Baby Talk Info & Intel: Saratoga – Race 6 – Friday, July 11, 2025
This affair is scheduled for one mile on the inner turf course, and nine colts are set to have a go. Two have been out on one afternoon occasion. Into Mischief, Uncle Mo, Lope de Vega, Twirling Candy, Medaglia d’Oro, and Authentic each have one runner represented, as does First-Season Stallion, By My Standards. We’ve got some interesting babies entered, so let’s get all over this…
#1 British Invasion (7/2) – Miguel Clement (the barn is 10/54, 18.5%) trains the first part of the entry, and this colt is by Lope de Vega. His Irish-bred dam has tossed four other foals of racing age. $283,687 was the winning bid on this guy in 2023 when he was a weanling (2/11) before being pinhooked back last year as a yearling for $437,024 (20/63). Saratoga has been home for this fella since at least mid-May when he worked for the first time on the training course in prep for his debut today. He’s put in a total of eight spins (31 furlongs) there, with two coming on the turf track.
#1A Honoree (7/2) – The late Code of Honor is the stallion behind this colt, who was thrown by an unraced Street Cry mare. Mom has produced seven other foals of racing age, two of which won as juveniles. One was a first-out winner at KEE, and the other won in their second outing at LRL, then added a stakes win as a baby, going on to bank $1.6 million, including a G3 event. He didn’t bring the reserve price of $65,000 as a weanling, but was wheeled back last year and sold for $220K as a yearling. Conditioner Shug McGaughey (7/50, 14.0%) has pumped nine, half mile works into this guy (35 furlongs) with the first eight coming on the training track at Belmont Park and the most recent over the Oklahoma turf track. In typical Shug style, the drills have been modest.
#2 Signatory Man (3/1) - This Irish-bred colt is by Ten Sovereign. His mama, by Discreetly Mine, finished first in one of her ten starts and banked a mere $13,000. She’s produced three other foals of racing age, all over in Ireland, hence I don’t show any racing activity from them. Originally, today’s competitor sold for $13,255 as a weanling overseas, but then sold for $75,000 last September at Keeneland. Brendan Walsh saddled him in the afternoon for the first time back on 6/20/25 at Churchill. In that 5/8 of a mile turf event, he started near the back of the pack after getting knocked a bit, but made progress to finish in fourth place at odds of 5/1. Brendan Walsh (0/11) has fit in one 4f maintenance breeze at CD since his run.
#3 Dr. Agne (5/2) – The ML favorite is a son of the fantastic Lady Eli, who only won $2.9 million, including a first-out win at SAR and also the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, before adding four more races of the highest grading. She’s produced two other foals of racing age, neither of which has raced in the States. Into Mischief (17.2%) is this guy's sire, and he sold for $185K as a yearling (56/62). Seven drills at KEE (six at 4f, one at 5f) and one half mile breeze here at SAR on the training track is the prep work that Cherie DeVaux (3/22, 13.6%) has overseen (33 furlongs). He showed some pop on 6/20/25, going a half mile in 47.60 seconds (3/63).
#5 Epic Desire (6/1) - Uncle Mo (15.2%) is the proud pops to this colt who is by a Giant Gizmo dam that won in her third start at age two in a stakes race, and went on to bank $724K, including a score at the Grade 3 level. Mom has tossed three other foals of racing age, and one of them – Adare Manor - banked $2 million in earnings on the race track from 10 wins (three G1s) in 18 starts. Today’s runner was not sold at public auction. He disappointed at odds of 3/1 in his only start back on 4/18/25 at Keeneland over 4 ½ furlongs on the dirt. Trainer Todd Pletcher (30/173, 17.3%) then sent him to Saratoga for seven drills (29 furlongs), with her last covering five panels on the main track, and two others were on the training turf surface. None of the times have impressed those looking at a stopwatch.
My Pick – Lots to choose from in this fine affair. Miguel Clement has mentioned some fondness for #1 British Invasion recently in a rundown of his barn for Horse Racing Nation. Mama of #3, Lady Eli - enough said there. But my pick is #5 Epic Desire at ML odds of 6/1. Uncle Mo is outstanding, and mom scored as a baby and tossed Adare Manor. I like that he’s got one race under his belt with seven works since then, and the two on the grass are a plus, too.