After a 7th place debut where Cactus Closer raced for the early lead and quickly burned out, trainer Dale Romans decided to try the turf. “We like to bring them up here, these young horses and try them on the turf. It’s the only place in America you can work on the grass with a maiden, so we took him over there, worked him, and he had a beautiful work” said Romans after the race.
The work was 4 furlongs on August 21st on the Oklahoma turf track across from the street from the Saratoga main track. With the inside lane reserved for stakes horses, Cactus Closer had to run with the dogs out (the cones to mark a wider lane to limit wear on the inside lanes of the turf course). Running without a partner, the work was 48 seconds flat and ranked 6th of the 65 horses that ran that distance/surface that day.
The huge work led to the entry in Sunday’s first Race at Saratoga. A Maiden Special Weight at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. With Junior Alvarado aboard, Cactus Closer went straight for the lead running the quarter in 22.37 and the half in 44.82. Lou’s Room and jockey Manny Franco, who was fresh off his win in yesterday’s Travers Stakes, challenged from the outside and briefly traded head bobs for the lead. Cactus Closer was game down the stretch and pulled ahead by a neck at the line to score the maiden win in 1:01.78.
Congratulations to partners Jeff Bloom and Edwin Barker on the win and it was extra special for partner Charlie Monfort. The Colorado Rockies owner was unable to attend the first two wins that his first horse, Rockies Balboa, collected, so this was the first win he was able to see in person. The weekend’s first races at Saratoga also created a unique double with ties Denver sports. The winner owner of the first race on Saturday was former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson who scored his first win as an owner with Club Reign in a Maiden Special Weight.
Congratulations to jockey Mychel Sanchez who won his 2,000th career race as he rode Princess Summer to victory in Thursday’s 9th Race at Colonial Downs.
It was a $16,000 claimer at 1 mile on the inner turf. Princess Summer broke last of the 11 horses in the field. Coming out of the first turn and into the backstretch, they passed just one horse and sat in 10th the entire backstretch run. The energy saved paid off as Mychel Sanchez asked Princess Summer to go as they entered the far turn. After swinging way wide, they were 5-wide going into the stretch. After changing leads, Princess Summer surged down the center of the turf course and past six horses from final furlong to score the 1 1/4 length victory in 1:37.07.
Congratulations also go out to trainer Mike Maker and partner Michael Dubb on the win.
Unsuccessful in his first try on turf in the Grade 3 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation last out, Florida-bred Rockies Balboa returns to the main track Friday in the $250,000 Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga Race Course. The Dale Romans trainee will line up against seven other 3-year-olds in the six-and-a-half furlongs tilt.
A victory outside Florida at this level by Rockies Balboa would also produce a $5,000 Export Incentive for breeder Tonya Hunt paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Rockies Balboa was never a factor in the July 19 Quick Call on the Saratoga grass, passing tiring horses late to finish seventh behind winner Learntodiscover.
Prior to the Quick Call, he produced a length victory in a first condition, $125,000 optional claiming over a sloppy six-and-a-half furlongs at Churchill Downs on June 25. That came after finishing fifth under the same conditions going six furlongs on a fast track there on May 29.
He won two straight at Gulfstream Park over the winter including a nearly six-length victory in a maiden $50,000 optional claiming in December and a five-length domination of a state-bred allowance going seven furlongs in January. He was off the board in the Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth on February 29 before finishing second in two state bred stakes, the $98,000 OBS Sophomore at Tampa Bay Downs in March and the $100,000 FHBPA Sophomore Sprint at Gulfstream in April.
From three wins and three seconds in 11 career starts, Rockies Balboa has earned $178,231 for owners Charles Monfort, America’s Pastime Stables, Jeffrey Bloom’s Bloom Racing and Edwin S. Barker. Bloom as an agent for Monfort and Brian Spagnola, purchased Rockies Balboa for $150,000 at the 2025 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale where he was consigned by Randy Miles.
Rockies Balboa is by Girvin out of Toni Ann’s Miracle, by Hear No Evil.
Romans has given the riding assignment to Manny Franco and they have drawn the outside post eight.
The expected favorite is Obliteration, winner of the $150,000 Chick Lang (Listed) going six furlongs at Laurel Park on May 16 before finishing third in the seven-furlong Woody Stephens (G1) won by Englishman at Saratoga on June 6.
Obliteration started the year taking the $150,000 Renaissance by seven-and-a-half lengths at Oaklawn Park in January then traveled to Riyadh for the $1.5 million Saudi Derby presented by ZOOD Realty (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse where he finished second to Al Haram (Ire) on February 14.
By Violence, Obliteration has earned $1,043,550 for Leland Ackerly Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe and John Cilia.
He has post seven and jockey Jose Ortiz.
Completing the Amsterdam entries are American Man with Flavien Prat named to ride, Local Knowledge will have John Velazquez in the irons, Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Solitude Dude, Gilded Bandit and jockey Junior Alvarado, Ricardo Santana Jr. guides White Smoke Rising and Luis Saez has the assignment on Lincoln’s Law.
Florida-breds Rockies Balboa and Monster are part of an overflow field of turf sprinters entered for Sunday’s $225,000 Quick Call Stakes presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a Grade 3 test for 3-year-olds at five-and-a-half furlongs at Saratoga Race Course.
An out-of-state victory at this level by either would earn a $5,000 Export Incentive for their respective breeders paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Both will be making their second career starts at The Spa as the Jose D’Angelo-trained Monster was second in last year’s $139,000 Skidmore at the same distance on the Mellon turf while trainer Dale Romans sent Rockies Balboa to a fifth-place finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight there in his first career start in September of last year.
Monster enters off a third-place finish last out in a Churchill Downs allowance on June 7, a race in which he led until the final sixteenth and just missed second by a nose.
This will be the fourth different track in five starts this year for Monster. In two races at Gulfstream Park, he was fifth in the $100,000 Texas Glitter on turf in March and second in the $83,000 Roar on synthetic on May 17. Between those two, he was fifth in the $287,000 Palisades (Listed) going five-and-a-half furlongs on the Keeneland turf in April.
Monster has won two with two seconds and two thirds in 10 starts with earnings of $171,591. He is by Leinster out of Dienda, by Kantharos and was bred in Florida by Dr. Ross Russell and Deeann Smith Cavanaugh. Arindel purchased him for $25,000 out of the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale where he was consigned by Bobby Jones Equine.
Monster is 20-1 in the program and will be taken from post five by jockey Edgard Zayas.
Rockies Balboa won a first condition, $125,000 optional claiming over a sloppy six-and-a-half furlongs at Churchill Downs in his last out on June 25 after finishing fifth under the same conditions going six furlongs on a fast track there on May 29.
He won two straight at Gulfstream Park over the winter including a nearly six-length victory in a maiden $50,000 optional claiming in December and a five-length domination of a state-bred allowance going seven furlongs in January. He was off the board in the Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth on February 29 before finishing second in two state bred stakes, the $98,000 OBS Sophomore at Tampa Bay Downs in March and the $100,000 FHBPA Sophomore Sprint at Gulfstream in April.
Rockies Balboa has three wins and three seconds in 10 starts while earning $177,266 for Charles Monfort, America’s Pastime Stables, Jeffrey Bloom’s Bloom Racing Stable and Edwin S. Barker. Bloom as an agent for Monfort and Brian Spagnola bought him for $150,000 out of the Randy Miles consignment at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale.
He is by Girvin out of Toni Ann’s Miracle, by Hear No Evil and was bred in Florida by Tonya Hunt.
Dylan Davis is named to ride Rockies Balboa from post 11 and they are 30-1 in the program.
Others set for the Quick Call are Ewing with jockey Jose Ortiz, Tyler Gaffalione has the call on Learntodiscover (GB), Throckmorton will have Luis Saez in the saddle, Unwritten Rule will carry Jose Lezcano, Jaime Rodriguez has the assignment on Longshoreman, morning line favorite Cy Fair will have John Velazquez in the irons, Flavien Prat rides Johnny’s Red Storm and Junior Alvarado will guide Bobrovsky from the outside post 12. El Magnate is on the also eligible list and Oscar’s Hope is entered under main track only conditions.
New York Scrappy stayed red hot recording his 3rd win in a row and 5th in 2026.
In Friday’s 3rd Race at Saratoga, the 5-year-old Solomini gelding went straight for the lead in the 6 1/2-furlong, $45,000 Allowance Optional Claimer with Flavien Prat aboard. This time it was back on the dirt as the June 7th win at Saratoga came on the turf. Rounding the far turn it turned into duel on the front end as Ricardo Santana, Jr. went with Kenny Be to challenge Scrappy. Kenny Be took the lead a few strides before the final furlong marker, but it was never more than a head as Scrappy battled back and retook the just before the sixteenth pole and continued on to win by a neck at the line in 1:18.36.
“He’s doing so good” said trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci following the race. “Flavien (Prat) gave us a great ride as usual, he’s the best.”
The 5 wins in a year is a new stable record and New York Scrappy now sits one win behind Smokin’ Hot Kitty for the most wins in our stable’s history.
Congratulations to partners Ilkay Kantarmaci and Zilla Racing Stable on the win
New York Scrappy continued his hot streak by recording his fourth win of the year. This time it was at Saratoga and on turf as the previous three wins this year came on dirt.
Silvestre Gonzalez rode him to victory, and it was a special win for him. Our winningest jockey, Gonzalez has recorded over 800 wins and rode our horses to victory 33 times now. Racking up wins at Aqueduct, Belmont, Parx and Penn National, it was Silvestre’s first ever win at the hallowed grounds of Saratoga.
“I’m very excited. I’m very thankful to come out here to the Spa, beautiful weekend and to get a victory is even a bonus” said Gonzalez in his post-race interview.
It was also back-to-back wins aboard New York Scrappy who has won his last 3 races in a row. “I don’t know what it is about him; he likes my riding I guess,” said Gonzalez. “First time on the turf for me with him and he was as game as could be.”
“I just tried to save all the ground in the turn and just hope that it was going to open up a little bit, I had plenty of horse where I felt comfortable that we could make a move happen.”
The 5 ½ furlong allowance race on the turf had New York Scrappy and Silvestre Gonzalez sit back in fourth down the backstretch. Going into the stretch, Gonzalez found a lane on the inside and was able to make a move to with the fifth race by a neck in 1:01.64.
“Riding for these guys, Ilkay and Matt, they’ve helped throughout my career, the sky’s the limit for them. I’m just glad to be on the ride with them.”
The win marks our seventh straight year with trip to the Winner’s Circle at Saratoga and we’re extremely happy Silvestre’s first Saratoga win came aboard one of our horses.
