BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation’s Crystal Quest will seek graded stakes credentials Friday when the Florida-bred colt faces seven other 3-year-olds going a mile on the turf in the $500,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (Grade 2) at Saratoga.
A winner of the $100,000 Equistaff Sophomore Turf against Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs on March 24, Crystal Quest has since traveled the East coast to produce two seconds in three starts against stakes horses.
He was second to Fulmineo in the $100,000 James W. Murphy going a mile on the soft turf at Pimlico on May 18 then fifth in the $106,000 Tale of the Cat won by Carson’s Run going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the Monmouth Park grass on June 23. In his last race on July 13 at Colonial Downs, Crystal Quest was again second to Fulmineo in the $127,000 Boston at a mile a soft turf.
Trained by Michael Trombetta, Crystal Quest has won three of seven career starts with two seconds in seven starts. He is by Uncle Mo out of Giant Crystal, by Giant’s Causeway and was bred by Live Oak Stud. He has earned $170,830.
Javier Castellano will ride Crystal Quest for the first time from post six and they are 8-1 on the morning line.
Neat looks for his second straight graded stakes victory and his third in four starts.
He won the Grade 3 Manila going a mile on the inner turf during the Belmont at Big A meet on June 29 and the Grade 3 Transylvania presented by Keeneland Select going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the Keeneland grass on April 5. Between those two starts, Neat was seventh in the Grade 2 American Turf won by Trikari at Churchill Downs on May 4.
Neat is by Constitution out of Orabella, by More Than Ready and has won five of eight career starts. He is trained by Rob Atras for Red White and Blue Racing and has earned $490,630.
Neat has drawn post four and the 5-2 morning line favorite will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.
Ocala Breeders’ Sales graduate Zverev will try to win for the second consecutive time after taking a first condition allowance going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass at Churchill Downs on June 20.
The son of Oscar Performance broke his maiden on the Turfway Park synthetic course on March 23 but in his next start was a traffic-laden sixth against first condition, $100,000 claimers on the Churchill Downs turf on May 11.
In winning two of seven starts with one third, Zverev has earned $130,030 for owners Belladona Racing LLC, Peachtree Stable, Twin Brook Stables and West Point Stables. Belladona purchased him for $330,000 out of the Eisaman Equine consignment at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux has given the riding assignment on Zverev to Jose Ortiz and they will depart post three. They are listed at 4-1 in the program.
Completing the field are Please Advise with Flavien Prat taking the call, Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Buttercream Babe, Lagynos and jockey Cristian Torres, Barksdale will have Ramon Vasquez aboard and Frankie Dettori takes the assignment on Army Officer.
Marquette was the most recent Florida-bred winner of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2) in 1999. Duluth is the only other Florida-bred winner having taken it when it was known as the Gallant Man in 1985.
