NYRA/Adam Coglianese
By Sarah Mace
Riding the tide of a front-running, 6 1/2-length victory in the New York Derby at Finger Lakes on July 23, where his final time was just 0.12 seconds off the track record and worthy of a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, Hit It Once More was at one time under consideration for this weekend’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes. Instead, trainer Gary Sciacca opted to go the state-bred route for now, and his colt answered the call Friday by acing the $250,000 Albany Stakes on Saratoga Showcase Day with another front-running triumph.
A son of Hard Spun owned by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells’ August Dawn Farm, Hit It Once More was seeking his fourth win in five starts. Kendrick Carmouche, the Albany win rider, had the assignment and the colt was bet down to ninety-five cents on the dollar by post time while spotting his rivals six-to-seven pounds.
Hit It Once More broke running from post six of seven and, in command from the start, gained the two path by the clubhouse turn and edged away from his pursuers along the backstretch.
While Hit It Once More continued around through the far turn under hand urging, Extinct Charm took a brief run at him, but the bay opened up again under a drive. He and swept to the wire to win by 3 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:50.30. Extinct Charm finished second, followed nearly eight lengths back by Celtic Chaos in third. [VIDEO]
Carmouche said, “He got out to the lead and was running nice and easy and when the other horses came up to him he responded. At the top of the stretch, he exploded and it was over. If they wanted to come with us they weren’t going to keep up with us. We wanted to just go and improve our position.”
Added Carmouche, “I would like to say congratulations to coach [Bill Parcells] and Gary Sciacca for their first win of the meet here. I know how hard it is to win at Saratoga but it’s a good race to win.”
Sciacca said, “He ran a great race up in Finger Lakes and came he came right back and did it again, so he’s for real. He could have sat right off it, but he runs better that way. He comes from last – it doesn’t matter. He can run anywhere he wants. But they didn’t go that fast, so that put him right in the driver’s seat.”
Continued Sciacca, “We liked him earlier and then he got little problems here and there, growing pains. But he got a little older and started doing really well after that. Then as we stretched him out, he started doing really well. The farther he was going, the better he was running.”
Hit It Once More will be pointed next to the Pennsylvania Derby.
Hit It Once More has four wins, all in state-bred company, in ten starts for earnings of $355,202. Bred by JMJ Racing Stables and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, the colt was purchased as a yearling for $105,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale, before he was picked up by Sciacca for $90,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale. His dam, stakes winner Sunday Geisha, has a yearling colt by Freud, weanling colt by Oxbow and was bred to Violence this year.
