised along on the lead, jockey Florent Geroux kicked Idiomatic into top gear in the stretch and the 3-5 favorite slowly chewed away at the daughter of Nyquist 's lead. It appeared for a few moments that Idiomatic's momentum would carry her to victory, but Randomized and Joel Rosario dug down and the 6-1 shot fended off trainer Brad Cox's 2023 Eclipse Award winner to turn the tables on her rival.
This time Randomized reached the wire first by a head for trainer Chad Brown, avenging her loss in the Breeders' Cup in thrilling fashion.
The sequel topped the original as it added to Saratoga's legacy for upsets and earned the Phipps the No. 8 spot among the 10 best races of 2024.
Quotable
Sean Collins, BloodHorse assistant news editor: "The Ogden Phipps was one of the most thrilling races of the season, both from a visual and a storyline perspective. Two top-level talents dueling for the length of the stretch, both showing tenacity in victory and defeat. Randomized turned for home with the lead, trying to avenge her defeat in the previous fall's Breeders' Cup. Idiomatic attempted to run her down and secure a fifth consecutive grade 1 win. They left everything they had on the track, dazzling a packed Saratoga crowd as they roared to the finish line. Randomized emerged by the smallest of margins for the signature victory of her career so far while Idiomatic, despite being defeated, proved her will to fight. And who was behind them? A former champion (Pretty Mischievous, third), the winner of the Personal Ensign Stakes (Raging Sea, fourth), and a future Breeders' Cup winner (Soul of an Angel, fifth). As a fan in the crowd or watching on TV, you can't ask for much more."
Impact
Neither Randomized nor Idiomatic returned to the Breeders' Cup, though with two wins and two seconds in grade 1 company Idiomatic will probably be named the champion older dirt female for a second straight year.
Notable
With the Ogden Phipps contested at Saratoga due to construction at Belmont Park, the race was contested at the same two-turn, 1 1/8-mile distance as the Distaff ... It was Brown's first victory in the Phipps.
