The rain that turned the July 16 card at Saratoga Race Course into a muddy mess did not bother trainer Larry Rivelli in the least.
As a result of a typical Spa downpour, Rivelli no longer had to wonder how his lightning-quick sophomore Uncashed would handle turf in the $175,000 Quick Call Stakes for 3-year-olds. Once the stakes was moved to the sloppy and sealed track at 5 1/2 furlongs, Rivelli’s Florida-bred runner went from a 5-1 morning line proposition on turf to a 6-5 favorite on the soaked main track. He had too much speed for his five rivals.
Breaking quickly under Irad Ortiz Jr., Patricia’s Hope’s Uncashed ($4.40) controlled the pace and pulled away in the stretch to post a 5 1/2-length victory that extended the Midwest-based gelding’s win streak to four straight with a second stakes win in a row.
As a son of Uncaptured out of the War Chant mare Charlie B, Rivelli believed Uncashed had an intriguing pedigree for turf, but he was quite happy to postpone that grass debut in order to keep his 3-year-old on dirt, where he has won 5 of 6 career starts with a combined winning margin of 28 lengths.
“It was time for him to get battle tested and this was obviously a step up from the venues he ran at before, but I wouldn’t have taken him here if I didn’t think he could do it. I’m really happy with his performance,” Rivelli said.
Uncashed came into the Quick Call off an easy 8 1/2-length score in the Golden Circle Stakes at Prairie Meadows in a final time of 1:10.13 for six furlongs while leading throughout. In contrast Sunday, the only other starter with a dirt stakes victory to his credit was Winning Move Stable’s Joey Freshwater , a runner from the main-track-only list who won the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) in April but had lost his past three starts by a combined margin of more than 34 lengths.
Ahead by a length after an opening quarter in :22.28, Uncashed shrugged off Acoustic Ave entering the stretch and was unchallenged from there, crossing the wire in 1:03.44.
“He broke out of there and made the lead on his own,” Ortiz said. “I didn’t have to use him too much. He doesn’t know how to slow down. He was going comfortable. He was going a little bit quick, but at the same time he was relaxed and waiting for me.”
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. gives Uncashed a pat on the head after winning the Quick Call at Saratoga Race Course
Afterward Rivelli said he was no longer in a hurry to test Uncashed on turf.
“I’d prefer to keep him on dirt. We don’t need to experiment as much now with a win like this,” said Rivelli, who added that the Aug. 26 Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) at the Spa was a possibility, even though the seven-furlong distance is a concern.
With the surface change, the race, by rule, lost its grade 3 status and was contested as a listed stakes status pending a review by the American Graded Stakes Committee.
Jimmy Freshwater, a Linda Rice-trained son of Jimmy Creed , was a clear second to complete the $12.80 exacta.
K and R Racing Stable and Town Branch Racing’s Two of a Kind , an Overanalyze colt trained by Brian Lynch, finished another three lengths back in third.
The victory lifted Uncashed’s earnings to $182,450. Working with bloodstock agent Steve Leving, Uncashed was privately purchased from breeder Nicksar Farm after winning his Sept. 13 debut at Louisiana Downs by 11 1/2 lengths.
Video: Quick Call S. Presented by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (BT)
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