Iron Dome romps to victory in Thursday’s Albany Stakes at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo.
By Darby O’Brien
Iron Dome stormed home for his third straight win in Thursday’s $200,000 Albany Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
“With him running two weeks ago, he was well away,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains the Into Mischief colt for L and N Racing and his co-breeder Chester Broman. “I was worried he would be a little flat, as big as he is. When he jumped away from the gate so well. Jose (Ortiz) knows him and has a lot of confidence in him. He let him do his thing.”
Iron Dome hustled out of the gate and settled into a stalking second as Hit the Post took an early 4-length lead. Ortiz angled Iron Dome wide as the field came around the far turn, taking the lead as they came to the five-sixteenths pole and took an undeniable command as they entered the stretch. He kicked clear of rivals with ease, scoring by 6 3/4 lengths over Hit the Post. King’s Leap finished third.
Iron Dome came into the Albany off back-to-back wins at the Saratoga meet. He broke his maiden by 10 1/2 lengths July 16 in a 1 1/8-mile maiden and returned August 7 to romp in an allowance at the same distance by 8 lengths. A $500,000 Keeneland September sale purchase, he proved unsuccessful in his first four starts. But the colt stepped it up July 16 and only continues to improve for his connections.
“Obviously, off of his other-than-win and his two 1 1/8 miles here I wanted to give this a chance. But then this morning with the key scratch (Train The Trainer), it kind of fell in his lap. I’m very proud of the horse,” said Asmussen. “He’s obviously a big, beautiful horse. Very nice (Chester) Broman New York-bred that’s coming into his own. Obviously just very excited about getting him when we did at Keeneland September, and being Mr. Buff’s brother, and always being a fan of his and all the success that he had up here. He’s making the family proud.”
Bred by the Bromans and foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Iron Dome is the seventh foal out of the Grade 3-placed Speightstown mare Speightful Affair.
Consigned by Sequel New York, agent for the Bromans, he went through the ring at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale and brought a $500,000 bid from the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based partnership L & N Racing, which includes Lee Levinson, his sons Andy and Michael and family friend Don Nelson. Chester Broman bought back in for 25 percent after the sale.
“It’s hard to say when they born, you think they’re all going to be champions right?” said Gregg Falk, Chestertown’s farm manager. “We had high hopes for him though. The mare has always had good babies. They’ve always been big, good frame like him, good bone on them. Being a half to Mr. Buff, he had some big shoes to fill. It’s hard to say, but this guy might be going in that same direction.”
Bred in Ontario and third in the Grade 3 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct in April of her 3-year-old season, Speightful Affair won two of 12 starts with eight placings and earned $142,182. The Bromans added her to their star-studded broodmare band on an $80,000 bid at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale.
Three of Speightful Affair’s first four foals, including multiple stakes winner and New York-bred champion Mr. Buff, were by the Broman’s stallion Friend Or Foe. Mr. Buff won 17 of 48 starts and earned $1,403,536 in the Bromans’ colors. She’s also the dam of the winning Friend Or Foe New York-bred Cain Is Abel, nine-time winner and $504,413-earner Daddy Knows (by Scat Daddy) along with the stakes-placed duo Quick to Accuse (by Accelerate) and Organic Gemini (by Sir Whimsey).
Iron Dome is Speightful Affair’s last foal.
“She’s been pensioned. She’s living the good life right now,” Falk said. “The last few foals, she had had some complications. It was her time. She’s earned it. She’s got a nice big paddock, in there with Unbridled Star, Stolen Star, some of those other ones that have a lot of stripes on their jackets, too. It’s great they’re together.”
– Additional reporting by Tom Law
