NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Patricia Generazio’s homebred Saratoga Treasure figuratively thumbed her nose at her 17-1 post-time odds when she notched a commanding victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Autumn Days at the Big A in her stakes debut with a sweeping last-to-first move.
Carded for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at six furlongs on the outer turf course, the aptly named Autumn Days was originally scheduled for last Sunday before a weather cancellation. Saturday, Cigar Mile Day, is the penultimate day of turf racing in New York.
Trained by David Donk, Saratoga Treasure has achieved consistent success on steady diet of turf sprints. At two, she broke her maiden at first asking at Saratoga going 5 1/2 furlongs on the green. At three, she finished on the board in half of her six starts, while winning a first-level state-bred allowance over good turf at Belmont in October. This year, with 2 wins, a second and two thirds in seven starts, she had certainly earned the right to try and take her game to the next level.
Following a smooth exit from her outside post under jockey Eric Cancel, Saratoga Treasure dropped back to watch the proceedings from last through a first quarter run in 23.36. Five lengths ahead, longshot Boos set the pace, pressed along by contender Broadway Run.
Gearing up in the approach to the far turn, Saratoga Treasure unleashed a sweeping four-to-five wide move in the bend and got on even terms with the front-runners as she straightened away.
Taking over the lead, the filly showed the way for the length of the stretch, ultimately scoring a much-the-best 3 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:11.68 over the yielding course. After a photo sorted out the remaining placings, Rocky Policy (10-1) finished second, followed a nose back by Rose Flower. Another nose back, Fire Key – a five-time New York-bred stakes winner, winner of the Autumn Days in 2017 and odds-on favorite – had to settle for fourth. Another head back, fellow New York-bred Jc’s Shooting Star outran her 21-1 odds to finish fifth.
Eric Cancel, aboard Saratoga Treasure for the first time, had clearly made a careful study of the filly’s recent starts.
“She’s been running pretty well,” said Cancel. “The last time [under Jose Ortiz], she made a really nice run. I just rode her with a lot of confidence. She seems to like the track the way that it is. I tried not to get in her way. I just tried to find the right spot for her and make one big run. Everything worked out really well.”
Delighted with the trip and ride, trainer Dave Donk said, “She really is [consistent]. Jose [Ortiz] did a great job with her in her previous races. He got her back off the pace and it looks like that’s what she wants to do. Eric [Cancel] gave her a great ride. I thought he might have moved a little too soon, but he said he had too much horse and it was time to go.”
Added Donk, “It was a jump up in class, but she really likes the ground and she’s certainly on the improve. Her last three races were real good coming into today, and she ran to it.”
In 16 starts, Saratoga Treasure has bankrolled $310,603 and collected five wins, two seconds and three thirds. She is one of five winners from five foals to race out of Sky Gazer, an unraced Florida-bred daughter of Sky Mesa. Her half-sister Wildcat Gaze by Wildcat Heir, Sky Gazer’s second foal, is also a stakes winner and has banked nearly $200,000. Half-brother Veterans Beach, by Big Brown, is a stakes performer on turf.
Sky Gazer has a yearling filly by Laoban named Saratoga Gaze, no 2019 foal, and has been bred to Liam’s Map.
