Phoenix ‘Dreaming’ Big at the Spa

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A new ‘TDN Rising Star’ on opening day, a headliner for the GI Travers S. and the potential return of an unbeaten Grade I winner.

There’s certainly plenty to look forward to at the prestigious Saratoga meeting for Amer Abdulaziz’s U.S. division of his fledgling Phoenix Thoroughbreds, overseen by former longtime Vinery Farms President Tom Ludt.

“Things are really good,” Ludt said by phone from his Los Angeles base Thursday morning.

Lyrical Lady (More Than Ready), a $625,000 OBSMAR graduate (:20 3/5), put on a show in the first salty baby race of the meeting, graduating by 5 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion July 20 (video), good for ‘Rising Star’ honors. The daughter of the graded stakes-placed Unbridled’s Song mare La Song earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

“Obviously, we were very happy,” Ludt said. “It looked like it really could be a great field, but you always find out with these 2-year-olds a little bit later in the year. Steve thought she had a lot of ability and she showed it. We’re excited. She came out of it a little tired, but she should have–she ran her eyeballs out.”

There are two upcoming graded races for 2-year-old fillies on the calendar at the Spa-the GII Adirondack S. going 6 1/2 furlongs Aug. 11 and the GI Spinaway S. at seven furlongs Sept. 1. Will we see her back in one of those spots later this meet?

“I spoke with Steve the other day and we’ll kind of wait and see,” Ludt replied. “If a soft race comes up, that would be great before taking on the monsters. I like to go through conditions, but I know the bigger plan today is to jump right in there versus the big girls, so we’ll see what happens. We’ll look three, four, five weeks out and see what comes along.”

Forced to sit out this weekend’s round of big 3-year-old stakes races, which includes the GII Jim Dandy S., due to a minor issue last month, valiant GI Belmont S. runner-up Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) has his sights set on the ‘Mid-Summer Derby’ Aug. 25. He returned to the worktab with a four-furlong breeze in :48.33 (15/171) at trainer Chad Brown’s Saratoga base July 21.

“He unfortunately tweaked an ankle after his first work [following the Belmont June 23], so we backed off just for a couple of weeks,” Ludt said. “I talked to Chad earlier this week and he couldn’t have been more positive. He said the horse is training spectacular. We’re all systems go for the Travers, knock on wood.”

The unbeaten sophomore filly Dream Tree (Uncle Mo), meanwhile, last seen running away with Santa Anita’s GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 4, could make the cross country trip to upstate New York from Hall of Famer Bob Baffert’s Del Mar base. The $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Old purchase most recently breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 (12/44) July 24. The 2017 GI Starlet S. heroine was sidelined after “tweaking an ankle” earlier this spring, per Ludt.

“She’s doing phenomenal,” Ludt said. “Bob is usually kind of a little bit low key about horses when they’re coming back, but he’s really pumped. We’re thinking about the [GI Longines] Test [at Saratoga Aug. 4]. It’s probably pushing it to make it there, but she’s coming back great. I’m sure [NYRA’s Senior Vice President of Racing Operations] Martin [Panza] will also have something later in the month for us to look at and we’ll look at what Del Mar’s got, too.”

Ludt continued, “She wasn’t ultimately going to be an Oaks-type horse anyway from a distance perspective, so Bob said, ‘Let’s back off.’ We’ll probably race her again next year if everything goes well, too.”

Launched in 2017, the high-powered, Dubai-based Thoroughbred racing investment fund competes at the highest levels worldwide, highlighted by a Royal Ascot victory by Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) in last month’s G2 Queen Mary S.

“We have 155 horses worldwide right now, counting mares and everything,” Ludt said. “Europe’s incredible right now–let’s hope we just keep it up. We had a nice maiden winner in Australia last night, too.”

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