Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted September 1 Journalists Posted September 1 Pin Oak Stud's STARS AND STRIDES (c, 3, American Pharoah–Holiday Blues, by Ghostzapper) capped a memorable Saratoga meeting for his owner, trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado, slicing through at the fence in upper stretch and powering home to take Monday's Listed Saranac Stakes. A narrow, but highly impressive debut winner in a seven-furlong maiden on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 7, the $475,000 Keeneland September graduate was a distant seventh of 11 trying winners for the first time going the same distance on July 19. That prompted a move to two turns and the grass, and the decision paid immediate dividends when the bay scooted home to score over a mile at a juicy 9-1 back on Aug. 7. Favored at 17-10 to negotiate this hike into stakes company, Stars and Strides found his way into the box seat soon after the start as the New York-bred Leon Blue (Mo Town) cut out the running from Sir Barton Stakes hero Crudo (Justify), also making his first start on the grass, through a half-mile in an easy :49.47. Under a snug hold entering the turn, Stars and Strides was right on the heels of the leaders on the swing for home, went for a run inside of Leon Blue when that one vacated the inside and kicked on smartly to defeat the rail-rallying Magic Pathway (Quality Road). Asbury Park (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was produced wide into the stretch by Flavien Prat and rallied belatedly to just miss second. Jim and Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud also won the GI Saratoga Derby with World Beater (Oscar Performance) and the Birdstone Stakes with GIII Belmont Gold Cup winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution) during the meet. Alvarado and Mott, of course, teamed with Sovereignty (Into Mischief) to win the GII Jim Dandy Stakes and GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Sales history: $160,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $475,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0. O-Pin Oak Stud; B-Four Pillars Holdings LLC (KY); T-Bill Mott STARS AND STRIDES gets his first stakes win in the Saranac Stakes with @JuniorandKellyA aboard for trainer Bill Mott. pic.twitter.com/CUJDibx9wc — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) September 1, 2025 The post American Pharoah Colt Stars and Strides Surges Home In the Saranac appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article Quote
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