BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Florida-bred Curtain Call, a $325,000 purchase by current owners West Point Thoroughbreds at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of 2-year-olds in training, is the 5-2 second choice in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga Race Course Saturday. The Mark Casse trainee is among six 2-year-olds who will be chasing the winner’s share of the $100,000 purse.

This will be the second start for Curtain Call after finishing second to Obliteration in his debut in a five-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs on June 12. The Steve Asmussen-trained Obliteration was a 10 ½-length winner of the Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga on July 5 in his next start.

Since the Churchill Downs race, Curtain Call has two works at Saratoga including a four-furlong breeze in :48.60 on July 5, the 15^th fastest of 85 moves that morning.

Curtain Call is by Tiz the Law out of the unraced Into Mischief mare Deep Trouble. His second dam is stakes-placed Submerge, by Fusaichi Pegasus, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner and stakes-producer Artemis Agrotera and a full-sister to stakes-placed Time Squared. The family also includes Grade 1-winning millionaire Stephen Got Even. Curtain Call was bred in Florida by Nancy Stone.

A dark bay or brown colt, Curtain Call will be ridden from post two by Jose Ortiz.

Asmussen will saddle first time starter Tagermeen, a $1.4 million purchase by Mahmud Mouni at this year’s OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training where he was consigned by Martha and Raul Reyes of Ocala, Fla. in the name of their Kings Equine as agent.

Tagermeen is by Into Mischief out of Empire Maker mare Silk Route and is a half-brother to stakes-winner Taraz. He turned heads at OBS with a :9.80 eighth mile and has continued to show promise with several morning efforts for Asmussen. His last work was July 7 at Saratoga when he clocked four furlongs in :48 flat, the second fastest of 52 that morning.

Tagermeen is owned by Tagermeen Racing and will be ridden from post four by Ricardo Santana Jr. He is the 9-5 morning line favorite.

Another first-time starter is Throckmorton, a son of second crop sire Caracaro who sold for $250,000 to Chad Summers as agent out of the Global Thoroughbreds LLC as agent consignment at the OBS March Sale this year.

Throckmorton is trained by Jose D’Angelo for Gold Square LLC and has two bullet works to his credit including a four-furlong move in :45.40 on the Gulfstream Park synthetic on June 29, the fastest of seven works that morning. He also produced a bullet three furlongs in :35.60 at Prairie Meadows on May 31, the quickest among 56 works.

Out of Whatarocket, by Goldencents, Throckmorton is 7-2 in the program.

Luis Saez takes the call from the inside post one.

Rounding out the field are Tapit’s Legacy with Irad Ortiz Jr., named to ride, Wise Words and jockey Melissa Iorio, and Time to Strike with Manny Franco taking the call.

Return to the July 11 issue of Wire to Wire