Ralis Returns to New York
California invader Ralis (Square Eddie) takes a second cross-country trip in less than a month Saturday for Belmont’s GI Champagne S., a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. A second-out maiden winner against fellow Cal-breds at Santa Anita in June, the Reddam homebred was off the board in the Summer Juvenile Championship at Los Alamitos Racecourse July 12. He settled for second behind stablemate Mrazek (Square Eddie) in the restricted Graduation S. at Del Mar Aug. 5, and when that runner was unable to make Saratoga’s GI Hopeful S. Sept. 7, Ralis took his place. Perhaps taking advantage of a New York juvenile male contingent that has yet to really impress, the bay cruised home by 5 3/4 lengths over Magna Light (Magna Graduate), kicking off a Grade I double that fellow Reddam-owned, Doug O’Neill-trained juvenile Nyquist (Uncle Mo) would complete later that day in the GI Del Mar Futurity.
“He’s a mature dude–he’s never been a bad actor–and he shipped so well to Saratoga we’re just trying to repeat that,” O’Neill said of Ralis. “We’ve always thought of him as being a special horse, but after you win a race like the Hopeful, folks around the barn have started looking at him in a brand-new light.”
With a rainy forecast for the East Coast this weekend, Magna Light deserves a long look. He is the lone runner in this bunch to have raced over a wet surface before, having donned cap and gown first out in a sloppy, off-the-turf sprint here June 28. The Rudy Rodriguez pupil outran 13-1 odds to cross the wire first in the July 25 GIII Sanford S. upstate, but was placed third for ducking out on a rival while clear and forcing that foe to lose second. No match for Ralis after setting the pace again in the Hopeful, he figures to show the way early from his rail draw.
This race may very well be primed for a new shooter, and there are formidable ones several signed on. Chuck Fipke homebred Tale of S’avall (Tale of Ekati) was bet like a good thing first out in a GI Travers S. day maiden Aug. 29, and came through with a commanding two-length victory after a no-cover trip to earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ status. He gets first-time Lasix from trainer Barclay Tagg.
Ready Dancer (More Than Ready) won the faster Travers day maiden, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure to Tale of S’avall’s 81. Third first out here July 4, he was second to GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity hopeful Stickstatelydude (First Dude) Aug. 1. Ready Dancer been flattered by runners who have finished behind him–Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}), fourth Aug. 1, came back to break maiden before annexing the GIII Pilgrim S. last Saturday; while Sail Ahoy (Bernardini), third Aug. 29, rallied to take a blanket finish over track and trip Sept. 12.
Greenpointcrusader (Bernardini) just missed from GII Saratoga Special S. runner-up Saratoga Mischief (Into Mischief) after running into some traffic trouble on opening Saturday at Saratoga July 25, but got the job done Sept. 5. The $575,000 KEESEP yearling hails from a family of talented slop loverrs that includes Keyed Entry (Honour and Glory), Justin Phillip (First Samurai) and Algorithms (Bernardini).