From the Spa: September 2 Midlantic-breds in Saratoga stakes

by Joseph Aiello “From the Spa” returns to keep you up-to-date on horses bred in the mid-Atlantic racing in Saratoga stakes

As the 2023 Saratoga meet begins to wind down, the last Saturday of the meet features a strong card with three graded races and another stakes race including the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup. With plenty of Midlantic bred entries in stakes races this meet and the emergence of a potential star in Pennsylvania bred Roses for Debra, another Pennsylvania bred runner takes their shot at the last weekend of the meet. Formerly known at the Lucky Coin Stakes, the Harvey Pack Stakes is run at five and half furlongs on the turf for older horses and houses our Midlantic entry who breaks from the five post. The Harvey Pack goes off as the eighth race on the twelve race card, with Our Shot ready to take his best shot at the Spa for the second time this meet after a win at this distance in late July. That victory in an optional claimer along with his recent form puts him as the morning line second choice at the short odds of 2/1, clearly carrying some of the higher expectations of this field. 

Our Shot is a four year old gelding by Kantharos – Fleetheart, by Northern Afleet who is trained by John P. Terranova, II. Terranova also part owns the horse along with Gatsas Stables and Steven Schoenfeld, purchasing this improving runner as a yearling for $135,000. Despite some victories on dirt, it is clear that Our Shot has done his best running on grass, finally beginning to show some signs of his potential that his connections saw when purchasing him. With a strong 5-3-1-0 record at this sprint distance, this gelding is amongst the best sprinters in the Harvey Pack, and should have no problem adjusting to the step up in class. Seven time Travers winning jockey Javier Castellano will take the mount, already having some experience with this gelding when piloting him to his first turf victory last May at Pimlico. Maybe these connections and the developing talent of this Pennsylvania bred will be enough to put him back into the winner’s circle for the fourth time this year. Our Shot was bred by Dr. S. Mark Rayburn Inc. and has nearly a quarter of a million in career earnings.