BY CHRISTIAN ABDO, NYRA PRESS OFFICE (Edited)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY—Live Oak Plantation’s Florida-homebred Bring Theband Home enters from a career-best effort in the Listed Harvey Pack when returning to that course and distance in Sunday’s $300,000 Troy (Grade 2), a five-and-a-half-furlong Mellon turf sprint for 3-year-olds and older at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding captured the July 4 Harvey Pack from gate-to-wire by four-and-a-half lengths in a final time of :59.90, just one-tenth off the track and North American record of :59.80 set by Cogburn in last year’s local Grade 1 Jaipur. 

The performance, with returning Hall of Famer Javier Castellano up, earned a career and field-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure. 

 

“He’s doing good,” Casse said. “I kind of don’t know where that last performance came from, but I’ll take it. He always trains like, and we always thought he was, a special horse. He’s disappointed me on a few occasions, but his last race was phenomenal.”

Bring Theband Home captured his first stakes victory in the Harvey Pack among a career record five wins, three seconds and a third from 12 starts and improved to three-for-three at Saratoga, taking a second condition, $62,500 optional claimer over the same course and distance last August and a dirt maiden special weight in his second career start in July 2022.

 

“He does like Saratoga,” Casse said. “In my opinion, that has something to do with the weather. I think he likes it cooler. We didn’t feel like he did nearly as well in South Florida. Can you blame him? We all love Saratoga.” 

Bring Theband Home is out of the Street Cry mare Tizatude, a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Paynter, sire of 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go. His second dam, Tizso, is a full-sister to Hall of Famer Tiznow.

He is the 3-5 morning line favorite and Castellano has the return mount from post three.

Previous Florida-bred winners of the Troy are Golden Pal in 2022 and two-time winner Bridgetown in 2011 and 2012.

Another contender with strong recent form is TEC Racing’s Let My People Go, who enters from a two-and-three-quarters-length victory at the distance on June 27 at Churchill Downs. Making his fourth start for trainer Joe Sharp, the 6-year-old Pioneerof the Nile gelding earned a 95 Beyer, marking his first 90-plus Beyer since winning the $79,000 Karl Boyes for trainer Victoria Oliver last July over synthetic at Presque Isle Downs. 

Among his 31 starts for Oliver, Let My People Go earned a career-best 101 Beyer for a one-length second in the Listed Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint in August 2023 at Ellis Park. A return to that form would make him dangerous in the Troy as he makes his first start at Saratoga. 

“He’s doing really well,” Sharp said, who held 998 wins through July 30. “We’re obviously taking a step up, but with the way he ran last time, I think he deserves a chance. He got a good number the other day and would be right there with that effort at Churchill. I think he’s rounding back into form. We have a lot of confidence in him physically right now.”

Let My People Go traveled a length-and-a-half back in third position early in his last race against second level, $80,000 optional claimers before launching a powerful bid under returning rider Jose Ortiz. Three starts back, he set the pace before finishing fifth in an upper level, $62,500 optional claimer on synthetic in March at Turfway Park. 

“I think he runs better with some targets,” said Sharp, who previously won this event with Shore Runner [2015] and Fast Boat [2021]. “We learned something from that race at Turfway. I think he likes to be in the mix, but not the target.” 

Let My People Go is 10-1 in the program and has post five.

Completing the entries for the Troy are Determined Kingdom, who has Ricardo Santana Jr. named to ride; Twenty Six Black and jockey Flavien Prat, Irad Ortiz Jr. will guide Alogon, Senbei and pilot Manny Franco, Our Shot will have Joel Rosario in the irons and Full Moon Madness is entered under main track only conditions.

Return to the August 2 issue of Wire to Wire