With an authoritative victory in a historic edition of the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap June 8 at Saratoga Race Course, National Treasure moved to the front of the class of the handicap division and gave his large group of owners something to celebrate.

And as several of those owners have homes in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the victory figures to be celebrated late into the night Saturday.

“It’s special,” said one of those co-owners with a Saratoga Springs residence, Jack Wolf, who watched his royal blue and yellow silks on winning jockey Flavien Prat carried to a 6 ¼-length victory Saturday. “I’m too proud.”

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After winning the Preakness Stakes in 2023 and finishing a narrow second to Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, National Treasure appears to have taken a step forward this year. The son of Quality Road opened his 4-year-old season with a narrow victory in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat, finished fourth in the Saudi Cup, and then registered a knockout performance Saturday on the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets undercard in his racing return to the United States.

As the Met Mile is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win & You’re In” race to the Dirt Mile, National Treasure has earned a fees-paid entry back to the 2024 edition Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

In the Met Mile, National Treasure broke well and seized the lead while pressed by two-time Grade 2 winner Hoist the Gold through solid early fractions, running a half-mile in :45.75.

Coming out of the far turn, National Treasure, the 1.35-1 favorite, flashed a gear that none of his rivals could match, opening up a five-length lead in a flash. He cruised to the wire thereafter, completing the mile in 1:35.12.

“Once I got down the backside it felt like I was going to be able to get away from (Hoist the Gold),” Prat said. “Then after that, when I tightened my rein, he just went on.

“He has always shown talent. One thing about him is he always shows up and runs his race. It was a great run today.”

The decisive victory marked the second Met Mile win for trainer Bob Baffert, who also captured the race in 2017 with Mor Spirit.

“He’s a good horse and in his last couple of works, he tipped me off that ‘Hey, I’m back.’ I’m proud of the horse,” said Baffert, reached by phone as he did not make the trip to the Spa. “When he shows up, he’s super. I’m proud of him and my team.”

The race was expected to be a showdown between last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio, and National Treasure, but that did not materialize as White Abarrio chased four or five wide throughout and weakened late to finish fifth.

Grade 2 Carter Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets winner Post Time surged past a pair of rivals in the stretch to finish second, just edging third-place Hoist the Gold.

National Treasure co-owner Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables said as good as National Treasure was last spring when winning the Preakness, he believes the classic winner has taken things to another level this year. He thinks that improvement began to show itself in the Dirt Mile against Cody’s Wish.

“That performance in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile to lose by a nose was outstanding,” said Kumin after landing his first Met Mile win. “Then obviously to come back and win the Pegasus then run well overseas. To just have him come back on a big day with a big crowd and win pretty convincingly. I think a mile is his jam.”

The setting also brought a big smile to Kumin, who also has a Saratoga residence.

“This is my favorite place and to have it here,” Kumin said, “it’s awesome.”–Frank Angst

Randomized Edges Champion Idiomatic in Ogden Phipps Thriller

Randomized (inside) holds off Idiomatic. (Eclipse Sportswire)

A return to Saratoga brought out the best in Randomized as she dug in gamely on the lead to hold off champion Idiomatic by a head in the $500,000, Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes Presented by Ford earlier on the June 8 racecard.

The Nyquist filly owned by Klaravich Stables won the Alabama Stakes last summer as a 3-year-old over the same track and eventually ended her season as runner-up by a half-length to Idiomatic in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Randomized will have a free chance to do one better now as she earns an automatic berth in the Nov. 2 Longines Distaff, to be held at Del Mar, as the Ogden Phipps is part of the “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

Taking the lead from the rail while Idiomatic broke slowly, 6-1 third betting choice Randomized set comfortable fractions before being confronted by 7-10 favorite Idiomatic entering the stretch. The two dueled throughout the lane but Randomized never gave way, holding on and finishing in 1:49.58 for 1 1/8 miles. 2023 Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous was 4 ½ lengths back in third.

The victory was a first in the Ogden Phipps for trainer Chad Brown and a third straight for jockey Joel Rosario, who had ridden Clairiere to victory each of the last two seasons.

“These two were going at it in the Breeders’ Cup last year and we came out on the wrong side of that one,” Brown said. “Idiomatic is a deserving champion. She’s an outstanding horse. I think we were very fortunate to save more ground than her… We were able to just get our nose down. I’ve said, the photos go both ways, so I keep that in mind when I lose them.”

Brad Cox, trainer of Idiomatic, said, “She ran well and was the best horse. She lost a tremendous amount of ground around the first turn and second turn. The winner didn’t really have any pace pressure. Excited about the rematch. Can’t wait.”

Randomized improved her career record to five wins from nine starts with two seconds and one third, and boosted her earnings to $1,258,350.–Byron King

Cogburn Sets Course Record in Jaipur Rout

Cogburn and Irad Ortiz Jr. roll to victory. (Chelsea Durand/NYRA)

Year in and year out, the Belmont Stakes Festival acts like a mid-season Breeders’ Cup, with nine Grade 1 flat races featuring some of the best horses in North America.

And some of the fastest – one being Cogburn, who zipped to 3 ½-length victory in the Jaipur Stakes Presented by Resolute Racing on June 8 at Saratoga. The 5-year-old son of Not This Time covered the Jaipur’s 5 ½ furlongs in a record :59.80. According to Equibase, he clocked the fastest time ever at the distance in North America, whether on turf or dirt.

Carotari previously held the fastest 5 ½-furlong record in North America in winning an allowance turf race at Saratoga in 1:00.21.

“Five and a half furlongs in under a minute,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen noted. “That’s not five eighths (of a mile); that’s five and a half (eighths). That’s basically a sixteenth of a mile faster than a fast horse.”

Asmussen further relished winning the race for his respected clients, owners Clark Brewster and Corinne and Bill Heiligbrodt.

“What could be cooler than this?” he asked.

“So fast. I can’t believe it,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz Jr., who did not need to urge his mount over the final 70 yards.

The race marked Cogburn’s second graded stakes triumph in as many starts this year. On the Kentucky Derby card at Churchill Downs, he won the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet by 2 ¼ lengths. He is now 5-for-6 on grass, a record that includes a victory in the 2023 Troy Stakes at Saratoga.

In discussing long-term plans, Asmussen said he intends to run Cogburn in the $2 million, Grade 2 Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs before the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar, a race for which he earned an automatic paid berth with Saturday’s victory. The Jaipur is a part of the “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

Grade 2 winner Arzak rallied from 10^th to grab second, a neck ahead of Godolphin’s overseas invader Star of Mystery, a 3-year-old filly taking on older males.–Byron King

In other stakes races on Saratoga’s stacked Saturday card, Measured Time led a 1-2 exacta for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby over Nations Pride in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes on turf; Book’em Danno took over in midstretch and outlasted Prince of Monaco to win the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun; Baby Yoda turned heads with an impressive six-length win in the Grade 2 True North Stakes Presented by F. W. Webb; Crupi rallied from last to win the 1 ¼-mile Grade 2 Suburban Stakes; and Ice Chocolat posted a front-running upset win in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes on turf at odds of 24-1.