Baby Talk Info & Intel: Saratoga – Race 7 – Saturday, July 19, 2025
This six furlong dash on the dirt is for open company. We have nine colts ready to roll. Only one has any experience, and that was just one previous start. First-Season sire Yaupon has two set to go, along with one from newby Essential Quality, and one each from Candy Ride, Blame, Upstart, Nyquist, and Good Magic. On the trainer side, TAP and McPeek have two runners, as well as Asmussen, McGaughey, Chad Brown, and Mark Casse. Let’s jump in…
#3 Stradale (3/1) – After selling for $285K as a yearling (18/129), this colt lit up the board at the OBS Spring 2YO sale this spring when he hammered for $1.3 million (1/60; the second highest in his class was sold for almost a third less - $875K). He’s one of the two in this race from Yaupon (6 wins from 14 starters). Mom, by Stormy Atlantic, was 0/5 on the track, and this is her first foal. Steve Asmussen (15/77; 19.5%) has been reading this colt for his debut with nine drills; the first six came at KEE and the most recent three have been here at SAR (35 furlongs). On 6/10/25, traveling 4f, he just ran off and left his $1/2 million stablemate by Not This Time.
#4 Emphasis (4/1) – Also a son of Yaupon (6 wins from 14 starters), this colt’s Roman Ruler 18YO dam was 2/8 with $136K earned, including a score in her first start at age two at Keeneland. She’s produced eight other foals of racing age, with one scoring as a baby at first asking at Churchill, before going on to win a G3 at age 2. Another won their third start as a juvenile at the Fairgrounds, and another that won as a juvey in their second start in a MCL event at AQU. $625K was the price tag for this fella last year when he was a yearling (2/129). Pletcher (17/130; 17.3%) will saddle this colt. He’s put this guy through ten total works with the first two coming back in April at Palm Beach Downs and then eight more here in upstate NY at Saratoga (37 furlongs). His most recent two spins have been over the main oval. His last over at Oklahoma on 6/27/25, he went 49 seconds flat, and that earned him a huge bullet (1/80).
#8 Growth Equity (5/2) – Chad Brown (29/153; 19.0%) makes his 2025 debut at Saratoga in unrestricted 2YO MSW affairs with this colt by Nyquist (18.4%). His Wildcat Heir dam won three times from 14 starts as a runner, including a win third time out as a 2YO at GPW. She earned $141K. She’s tossed three other foals of racing age, but has not had much success yet. Today’s competitor brought $425K as a yearling in 2024 (13/71). Chad has put this fella through ten works at Saratoga (36 furlongs), and the last three have been over the big track. Two back on 7/6/25, he blasted a significant bullet by zipping a half mile in 47.09 seconds (1/132).
#9 Our Magical Moon (10/1) – Mark Casse (7/56; 12.5%) conditions this PA-bred Good Magic (14.8%) colt. His unraced dam by Malibu Moon has tossed seven other foals of racing age. One of those was victorious in their third try while still a baby at Parx, and then went on to win at the G3 level later in their career. Another juvenile was a winner at Parx on debut as a two-year-old. Today’s runner sold as a ‘short’ yearling in February of 2024 for 270K (22/64), before being pinhooked later that year as a yearling for $1/2 million (8/64). Casse put this colt to work at the Casse Training Center back in May with three drills and then shipped in the SAR for five more over the main oval (36 furlongs). On 7/1/25, in his penultimate work, he covered a half mile in 47.61 seconds to post a bullet (1/16).
My Pick – I don’t see the #1 horse in the Winner’s Circle, so that means that this event will very likely crown a First-Time starter. I could certainly make a case for any of the four babies written up above, but, as you know if you are an Edgie, I only pick one and only one horse in each race that I analyze. Hence, my pick is #4 Emphasis. Yaupon has been fabulous, and this fella’s dam won as a baby and has tossed three that scored as juveniles. Pletcher certainly knows how to get 2YOs into the Winner’s Circle. My one question is why he’s assigned Ricardo Santana, Jr., but I’m going to overlook that concern.