Ridden by Stewart Elliott, Silent Valor entered the Sapling off a dominating 6 1/4-length score in the slop May 16 at Belmont Park when breaking his maiden at second asking. The son of Lion Heart went gate-to-wire in that one, but came from well off the pace to earn his first stakes win Aug. 31. He is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Officer Ipod, who took over while rounding the turn and had a 2 1/2-length advantage at the top of the lane, settled for second under Joe Bravo. Rereadthefootnotes was third in a field of six. The final time on a fast main track was 1:10.26.

Early in the Sapling, it was Saratoga Storm who took the lead. With Juan Leyva aboard, he cruised through a quarter-mile in :22.01 while Officer Ipod raced close up in the second and Wild Proof made a strong move along the rail to also get into contention. Rereadthefootnotes was never far behind.

Officer Ipod, who was runner-up in the Sanford (gr. I), took over after a half-mile in :44.99 and began distancing himself from the rest of the field as they came out of the turn. But Silent Valor, next-to-last after four furlongs, was just getting revved up and used a four-wide entry into the lane to get into striking position. He edged closer to the leader nearing the sixteenth-pole and streaked to the front seconds later.

“He’s a real easy horse to ride,” said Elliott. “He does whatever you ask him to. He’s a push-button type of horse. This colt really has a nice future ahead of him.”

Going off as the slight favorite, Silent Valor paid $5.80, $3.60 and $2.10. The exacta (6-4) returned $28.20, with the trifecta (6-4-1) netting $92.

Bred in Kentucky by Hargus Sexton, Sandra Sexton and Mark Mullen, Silent Valor is out of the Valid Appeal mare Few Choice Words. He was purchased at the Keeneland September 2007 yearling sale for $320,000.

Dueling Alex finished fourth, followed by Wild Proof and Saratoga Storm. Valiancy was scratched.

A field of seven has been entered for the one-mile trek for 3-year-olds and up. Shopton Lane and Brilliant Son will go only if weather moves it to the main track.

Among the other top contenders are locally-based Hotstufanthensome, who has won six times on the Monmouth grass and enters off a narrow third-place loss to Silver Tree in the Aug. 3 Oceanport Stakes (gr. IIIT). Giant Wrecker, a neck back in second during that three-way Oceanport photo, also joins the field.

Owned by James Scatuorchio and trained by Todd Pletcher, 7-year-old Icy Atlantic is no stranger to the racetrack. The Stormy Atlantic horse has gone to post 41 times in his career, recording a 7-10-3 mark with earnings of more than $800,000. Ninth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I), he is 0-for-3 this season, with his best finish in the May 24 Elkwood Stakes at Monmouth, where he finished third by 1 1/2 lengths in his last start.

Icy Atlantic, who won last year’s Red Bank by a neck under Joe Bravo, has won two of six lifetime starts on the Monmouth grass. He won the Jersey Derby (gr. IIIT) as a 3-year-old. Bravo will ride once more.

Hotstufanthensome was claimed for $62,5000 by trainer Terri Pompay for Main Street Stable’s in January. Since then the 8-year-old Awesome Again gelding was a well-beaten fifth in the Elkwood, won by a head in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer July 3 at Monmouth and stalked the pace but came up just short in the Oceanport.

Hotstufanthensome’s biggest win came in the 2005 Cliff Hanger (gr. IIIT) at Meadowlands. He also scored in the 2006 Mac Diarmida Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream while setting an 11-furlong course record. Overall, he is 11-9-2 from 37 starts.

“I’m really proud of him,” said Pompay. “He’s such a neat old horse. He’s such a gritty horse. He’s not big, and he’s not much to look at, but he’s tough as they come. After he got beat in the Oceanport, he was mad. He was acting up when he came back from the spit box, like he knew he just got beat. He’s doing very well now. He’s working good and he’s ready to go.”

Elvis Trujillo will get the mount.

Edward Evans’ Giant Wrecker led nearly every step in the Oceanport before being collared in the final strides. The 6-year-old Tony Dutrow trainee turned in his best effort in quite a while that time, as he has not won since taking the Canadian Turf Handicap (Can-IIIT) in February 2007 – a span of 10 starts. Based out of Delaware, Giant Wrecker has had plenty of experience at Monmouth too, as he has posted a 3-1-0 record from five starts. Eddie Castro will be in the irons.

Also worthy of consideration is Eldon Farm’s Wheels Up At Noon, who comes into the Red Bank sporting a three-race win streak. The 4-year-old Outflanker gelding won the July 13 Caesar Rodney Stakes at Delaware by 2 1/4 lengths in his most recent effort.

Wait a While takes the Ballston Spa Handicap for the 2nd straight year. Order This Photo Photo: Coglianese Photos

Odds-on choice Wait a While returned to her winning ways with a repeat victory in the $196,000 Ballston Spa Handicap (gr. II) (VIDEO) on the Saratoga lawn Aug. 21.

Wait a While disappointed as the lukewarm choice in the Diana (gr. IT) in her last start July 26 when the course came up with a little give to it. But back on the firm going that she prefers, Arindel Farm's classy 5-year-old daughter of Maria's Mon proved much the best while chalking up her 11th lifetime win in 22 starts.

“I think firm turf is the biggest key," said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. "We kind of had everything working against us last time (in the Diana). We had an outside post and we were hung out wide all the way around there. It was actually a little better race than it looked, and it came up such a tough race. The ground was just a touch soft that day, and I think that having that race under her belt set her up well for today.

“She’s a special filly," Pletcher added. "She was a champion at 3 and she’s won some tremendous races. Two Ballston Spas and her Lake Placid as a 3-year-old were awesome races. This is her fourth year at Saratoga, so when you have one that long, it gets a little extra special.”

Ridden by John Velazquez in a five-horse field, Wait a While enjoyed a perfect stalking trip behind the pacesetting Sharp Susan, who provided a decent pace (:23.93, :47.08, 1:10.39) for the 1 1/16-mile test for fillies and mares. Wait a While challenged for the lead coming off the turn and took control in upper stretch. She felt a couple of cracks with a left-handed whip from Velazquez mid-stretch and widened her lead a bit, then finished under hand urging a measured length in front of the gradually gaining Carriage Trail, ridden by Edgar Prado.

Second choice Rutherienne, with Julien Leparoux aboard, ran out of steam in the lane and finished third, 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Sharp Susan and Valbenny completed the order.

The final time was an excellent 1:39.70, less than one second off the Mellon Turf Course record.

"She did really well," said Velazquez, who rode Wait a While for the first time since they teamed to win the Honey Fox Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park in March 2007. "She did everything good. She did whatever I wanted to get my position. When I asked her, she went right away.”

Wait a While boosted her career earnings to $1,941,917 with the $120,000 winner's share.

Pletcher said the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon (gr. IT) at 10 furlongs on the turf at Santa Anita Sept. 27 would be Wait a While’s next likely start.

Wait a While won her third race in four starts on the Saratoga turf, her only blemish coming in the Diana, which was her first start in more than six months. The gray mare has won all three of her efforts at the 1 1/16-mile distance.

Last year, Wait a While defeated Vacare by 2 1/4 lengths in the Ballston Spa.

Sent off at odds of 4-5, Wait a While carried co-high weight of 119 pounds to victory and paid $3.70, $3 and $2.20. The $2 exacta was $26. Carriage Trail, who was coming off a stakes win for Shug McGaughey on the inner turf course July 30, returned $5.90 and $2.80. Rutherienne, also under 119, registered her fourth consecutive third-place finish for trainer Christophe Clement and paid $2.60 to show.

W.S. Farish and W. Temple Webber Jr. bred Wait a While in Kentucky. She is out of the A.P. Indy mare Flirtatious.

Turf experiment for Ready's Echo

By DAVID GRENING
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Having run third in the Peter Pan and the Belmont Stakes, Ready's Echo has already proven himself a quality horse. Trainer Todd Pletcher is hoping that a move to turf helps Ready's Echo become a top-quality animal.

Ready's Echo makes his first start since dead-heating for third with Anak Nakal in the Belmont Stakes in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 3/16 miles on Saratoga's Mellon turf course. It will be his first start on turf.

"We were pleased with the way he ran in the Belmont, we were also pleased with the way he ran in the Peter Pan, but we think if he is to move forward a little bit on the grass that might be the difference in him turning into a really nice horse," Pletcher said.

Following the Belmont, Pletcher had planned on running Ready's Echo in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs in July. But Ready's Echo suffered a foot abscess that forced him to miss a week of training. Pletcher felt the horse wasn't ready for either the Virginia Derby or the Hall of Fame Stakes here on Aug. 4.

Pletcher is hopeful Ready's Echo will take to the turf based on his pedigree and his late-closing running style, which he feels is more effective on the turf.

"Quite a few of the More Than Readys tend to take to the turf," Pletcher said. "He's out of a Kingmambo mare, which is added pedigree support. He seemed to work pretty well on it. His running style of wanting to settle and make a run also should [help him] like the turf."

J’ray secured her first win in more than eight months as she seized command in early stretch en route to winning the $150,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes (G3) on Sunday at Monmouth Park.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the five-year-old Distant View mare defeated runner-up Dyna’s Lassie by 1¾ lengths and completed 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in a blistering 1:46.39, a new course record at Monmouth. The previous record of 1:46.49 was set by Skiding on August 20, 2006.

Third-place finisher Cozzi Capital finished a neck behind Dyna’s Lassie.

Jockey Joe Bravo kept J’ray off the rail reserved near the back of the nine-horse field. J’ray trailed the field through six furlongs but was only a little more than three lengths off the lead.

J’ray launched a sweeping move on the far turn, accelerated past fading favorite Paris Winds (Ire) near the eighth pole, and powered to her first win since December 2007.

Eclisse (Fr) set the early pace under Elvis Trujillo and led by 2½ lengths after an opening quarter in :24.13. Eclisse led by 1 ½ lengths after a half-mile in :47.17 and by a head with three furlongs to go as J’ray began her winning rally from the back of the field.

As a reward for hitting the board, Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Kentucky, will offer the top three finishers stallion seasons to one of three sires—Grade 1 winner Wildcat Heir at Journeyman Stud in Ocala, Grade 1 winner Southern Image at Taylor Made, or Grade 2 winner Northern Afleet at Taylor Made.

The win was the first of the year for J’ray and his first since taking the My Charmer Handicap (G3) on December 1 at Calder Race Course. In her previous start, J’ray finished fifth in the All Along Stakes (G3) on June 21 at Colonial Downs.

J’ray has won eight of 22 career starts, including three Grade 3 victories. J’ray is out of the winning Darshaan mare Bubbling Heights (Fr) and has banked $686,889 in career earnings.

Overcoming a layoff of nearly ten months, Red Giant launched a strong rally entering the stretch and wore down runner-up Stalingrad in the closing yards to win the $150,000 Fourstardave  Handicap (G2) by a neck on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.

Winner of the Virginia Derby (G2) in course record time last summer at Colonial Downs, the four-year-old Giant’s Causeway colt had been sidelined with an ankle problem since a runner-up finish to Nobiz Like Shobiz in the Jamaica Handicap (G2) on October 6 at Belmont Park. Red Giant showed no signs of rust on Sunday on the yielding turf course.

Red Giant saved ground under John Velazquez in third then fourth behind pacesetter Inca King, who sprinted to the early lead and opened seven-length lead through the opening quarter. Inca King maintained a clear advantage through a half-mile in :47.81, while chased by Thorn Song.

Stalingrad, who settled just off the early pace, moved four wide entering the backstretch. He advanced to third on the outside, maintained that position into the turn, and steadily reeled in Thorn Song and Inca King to seize command in midstretch.

Stalingrad appeared en route to victory and led through deep stretch, but Red Giant unleashed a bold bid on the inside entering the lane and battled past Inca King before overhauling Stalingrad late.

“There is no question he is a quality horse,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of Red Giant, who is campaigned by Peachtree Stable. “We weren’t concerned about him not being good enough in a spot like this; our concern was that he hadn’t run in a while.”

Red Giant, the 4.30-to-1 third choice in the nine-horse field, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.93.

Thorn Song stayed on for third, a length behind Stalingrad. Danak (Ire), the 2.20-to-1 favorite, took a bad step at the head of the stretch and was pulled up near the wire.

“He’ll be okay,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “He grabbed a shoe off and was bleeding from his left front and left hind.”

Red Giant improved to five wins in 11 career starts and boosted his lifetime bankroll to $942,410.  Bred in Kentucky by Ed and Marilyn Seltzer, he is out of multiple stakes-placed winner Beyond the Sun, by Kingmambo.