Doc Sullivan to face Bold Journey, Linda Rice contingent in John Morrissey repeat try
Doc Sullivan will face a large group, including millionaire Bold Journey and a contingent from the barn of Linda Rice, when he attempts to defend his title on Thursday at Saratoga Race Course in the $200,000 John Morrissey, a seven-furlong race for New York-breds 3-years-old and up.
Last year, Doc Sullivan made a late surge to win the John Morrissey by a head in his first start for trainer John Ortiz. He finished fourth in both the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga and the Grade 3 Vosburgh at Belmont at the Big A before returning to restricted company, finishing second against fellow state-breds in the Empire Classic in October before winning the NYSSS Thunder Rumble in November and the state-bred Alex M. Robb in December, all at Aqueduct Racetrack. He has made two starts so far in 2026, finishing second in Aqueduct’s Listed Toboggan at seven furlongs in February and seventh in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Essex Handicap in March at Oaklawn Park.
Doc Sullivan, who as a 3-year-old won the 2024 Mike Lee for trainer Michael Miceli, will make his first start for trainer Amelia Green in the 2026 Morrissey. The 5-year-old son of Solomini is owned by Tristar Farm.
“He’s a cool horse to be around,” said Green. “He’s very opinionated. He knows he’s a colt and wants everyone to know he’s a colt, but when he’s galloping on the track and breezing he’s very professional, very focused on the job. He won this race last year; [this race seems] like a logical starting point. I am excited to stretch him out again. I breezed him myself multiple times. He gallops out very good in his breezes. Any stakes is a good spot, but to say this is a starting point for something else is nice to be able to say. Ultimately, we want to get him longer than seven furlongs, but he won this race last year, so it makes sense.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the assignment aboard Doc Sullivan from post 10.
Doc Sullivan will face a deep and experienced field that includes two-time graded stakes winner Bold Journey, who has earned just over $1 million to date. Bold Journey, winner of the 2023 Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap, landed his second graded win this February when he closed with a rush to win Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap. In three subsequent starts, he was third in an optional claimer on the dirt in April at Keeneland before competing twice in turf sprints, reporting home seventh in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 6 at Saratoga and third against New York-breds in the Ashley T. Cole on June 27 at Belmont at the Big A.
Hall of Famer Bill Mott conditions Bold Journey for Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable, and Gary Barber. Junior Alvarado will ride the 7-year-old son of Hard Spun from post 8.
Trainer Linda Rice has entered three runners in the John Morrissey – El Grande O [post 3, Flavien Prat], Sacrosanct [post 6, Manny Franco], and Acoustic Ave [post 7, Jose Lezcano] – who have collectively won 23 races and earned more than $2.2 million.
El Grande O, a 5-year-old Barry Schwartz homebred, seeks his first stakes win since capturing the 2023 Bertram F. Bongard and Sleepy Hollow at Belmont at the Big A as a 2-year-old. At three, he was second in the Grade 3 Withers and third in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct but since then has primarily competed in sprints. In four starts this year, he was sixth against New York-breds in the Say Florida Sandy in February at Aqueduct before making three starts in optional claiming events at that venue, winning by a neck in April, finishing fourth, beaten 6 3/4 lengths, in May, and regaining the winning thread by 1 3/4 lengths on June 28.
“He’s had a few starts and stops,” said Rice of El Grande O. “As a 3-year-old, he was kind of on the Triple Crown trail, but he has turned out to be a better sprinter. He had a good winter at Aqueduct. I thought it might be worth trying a New York-bred stakes. I have been very pleased with him. He ran a terrific race last time, and we are hopeful we will get the same type of performance.”
Like his older stablemate, Sacrosanct won the Bertram F. Bongard and the Sleepy Hollow as a juvenile and also landed the NYSSS Great White Way. He made two starts as a sophomore, finishing eighth in the Grade 3 Gotham in March and sixth an open entry-level allowance in December in his first start for Rice. This year, he has finished on-the-board in five starts, clearing the open first allowance condition in February, finishing second in a second-level optional claimer in April before prevailing at that level in May. He was runner-up when trying turf and facing New York-breds in the Ashley T. Cole in June, and acquitted himself well against open company when third in an optional claimer on the main track at Saratoga on July 26.
“He was third in the allowance race with kind of a troubled trip,” said Rice, who trains Sacrosanct for Sheila Rosenblum’s Lady Sheila Stable. “Hopefully, we’ll have a smoother time of it in the stakes. He likes to lay close. He doesn’t have to have the lead; as he has matured, he has become more versatile, so are excited about running him.”
Also seeking his first stakes win since his 2-year-old campaign is A. Bianco Holding Limited’s Acoustic Ave, who took the 2022 Funny Cide at Saratoga, the Aspirant and the New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes, and the Notebook at Aqueduct. In the interim, he has won three races, all in the claiming or allowance/optional claiming ranks. Since winning an optional claimer in January at Aqueduct, he finished second in the Say Florida Sandy and fourth in the Grade 3 Tom Fool in February, fifth in the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April, second in the Grade 3 John A. Nerud in May, fourth in the optional claimer won by El Grande O June 28, and fifth in the July 26 optional claimer that Sacrosanct also exits.
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Radio Red [post 13, Dylan Davis] opened his 6-year-old campaign by winning a seven-furlong $50,000 conditioned claiming event in February before stepping up in class to win the Haynesfield over the one-turn mile at the Big A in March. In two subsequent starts, he was fourth in the John A. Nerud and third in the June 28 optional claimer at Belmont at the Big A won by El Grande O.
“He has run way better since we gelded him [prior to Radio Red’s 6-year-old season],” said trainer Danny Gargan. “He was a real mean horse. He has never run well here, but this will be the first time he has run here since he has been a gelding. I should not have run him in the race last time. I’m mad that I did it. I should have prepped him in the [six-furlong Leon Reed] at Finger Lakes.”
Hit the Post [post 4, Christopher Elliot], victorious in last year’s Ontario County at Finger Lakes, defeated New York-breds by nine lengths in an optional claimer June 5 at Saratoga and looks to bounce back following a fifth-place effort against open allowance company on July 3 at the Spa.
“I think he’s good at six and a half, seven furlongs,” said Melanie Giddings, who conditions the 4-year-old Old Tavern Farm homebred. “I think as he has gotten older he has shown that he doesn’t need to be on the lead. He has matured a lot. He really does love it here. I did not him expect him to win that last race [against] open company; I think he wasn’t doing his best. He wasn’t 100 percent, per se. It was the right spot to get him a race before this spot.”
Drake’s Passage [post 12, Tyler Gaffalione], a Robert Evans homebred who took the 2024 Commentator for New York-breds, began his 2026 campaign by finishing seventh on June 3 in the 2026 edition of the 1 1/8-mile route. Trainer Miguel Clement is hopeful that the 6-year-old son of Tonalist is back in top form after winning a one-mile optional claimer June 29 at Finger Lakes.
“I thought he needed a confidence builder,” said Clement. “He had not been in the winner’s circle for a while. He might’ve lost his way to get there. Over the moon that he got the job done the other day. Hopefully, that’s exactly what he can do here. He has a bit of speed, a bit of class, we are running him a bit shorter in trip than ideal, but nevertheless it’s up to him.”
The field for the John Morrissey also includes Yo Banana Boy [post 9, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], exiting a win in the Leon Reed Memorial at Finger Lakes for trainer Mike Maker; the Bruce Levine-trained Light Man [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez], third in last year’s John Morrissey and second most recently in an optional claimer May 24; Dr. Kraft [post 1, Silvestre Gonzalez] trained by Ilkay Kantarmaci and the Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained Donegal Surges [post 11, Kendrick Carmouche], respectively second and eighth in the Commentator; and the Ilkay Kantarmaci-conditioned Buttah [post 5, Javier Castellano], upset winner of an open entry-level allowance June 6 at Saratoga.
The John Morrissey is slated as Race 9 on Thursday’s 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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