Touch of Fire Favored in Nine-Horse Hall of Fame Stakes

On the morning of Aug. 7, 11 new members will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Later that afternoon, nine 3-year-olds will compete in a $400,000 stakes of the same name at Saratoga Race Course. Should any of those runners aim to one day be enshrined in the Hall of Fame themselves, Friday's 1-mile contest would be an important steppingstone as all but one—Dahman's Bottas—are still in search of their first graded victory. That desire to earn a graded win was weighed in trainer Brad Cox's decision to enter Juddmonte homebred Touch of Fire in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) after a fourth-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Belmont Derby (G1T) July 4 at Saratoga. Only defeated 1 1/4 lengths that day, connections could have continued to pursue New York's grade 1 sophomore turf series in the Aug. 5 Saratoga Derby Stakes (G1T) over 1 3/16 miles. However, Cox liked the idea of cutting back in distance. A son of Constitution, Touch of Fire broke from the far outside in the Belmont Derby and ended up being the pacesetter, giving way in deep stretch. Cox is hopeful that breaking from the rail Friday, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. can work out a similar stalking trip as when the colt won the 1 1/8-mile Audubon Stakes May 30 at Churchill Downs by 3 lengths. "Hopefully there will be someone in there that he can track. I like him tracking a horse or two as opposed to being on the lead," Cox said. "Last time, we drew outside and kind of found ourself there. I thought he got a good trip last time, just wasn't able to finish it off. We're just looking to win a graded stakes with him, and hopefully this is the trick." The 5-2 morning-line favorite is one of three runners exiting the Belmont Derby. Glen Hill Farm's Third Coast (8-1), winner of the Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park in his prior start, was just a quarter-length behind when sixth at the wire. Trainer Thomas Proctor adds blinkers Friday. Splitting those two just a nose behind Touch of Fire was Bottas (6-1). The son of Vekoma is cross-entered by trainer Miguel Clement for the Saratoga Derby, as is West Paces Racing, Rainbow's End Racing Stable, Michael Lyden's Glavine, most recently a closing third while beaten three-quarters of a length in the July 3 Saranac Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile Saranac produces four entrants, including runner-up Blinging It Back. Like all nine of Friday's entrants, Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch's son of Volatile is cutting back in distance from his previous start, and it's a move Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse believes will benefit him. "His last race was big," Casse said of the Saranac's neck defeat when closing from midpack. "I think a mile is the perfect distance, which is kind of nice with him cutting back a little bit. Got nailed right at the wire going a mile and a sixteenth, but I think he's probably a better miler. Of course, it's a little tougher race." Also exiting the Saranac are Peter Brant's fourth-place finisher Arizona Territory for trainer Chad Brown and Marc Keller's fifth-place finisher Print for trainer Robert Ribaudo. Trainer Brendan Walsh enters a pair of stakes-winning, grade 3-placed runners in Feld Family Racing and Rachel Gerson's Immortalised (FR) and JDT Racing's Vasy (IRE).