Saratoga: Idiomatic faces 4 in bid for Personal Ensign repeat

Photo:

Alex Evers / Eclipse Sportswire

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Idiomatic, the reigning champion older dirt female, will look to defend her title in Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign at Saratoga.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the 5-year-old Curlin bay arrives at the nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares from a hard-fought head score over returning rival Soul of an Angel in the 1 1/16-mile Molly Pitcher (G3) on July 20 at Monmouth Park.

There, she bobbled at the break under returning pilot Florent Geroux before marking an easy opening quarter-mile in 25.57 seconds and a half-mile in 50.27 over the fast main track. Soul of an Angel, who also bobbled at the start, made a strong move entering the final turn and put a head in front through three-quarters in 1:13.91 to set up a furious stretch battle.

Cox said the moderate tempo might have hindered his filly.

“I was happy to see her break and get involved early. She was on the lead,” Cox said. “From the three-eighths pole home, she had to dig in to fend off a really good filly. She got something out of it.”

Idiomatic won 8 of 9 starts last year en route to Eclipse Award honors, including a win in the Personal Ensign by four lengths over the previous year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Oath, who was a neck better than 2022 champion 3 year-old filly Nest. Idiomatic also had a 4 1/4-length win in the Spinster (G1) at Keeneland and a half-length score over returning rival Randomized, who set the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita.

Cox said Idiomatic is often at her best when tracking a target.

“She’s very talented,” Cox said. “She’s able to get into a race and use her big stride and set a solid enough pace to run them off their feet going into the far turn. She doesn’t necessarily have to be on the lead. She tracked Randomized in the Breeders’ Cup last year; we’ll see if we can get a good trip on Friday.”

Idiomatic has won 2 of 3 starts this year, taking the La Troienne (G1) in May at Churchill Downs before a losing by a head to Randomized in the Ogden Phipps (G1) on June 8 during the Belmont Stakes racing festival at Saratoga.

Idiomatic has banked in excess of $3.4 million through a 15: 11-2-2 record and will exit post 4 carrying 124 pounds.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out Soul of an Angel as she looks to avenge her narrow defeat.

“She ran huge last time against a champion,” Joseph said. “Now, we go an extra sixteenth. We still don’t know if that’s what she wants or not, but we’ll give it a shot again. If she can run similar to last time, I think she’ll have a big chance. It’s a stellar group.”

Joseph said he appreciated the aggressive Molly Pitcher ride from returning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

“The race backed up and they were going slow. That wasn’t what we planned to do but at the time it was the right move, put the pressure on Idiomatic and try to catch her off guard,” Joseph said. “It was a great stretch battle. We came out on the losing end, but it didn’t feel like we lost, it was just a great horse race. We took an opportunity, and I’m proud of our horse.”

C Two Racing Stable and Agave Racing Stable’s Soul of an Angel, a 5-year-old Atreides dark bay, was purchased privately earlier this year and promptly won the Ruffian (G2) at odds of 24-1 over Randomized traveling a one-turn mile on May 4 at Belmont at the Big A.

She was off slow in the Ogden Phipps en route to a non-threatening fifth before rebounding in the Molly Pitcher with a game effort.

Soul of an Angel has banked $492,675 through a 38: 4-7-4 record.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will be represented by a pair of contenders in Randomized and Raging Sea as he looks to secure his first Personal Ensign win.

Randomized, a 4-year-old Nyquist bay, has won 3 of 4 starts at Saratoga led by wins in the restricted Wilton last July ahead of a breakthrough score in the Alabama (G1) one month later.

She added the Beldame (G2) to her ledger in October at Belmont at the Big A ahead of her pacesetting second to Idiomatic in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Randomized was a non-threatening second in the Ruffian in May but was stubborn on the lead last out in the Ogden Phipps when turning back Idiomatic.

“She’s not a very big horse, but she’s fast and she likes to go to the lead and carry her speed,” Brown said. “The Alabama is a really special race to win, and she’s come back and carried her form into age four winning the Phipps. A really special horse for us, and she’s got a lot of heart.”

Raging Sea is a three-time graded-stakes winner after taking the nine-furlong Comely (G3) in November at the Big A, the 1 1/16-mile Doubledogdare (G3) in April in her seasonal debut at Keeneland and the nine-furlong Shuvee (G2) last out on July 21 at Saratoga.

“She’s going to have to step up. She’s been knocking on the door, and she just hasn’t won a Grade 1 yet,” Brown said. “This is a really tough race against proven, Grade 1-winning mares, so she’s going to have to step up and break through. But, she likes Saratoga and she’s coming off her career-best race, so there’s a chance she could do it.”

Xigera, a 4-year-old Nyquist dark bay, won 5 of 6 starts last year for trainer Phil Bauer, including graded scores at nine furlongs in the Mother Goose (G2) in October at Belmont at the Big A and the Falls City (G3) against elders in November at Churchill Downs.

Xigera is winless in three starts this year at Churchill Downs, landing a distant fifth in the La Troienne (G1) before chasing the victorious Scylla in both the Shawnee (G3) when second in June and a troubled fifth in the Fleur de Lis (G2) last out on June 29.

Xigera has banked $914,921 through a 13: 6-2-1 record.

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Xigera Nyquist	6.53	Philip A. Bauer Tyler Gaffalione	5th, 2024 Fleur de Lis G2	Entered
Last Race		5th, 2024 Fleur de Lis G2
2		Soul Of An Angel Atreides	6.55	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Irad Ortiz, Jr.	2nd, 2024 Molly Pitcher G3	Entered
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Molly Pitcher G3
3		Raging Sea Curlin	7.27	Chad C. Brown Flavien Prat	1st, 2024 Shuvee G2	Entered
Last Race		1st, 2024 Shuvee G2
4		Idiomatic Curlin	7.91	Brad H. Cox Florent Geroux	1st, 2024 Molly Pitcher G3 2024 Spinster G1	Entered
Last Race Next Race		1st, 2024 Molly Pitcher G3 2024 Spinster G1
5		Randomized Nyquist	7.87	Chad C. Brown Joel Rosario	1st, 2024 Ogden Phipps G1 2024 Breeders’ Cup Distaff G1	Entered
Last Race Next Race		1st, 2024 Ogden Phipps G1 2024 Breeders’ Cup Distaff G1