In successive races the imposing frame of Improbable has now shut out some of America’s finest older horses on both the west coast and now east coast of the United States. The masculine chestnut now looms as a very real contender for the end of season championships headlined by the USD7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.
In winning the time-honoured USD750,000 G1 Whitney Stakes (1800m), Improbable added his name to a roll call as weighty as it is long. In nearly a century the Saratoga contest has been a target for some of the best of the best with War Admiral (1938), Kelso (1961, 1963, 1965), Dr Fager (1968), Alydar (1978), Personal Ensign (1988) and Easy Goer (1989) among the alumni. In more recent years Invasor (2006) won the race on the way to being crowned World Champion while Blame (2010) and Gun Runner (2017) delivered at Saratoga before annexing the Breeders’ Cup Classic later that year.
The Classic moved into sharper focus following Improbable’s two length triumph over a small but very classy field. The Winstar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing owned entire has now posted back-to-back G1 successes and is looking every bit the horse who justified favouritism for the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
“The Whitney is a race that everybody wants to win and WinStar has yet to win one, so it was a great win for us, SF, China Horse Club, and the whole team,” Elliott Walden, Winstar Farm’s President, told Bloodhorse.com post-race.
“To do it with this horse, who has been so good for three years, he’s danced every dance. He’s given us a lot of pleasure. He was the favorite in the Kentucky Derby and he won a grade 1 as a 2-year-old.
“We talked about whether we should run in the (Pacific Classic, G1) or the Whitney, but the Whitney is such a prestigious race and Tom’s d’Etat was the leader of the division at the time, and I felt like he deserved to run against him and Code of Honor too.
“Even though it was a small field, it was a spectacular field. He did it the right way and completely dominated, which was great.”
At times Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, has been tested by the immensely talented Improbable who, for all of his capabilities, has needed some refinement. Baffert is clearly rounding off rough edges and his charge is growing in confidence with every race appearance.
Baffert and his brains trust will be discussing the most suitable route to the Breeders’ Cup for Improbable who, with a record of three G1 wins, could cap an exceptional career on this stage.
A key member of the Improbable team is certainly jockey Irad Ortiz whose understanding of the four-year-old grows with each outing. Ortiz stalked the leader Mr Buff from the jump and eased his mount around heels when required before laying down his challenge. Coming into the straight, Improbable struck the front, pulled clear by four lengths and was allowed to gear down by Ortiz over the closing stages. On the line there was two lengths to spare over By My Standards with Tom’s d’Etats third.
Improbable’s win continues a fantastic run for the China Horse Club’s international racing operation which enjoyed no less than 11 winners for the month of July. Polar Appeal was the 11th winner in that sequence, streeting rivals by almost five lengths at Thirsk.
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