Plenty of positives from Saratoga performances of Highland Falls and Ragtime
Racenews
4 August, 2025
Highland Falls and Ragtime may have met with defeat at Saratoga on Saturday, but the duo emerged with their reputations enhanced following laudable efforts.
Five-year-old Highland Falls was returning to the scene of his win in last season's G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, although he was taking on a deeper field in the G1 Whitney Stakes that included the last two Breeders’ Cup Classic scorers and a Travers Stakes winner.
Having briefly led the field in the straight, Highland Falls bravely stuck to his task to go down by a length to Sierra Leone. Both horses are on course to reoppose in the Jockey Club Gold Cup before another potential clash in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Ragtime was diving into G1 company for the Test Stakes on the back of dominant wins in a maiden and allowance race. The Bill Mott-trained filly looked set for victory when taking up the running inside the final furlong, only for Kilwin to flash home and grab victory in the shadow of the post.
Think Big was beaten just over two lengths in total when fifth in the G1 Fourstardave Stakes on the Saratoga card, although his half-sister Pondering enjoyed Stakes success of her own on the same day at Ellis Park.
Palace Pier colt Morris Dancer appears to have a bright future after he was narrowly denied in the G2 Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, with Dubai Treasure winning a handicap at the meeting.
Silent Love looks set to test herself at Group company following a comfortable success in the Listed Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, with a trip to Deauville on the cards for the improving three-year-old.
The season in Australia finished last week, with Too Darn Hot crowned Champion second-season sire in the country ahead of Blue Point, and Harry Angel taking the third-season sires’ title. Expulsion and Amusing have already got the ball rolling this season, with the latter a first Godolphin winner for Chris Waller.
Ampadu posted a notable Stakes victory at Niigata on Sunday, winning on his first appearance since a successful introduction at Tokyo in May, 2024. The Iffraaj colt has a distinctly European pedigree and shares a grandam with recent G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis winner Tornado Alert.
