A former assistant to trainer Chad Brown, Jorge Abreu is no stranger to success at Saratoga Race Course.
That success continued when the Dominican-born trainer went out on his own in 2016, winning twice at the summer meet with Woodville in the only two starters he saddled under his own name that year.
Nine years later, the yellow "JA" on his saddle towels are a familiar sight on the Saratoga track each morning. Abreu is already off to a good start this season, taking the opening race on the track's signature opening day card July 10.
“All the time I aim for this meet,” said Abreu. “I run some horses at Aqueduct, probably in the wrong spot, just to drop them here and win a race here. I've been doing well since day 1 here with the horses."
Abreu has 30 horses stabled with him across the street from the Oklahoma Training Track, plus an additional 25 at Belmont Park under the eye of his brother, Reynaldo. However, he is hopeful that one very special filly, Scottish Lassie, can take him to the next level—a grade 1 win at the Spa—with a victory in the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) July 19.
Providing Abreu with a milestone victory would be no new feat for the 3-year-old daughter of McKinzie . Last fall, she gave Abreu both his first grade 1 and graded stakes victory when emphatically breaking her maiden by nine lengths in the Frizette Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack. The win was extra rewarding for Abreu as he had picked her out himself at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training for $85,000.
“She’s very special, especially for me,” Abreu said. “Everybody in the barn—it’s good for everybody when you have that kind of a horse.
“That’s what makes you wake up every day at 4:30 in the morning. That’s what makes you come to work, having that type of horse to work with on a daily basis. When you run good, it just gives a different attitude coming in to work."
But having a top horse does add a bit of extra pressure to make sure she's always putting forth her best effort, especially considering Abreu is a co-owner of the horse in partnership with Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, and Corms Racing Stable.
“You don’t want to make a mistake, you don’t want to run back too soon,” Abreu said. “But I think she fits in the races I’ve been picking for her so far. She always shows up."
The Frizette as a maiden was certainly a correct call and made her one of the favorites for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar. She would finish fourth that day behind 2-year-old champion Immersive, but finished 9 1/4 lengths ahead of future two-time grade 1 winner La Cara. Both fillies will line up against her again Saturday.
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After a winter break, Scottish Lassie returned in an Aqueduct allowance company, a race Abreu said she was only 75% ready for. She finished third that day after setting the pace, a running style Abreu prefers not to see with his horses.
She bounced back well when stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in last month’s Acorn Stakes (G1) over a sloppy Saratoga track. She stalked the pace and finished 3 1/4 lengths behind pacesetting La Cara to finish third, beaten just a neck for the runner-up spot.
“For the Acorn, I think (jockey) Irad (Ortiz Jr.) gave her a perfect ride; breaking from the one hole, stretching her out to a mile-and-an-eighth, sloppy track,” Abreu said. “I think right now, she’s where I want her to be for (the CCA Oaks).”
Entering the CCA Oaks, Abreu said her attitude in her training is reminding him of how she entered her Frizette victory last season. The difference comes in the fact that he has a stronger filly this year.
“She was a really good-sized filly (last year), but now she’s stronger,” Abreu said. “She’s got more muscle definition, she’s always been a good-sized horse. She’s carrying good weight, good flesh. That’s all you can ask for.”
She’ll need every bit of that muscle to turn the tables on both Immersive and La Cara, as well as the challenge of new rivals Take Charge Milady, Sweet Seraphine, and Dry Powder.
Abreu is up for the challenge.
“It’s not a walkover, it’s a salty race. You have six of the best 3-year-old fillies in the country, so I just hope for a good trip,” Abreu said. “She’s a pretty straightforward horse; she likes to be forwardly placed.”
What would it mean to win a grade 1 at Saratoga with a horse who has already played such a special role in his career?
"I don't think I have any words to describe it right now," Abreu said. "It would be pretty special to us, to the whole team."
