Saratoga Maidens, Presented by Keeneland: Dr. Agne with an Emotional First Victory at Saratoga

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Before the young horse with the easy-going disposition even stepped on the track at Saratoga Race Course Friday afternoon, just about everyone knew the story behind Dr, Agne (Into Mischief), who is out of Lady Eli (Divine Park).

When the 2-year-old colt powered to the finish line and won the seven-furlong, $100,000 maiden special weight, the story came full circle.

Dr. Agne, trained by Cherie DeVaux, is named for Dr. Robert Agne, who died at the age of 54 on Labor Day of 2015 after being hit by a car while cycling in Vermont. Dr. Agne was instrumental in the recovery of Lady Eli, who recovered from laminitis in 2015 and later became an Eclipse Award winner. Dr. Agne worked on Lady Eli along with Dr. Bryan Fraley of Fraley Equine Podiatry in Kentucky. DeVaux, then an assistant for trainer Chad Brown who conditioned Lady Eli, was with the filly every step on her long journey back. When Dr. Robert Agne died, DeVaux said she wanted to one day name a horse for him.

And here we are.

The horse came to her barn in April after he was scratched out of an auction. He was then bought privately by a group that included some of Lady Eli's owners. One is Sol Kumin, whose Sheep Pond Partners owned Lady Eli.

The widow of Dr. Robert Agne, Carrie, made the trip to Saratoga from Asheville, North Carolina, to see this special horse debut It was emotional. There were hugs between Carrie and DeVaux in the box seats when jockey Jose Ortiz got Dr. Agne home. There were tears from Carrie in the winner's circle. There may also have been some from DeVaux, but they would be hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

“Oh, my God,” Carrie Agne said, when asked what was going through her mind when Dr. Agne struck the front inside the eighth pole, “he might pull this off!”

Carrie Agne, widow of Dr. Robert Agne, embraces trainer Cherie DeVaux after Dr. Agne's emotional debut win at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

Then, after a pause and a tear: “Bob had such heart. He loved racing, everything about horses. He gave his all.”

Owned by Kumin's Madaket Stables LLC, Twin Brook Stables and Belladonna Racing LLC, Dr. Agne was foaled in Kentucky. He is the first foal from Lady Eli to run in the United States. The race was originally scheduled to be run on the inner turf at a mile but heavy rain on Thursday night forced it to be moved to the main at seven furlongs.

“I knew he would be fine,” DeVaux said. “I felt like he would be ok, just getting a race under his belt. I was not surprised that he could win. Against dirt horses, it might be a lot different.”

Sent off as the 7-2 third choice, Dr. Agne held off a late charge from 2-1 favorite Epic Desire (Uncle Mo) and Irad Ortiz Jr. and got to the wire first. Dr. Agne ran the seven furlongs in 1:25.97 and paid $9.70, $3.80 and $2.90.

When the colt is next seen, DeVaux said it will be on the grass. Lady Eli, after getting back to the races, was the 2017 Eclipse Award winner for champion Turf Female.

While allowing this victory to settle in, DeVaux said she was more nervous for Carrie Agne, who was making her first visit to Saratoga since 2015.

“For me, we do this, we have a lot of 2-year-olds,” DeVaux said. “I try to manage my expectations with each of them accordingly. I wanted everything to go well for Carrie. This is like her first soiree, and I wanted to make her proud.”

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