Miami Beach resident William P. Sorren doesn’t own Chipshot anymore, but he’ll certainly be pulling for the Florida-bred colt when he makes his stakes debut Sunday in the $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.
Sorren has five mares stabled at The Acorn in Ocala, including the Appealing Skier mare Chispiski, who produced Chipshot. Sorren sold the colt as a yearling at OBS last August for $25,000. If Chipshot can get a graded win Sunday, that mare’s babies could be worth a bundle. Sorren has her yearling filly by Langfuhr entered in next month’s OBS sale of selected yearlings, and she has a weanling at her side by Journeyman Stud stallion Circular Quay.
“I bred the mare and the mare’s mother, and I had her grand dam,” Sorren said. “I let this horse go at the sale for $25,000, which was basically a ‘you can’t keep them all’ type of deal. He was a nice horse, and I thought he would do well.”
Chipshot, owned by Vinery Stables and Charles E. Glasscock, is a 7-2 choice on the morning line for the Sanford, a six-furlong test that drew a field of eight 2-year-olds. The son of former Vinery stallion Peace Rules will have Shaun Bridgmohan aboard for the third time when he breaks from the No. 5 post.
Chipshot broke his maiden in his third career start, wiring a $75,000 maiden special weight race at Monmouth Park on June 6 by 2 ¼ lengths. He scored an 83 Beyer Speed Figure, the second-highest mark for any horse entered in the Sanford, bettered only by Bail Out the Cat, the Sanford’s 2-1 morning-line favorite. Bail Out the Cat scored an 85 Beyer while winning his career debut, a $50,000 maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on June 10, by 2 ¼ lengths.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Chipshot made his career debut on Keeneland’s synthetic surface in April, finishing last of six in a 4 ½-furlong sprint. But he’s turned in two solid efforts since. He finished second to Weekend Wildcat in a $45,000 maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs in May, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, despite being forced to steady midway through the race.
“We ran him on the Polytrack, and he didn’t seem to like that, and the 4 ½ furlongs was too short for him,” said Vinery’s trainer, Ian Brennan, who gave Chipshot his early schooling at the Summerfield farm from August to March. “At Churchill, he got squeezed at the three-eighths pole and probably should have won that race.
“He has a little bit of speed, but he’s a big horse, so I think going six furlongs will definitely suit him. He wants to go farther, I think. (Asmussen) said he’s training super, and I think he’s got a shot in there. He has a lot of class and is improving all the time. He ran a good race at Monmouth and beat a good group of horses.”
Chipshot had a bullet workout at Saratoga on July 12, handily covering five furlongs in 1:00 2⁄5.
The Sanford’s field also includes the coupled entry of Lou Brissie and Blue Right By (3-1), Maybesomaybenot (6-1), Nacho Saint (10-1), Another Silver Oak (10-1) and Commonwealth Rush (12-1).
Lou Brissie, trained by Neil Howard for Dogwood Stable, won the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs in April and was second to Kantharos in the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) there July 3. Blue Right By, trained by Dallas Stewart, won a $51,000 maiden special weight race at Churchill last month by 2 ½ lengths in his third career start.
Maybesomaybenot, Another Silver Oak and Commonwealth Rush all will be making their stakes debuts after breaking their maidens in their most recent starts. Nacho Saint was the runner-up in both of his starts at Monmouth, including a loss to Chipshot.
– Photo of Florida-bred Chipshot by Bill Denver
