Stars and Strides

From his earliest lessons at Pin Oak Stud, Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) has handled everything asked of him with ease. Now, his team is hoping that trend continues in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes. Pin Oak's Director of Farm Operations and Property Michael Hardy said that the GIII Street Sense Stakes winner has not missed a beat since his win at Churchill Downs. Following a brief layoff on the farm, the Riley Mott trainee moved to Palm Meadows and has put in a series of six weekly drills, including a bullet...

Pin Oak Stud's Stars and Strides (American Pharoah) capped a memorable Saratoga meeting for his owner, trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado, slicing through at the fence in upper stretch and powering home to take Monday's Listed Saranac Stakes. A narrow, but highly impressive debut winner (92 Beyer Speed Figure) in a seven-furlong maiden on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 7, the $475,000 Keeneland September graduate was a distant seventh of 11 trying winners for the first time going the same distance on July 19. That prompted a move...

9th-Saratoga, $110,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 8-7, 3yo, 1mT, 1:35.03, fm, 3/4 length. STARS AND STRIDES (c, 3, American Pharoah--Holiday Blues, by Ghostzapper) debuted a winner by a head over a sloppy track at the Spa June 7, then was well-beaten behind Rookie Card (Adios Charlie) when he caught a fast main in an allowance race upstate July 19. Trying turf and off as a 9-1 shot here, the colt was up on the pace in the early stages before being taken back into the second flight before the first...

5. ASBURY PARK (GB), 6/6, SAR, Race 8, 1 1/16 miles (turf), VIDEO Beyer Speed Figure- 85 (c, 4, by Frankel {GB}--Limonar {Ire} by Street Cry {Ire}) O-Peter Brant and St Elias Stable. B-St Elias Stable (GB). T-Chad Brown. J-Flavien Prat. Not surprisingly, Saratoga produced all five of these maiden graduates - three on Friday. Asbury Park got his race in just before heavy rain and powered away as much the best despite a slow pace, wide trip and an 9 1/2-month layoff due to shin issues. Brant bought the...

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 6-7, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:23.66, sy, head. STARS AND STRIDES (c, 3, American Pharoah--Holiday Blues, by Ghostzapper), a first-time starter tackling several more experienced rivals here, went off at 8-1 and opted to rate mid pack as longshot Henry's Hope (Maclean's Music) set a contested tempo with 3-5 race favorite Mainstream (Speightstown) sitting second. Beginning to pick up the bridle midway around the turn, Stars and Strides dove inside at the quarter pole under Junior Alvarado to engage Mainsteam who took over the front momentarily. The pair dueled...

2nd-SAR, $100k, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 11:20a.m. ET Coming into this maiden with a number of bullet works to his credit, COPIOUS (Curlin) will debut in the colors of Tranquility Lake Farms for trainer Bill Mott. With four bullets at Payson and two over the Oklahoma training track, the chestnut is the son of MGISW Paradise Woods (Union Rags) and hails from the immediate female family of MGSW & GISP Mr. Greeley (Gone West). His dam's half-sister Paradise Bay (Blame) has produced SW Reef Runner (This Big Beast) and his...