Neat on brink of millionaire status entering G3 Kelso
Red White and Blue Racing and CMNWLTH’s multiple graded stakes-winner Neat is on the brink of millionaire status with $999,110 in earnings entering Sunday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Kelso, a one-mile inner turf test for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Rob Atras, the 5-year-old Constitution chestnut has posted a 19-7-0-1 overall record with three graded wins in 2024 to reach the nearly $1 million mark. This year, Neat has made three starts, including a last-out neck score over returning rival Cosmic Year in the 1 1/16-mile Cliff Hanger on May 30 at Monmouth Park.
Neat’s campaign began with a half-length fourth in a one-mile optional claimer on March 20 at Fair Grounds Race Course ahead of a distant finish at the same distance in the Listed Henry Clark won by returning rival Cruise the Nile on April 18 at Laurel Park.
“He had a great race at Fair Grounds, then had trouble negotiating the first turn and just a tough time at Laurel,” Atras said. “It was really nice to see him get the win in his last race after having a tough time last year with bad trips and unlucky circumstances. It was really nice to get him back in the winner’s circle and in form.”
Last year, Neat went winless in five starts, after capturing four of his first five outings in his prior campaign including the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland, the Grade 3 Manila at Belmont at the Big A, and the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame over course and distance in August 2024.
Atras credited a strong ride last out from returning jockey Reylu Gutierrez, who was aboard for the aforementioned score in the Transylvania as well as a romping win in the 2024 Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston Race Park.
“He’s a tricky horse to ride,” said Atras. “He carries his head a little high. He is a big strong colt, so I think he is just tricky around the turns. Reylu knows him and has confidence in him, which makes a big difference with a horse like this. This horse has a lot of talent, but he’s got some quirks to him that sometimes get in his way.”
Bred in Kentucky by Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm, Neat [post 4, Reylu Gutierrez] was a $200,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the unraced More Than Ready mare Orabella, who also produced dual graded stakes-placed Louder Than Bombs.
“He’s got really good tactical speed,” Atras added. “He can sit wherever you need him to, and he packs a good punch down the lane. I like him at one mile and 1 1/16 miles, so this distance is really good for him.”
The Kelso will feature the top-three finishers from the Grade 3 Poker over course and distance on June 7, including the victorious Pass the Hat and nose runner-up Capitol Hill for Hall of Fame-trainer Bill Mott.
Pin Oak Stud’s Pass the Hat [post 5, John Velazquez] was making his graded debut in his tenth start when capturing the Poker. There, he stalked the favored returning rival Zulu Kingdom, took over in the final sixteenth while Capitol Hill rallied from off-the-pace to put his head in front, before Pass the Hat battled back to the inside and prevailed in a photo finish at odds of 10-1.
Pass the Hat, a 5-year-old Collected chestnut and a half-brother to stakes-winner Nashville out of the Mizzen Mast mare Veronique has made 10 career starts evenly split between dirt and turf. The $300,000 purchase from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale has focused on grass racing in his last four outings, including optional-claiming scores in January at Gulfstream Park and in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Tranquility Lake Farm’s Kentucky homebred Capitol Hill [post 11, Junior Alvarado] seeks his first graded score after the aforementioned near miss in the Poker. The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay was second to Zulu Kingdom in last year’s Grade 3 Manila and to subsequent Grade 1-winner Salamis in the Gio Ponti.
The Poker third-place finisher joining the fray is Zulu Kingdom [post 1, Flavien Prat] for five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown.
Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael Caruso’s dual Grade 1-winner Zulu Kingdom wired Keeneland’s Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile in his April seasonal debut ahead of the Poker. That performance earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure and was a second top-level score to go along with last year’s American Turf at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old Ten Sovereigns ridgling is 7-for-10 overall with more than $1.2 million in earnings and six total stakes wins.
Brown also sends out Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Cosmic Year [post 9, Manny Franco], who made his barn debut off a more than seven-month layoff when second to Neat in the Cliff Hanger.
The 4-year-old Kingman colt previously made seven outings overseas for trainer Harry Charlton, including a 3-for-3 start to his career before a runner-up finish to Field of Gold in last year’s one-mile Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh. Out of the Group 1-winning Dansili mare Passage of Time, Cosmic Year is a half-brother to multiple Grade/Group 1-placed Time Test, who was trained by Brown for a trio of graded runner-up efforts to cap his career.
Hall of Fame-trainer Mark Casse entered a pair for owner Gary Barber, including New York-bred Mi Bago [post 8, Jose Ortiz] and multiple Grade 1-placed My Boy Prince [post 3, Dylan Davis].
Mi Bago wired the 1 1/16-mile state-bred Kingston on June 3 here by 4 1/2 lengths over dual Grade 1-winner Spirit of St Louis. The 4-year-old Vekoma gelding earned a career-best 96 Beyer in victory, which came with the removal of blinkers for the first time in his 17-start career that has seen seven wins.
“It was a good confidence builder, and it was one of the few times we did get a real firm turf,” Casse said. “He's a horse that the harder the turf, the better he likes it. Hopefully, he gets a real firm turf here.”
My Boy Prince went off favored last out in the local 5 1/2-furlong Grade 1 Jaipur on June 6, where he landed fifth from the outermost post 10. The 5-year-old Cairo Prince gelding entered from a 1 1/4-length win in the Grade 2 Shakertown in April at Keeneland and a half-length fourth in the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on May 2 at Churchill Downs.
“He had an outside post last time. It was an OK effort, but I thought he was a little flat in the race. He's come out of that race very good,” Casse said.
My Boy Prince now enters back at one mile, the distance of his runner-up finishes in the 2023 Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine Racetrack and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Park, as well as last year’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile– when 1 3/4-lengths back of Notable Speech, who exited that effort to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Casse said My Boy Prince is still under consideration for the 7 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Connaught Cup on July 19 at Woodbine.
“His best distance is probably three-quarters to seven-eighths,” Casse said. “I find 5 1/2-furlongs is a little short for him at Saratoga. There's a shot we may scratch and send him to Woodbine.”
My Boy Prince, Canada’s 2023 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, has posted a 25-9-6-2 record with nearly $1.5 million in earnings.
Hope Jones’ New Jersey homebred Cruise the Nile [post 6, Jorge Ruiz] is 4-for-6 and cuts back from a third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Dinner Party on May 16 at Laurel Park. Trained by Graham Motion, the 4-year-old Cairo Prince gelding previously captured the one-mile Listed Henry Clark in April there to cap a four-race win streak.
“I made up my mind after the Dinner Party that a mile and an eighth is a little beyond his scope I think,” Motion said. “It was appealing to shorten him to one mile. This is going to be a big test for him, obviously against really good horses, but he seems to be doing well. I think he is a kind horse to ride, I just question how far he wants to go.”
Rounding out the field are dual Grade 3-winner Tiz Dashing [post 10, Javier Castellano] for trainer Barclay Tagg; last-out Grade 2-winner Maycocks Bay [post 2, Joel Rosario] for conditioner Michael Stidham; and restricted stakes-winner Itsallcomintogetha [post 7, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Lisa Bartkowski.
Dr. Kraft, Kinetic and Castle Chaos are entered for the main track-only.
The Kelso is slated as Race 6 on Sunday’s nine-race card, which also features the Grade 1, $150,000 Leo O’Brien [Race 1] and the Listed $200,000 Harvey Pack [Race 8]. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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