One of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival’s most impressive winners in Baby Yoda returns to Saratoga for the Grade I Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap at the Spa on Saturday, July 27. NYRA handicappers haven’t given the True North Stakes scorer topweight for the $350,000 contest, however.
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott saddled last year’s winner Elite Power and looks to repeat that feat from his barn with six-year-old Prospective gelding Baby Yoda. After posting a career best six-length romp in Grade II company over 1,300m in June, he only has 122lbs here.
Framing the handicap is Skelly for Steve Asmussen and all Belmont Stakes betting sites have him as favorite. The barn has a record four victories in the Vanderbilt Handicap with Jackie’s Warrior the most recent of those. Skelly, a five-year-old son of Practical Joke, is a real consistent horse only failing to place once in 16 starts and favored with good reason.
Skelly has won the last two editions of the Grade III Count Fleet Sprint at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. Asmussen saddled Jackie’s Warrior to victory in both that and the Vanderbilt in 2022. This is the highest level at which connections have campaigned Skelly, but he has topweight of 123lbs in his bid to make the step up.
Five of his 10 wins have been in Black Type sprints or Listed company. The sprinting division on dirt does look pretty open, however, so Skelly’s credentials are on the line here. Another runner that both he and Baby Yoda should respect here is Breeders’ Cup third Nakatomi.
Nakatomi Returns from Break & Overseas in Vanderbilt Handicap
Representing the Keeneland barn of sprint king Wesley Ward and powerful global owner-breeders Qatar Racing, the five-year-old Firing Line gelding also made the show in the Golden Shaheen out in the Middle East on Dubai World Cup Night.
We haven’t seen Nakatomi on the track since, but his international form in top Grade / Group I sprints can’t be ignored. NYRA handicappers have taken a real chance in giving him just 120lbs for the Vanderbilt Handicap. Ward hasn’t won this Saratoga race before, but looks to have a well-treated runner in this year’s line-up.
Lower down the weights is Jorge Duarte Jr’s in-form four-year-old Subrogate. This Arrogate colt has won all three starts in minor races this season and steps up in grade after posting a good speed figure here in June. As the youngest in the line-up, Subrogate still has the most potential progress.
Completing the Vanderbilt Handicap field this year are a couple of five-year-olds at the foot of the weights. Both Twisted Ride from the Michael Moore barn and My Buddy B have plenty to find with the big shot sprinters on all known form. Despite receiving the most weight, both have lots to do to make their presence felt at this level.
2024 Albert G Vanderbilt Handicap Post Position Draw & Morning Line Odds
Baby Yoda’s cause may be helped by the fact that his main market rivals are at either end of the draw. Gate 1 for Nakatomi following a break from the track of 119 days means a good start is essential against the fence. Skelly, meanwhile, has the widest draw of all in his bid to defy topweight.
Also inside Baby Yoda are the two longshots with Subrogate on his immediate outside. This is the post position draw for the Vanderbilt in full with Morning Line odds suggesting he is joint-third best behind Skelly and globetrotter Nakatomi:
- Nakatomi (120lbs): 5-2
- Twisted Ride (117lbs): 20-1
- My Buddy B (116lbs): 20-1
- Baby Yoda (122lbs): 7-2
- Subrogate (119lbs): 7-2
- Skelly (123lbs): 6-5
