Ralis Rallies to Best East Coast Foes in the Hopeful

Reddam Racing’s homebred Ralis (Square Eddie), coming off a runner-up effort versus fellow California-breds in Del Mar’s Graduation S., made short work of the East Coast competition with an authoritative 5 3/4-length victory in Monday’s GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga. The bay colt, whose lone previous victory came in a state-bred maiden at Santa Anita June 13, was let go at 6-1 in Monday’s closing-day feature. He tracked pacesetting favorite Magna Light (Magna Graduate) while three wide down the backstretch through an opening quarter in :22.79. Ralis began reeling in the pacesetter after a half in :45.46, took charge with a sixteenth to run and bound clear.

The Hopeful victory completed an impressive Saratoga meeting for Javier Castellano, who was winning his sixth Grade I of the stand. Castellano also won the GI Woodward S., GI Whitney S., GI Travers S., GI Alabama S. and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt. The Hopeful completed a holiday graded stakes double for the jockey, who guided Ironicus (Distorted Humor) to a win in the GII Bernard Baruch H. a race earlier.

“I’m very thankful,” Castellano said of his Grade I haul. “A lot of people have given me a lot of support to be thankfully the number one jockey in Grade Is here in Saratoga. It’s a good record and I’m proud to be participating at the best track in the country. I have a lot of support: my agent, my trainers and the owners.”

“He broke well out of the gate today,” Castellano said of his trip in the Hopeful. “I thought he was going to be a little too far back. He broke sharp from the gate. He had a great post outside to take a bit of a nice hold and to see how the race developed in the first quarter. He had a great position outside. It was perfect. It was a perfect trip. I’m very blessed to ride that horse.”

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez was pleased with the runner-up effort of Magna Light, who was controversially disqualified from a first-place finish in the GIII Sanford S. earlier in the meet.

“I thought we ran very well,” Rodriguez said. “The winner was really good. Our horse ran a really great race, he just got outrun. He ran big. We were coming in ready for the race. Jose [Ortiz] said when he came to the stretch, he asked him and he gave him what he had and the other horse just went by him. We’ve got to talk to the owners [about what’s next] and regroup a little bit. We’ll look at a couple of races at Belmont and see what’s coming. He’s young, he’s fresh, so we’ll space him a little bit between races so we can maybe give him another chance at Belmont.”

Fourth on debut sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs versus open company May 22, Ralis graduated over five furlongs at Santa Anita June 13. He was fifth in the Summer Juvenile Championship at Los Alamitos July 12 and was coming off a runner-up effort behind stablemate Mrazek (Square Eddie) in the Aug. 5 Graduation S.

Ralis is the first graded stakes victor from three crops to race for Square Eddie, who won the GI Breeders’ Futurity for Paul Reddam in 2008. The 9-year-old stallion, who stands at Vessels Stallion Farm in California, has been represented this term by stakes winners Found Money and Mrazek, as well as graded stakes placed Smoove It.

Ralis is the third foal out of Silar Rules (Ten Most Wanted), a daughter of graded stakes winner Morning Meadow (Meadowlake). The 9-year-old mare produced a full-brother to Ralis in 2014 and was bred back to that stallion this spring.

Monday, Saratoga
HOPEFUL S.-GI, $350,000, SAR, 9-7, 2yo, 7f, 1:22.30, ft.
1–#@&RALIS, 118, c, 2, by Square Eddie
1st Dam: Silar Rules, by Ten Most Wanted
2nd Dam: Morning Meadow, by Meadowlake
3rd Dam: Morning Mirage, by Avatar
O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA); T-Doug F O’Neill; J-Javier Castellano. $210,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $268,989. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Magna Light, 118, c, 2, Magna Graduate–Kimberlite,by Mineshaft. ($5,000 Wlg ’13 KEENOV; $10,000 Ylg ’14 OBSAUG; $110,000 2yo ’15 OBSAPR). O-M Dubb, M Imperio, E Alexander & Bethlehem Stables LLC; B-Elisabeth Alexander (KY); T-Rudy R Rodriguez. $70,000.
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3–Uncle Vinny, 122, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Arealhotlover, by Untuttable. ($175,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP). O-Starlight Racing; B-Gilbert G Campbell (FL); T-Todd A Pletcher. $35,000.
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Margins: 5 3/4, 3, 2 1/4. Odds: 6.90, 2.05, 2.85.
Also Ran: Sallisaw, Tom’s Ready, Set the Trappe, Bullet Gone Astray. Scratched: Sticksstatelydude.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.