Book’em Danno and Nutella Fella both made the show in the Woody Stephens during the Belmont Racing Festival last year, so return to Saratoga for the Grade III True North Stakes of 2025 over 1,300m.
These four-year-olds face a competitive $400,000 race for this reduced level after their previous exploits at the Upstate New York track. Book’em Danno produced his career best effort at the meet 12 months ago when landing the Grade I event restricted to the Triple Crown generation.
Since his Woody Stephens Stakes triumph, Derek Ryan’s gelding by Bucchero landed the Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park. Book’em Danno then returned to Saratoga Springs and made the show in the H Allen Jerkens Memorial.
His fall and winter campaign yielded nothing significant, but he then won a Colonial Downs handicap in the spring. Book’em Danno just missed the show by a head in the Churchill Downs Stakes during the Kentucky Derby meet with a couple of horses dead-heating for second.
On that last start, however, he finished ahead of re-opposing rival Mullikin. Rodolphe Brisset’s five-year-old son of Violence ran third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in the fall and then finished ahead of Book’em Danno in the Cigar Mile Handicap.
If Morning Line odds and prices on Belmont Stakes betting sites have it right, then there isn’t much between these two rivals. With that Del Mar Grade I show on his resume, Mullikin just has the favorite’s spot from Book’em Danno.
The True North Stakes of 2025 is plenty more than a match between these two, though, even if Gary Contessa’s Nutella Fella is a longshot. He won the Grade I Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga as a juvenile and now meets Book’em Danno off 8lb better terms from the Woody Stephens.
Nakatomi & Surveillance Have Graded Course Form in Favor
International owners Qatar Racing ease Wesley Ward six-year-old Nakatomi markedly in grade after his excellent second in the Golden Shaheen. This Firing Line gelding almost ran down a younger horse he conceded 8lb to on the Dubai World Cup Night card in the Middle East.
Prior to that, Nakatomi kept on into sixth spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint behind Mullikin. He’s of interest for the True North Stakes of 2025, however, because of his Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap win here last summer. Nakatomi threw down a challenge when angled out for a run in the home stretch and landed that 1,200m Grade I event comfortably.
He shaped as though the extra 100m of this wouldn’t be a problem. It certainly didn’t look as though it could pose any problem with his Meydan performance in April either. Nakatomi isn’t the only graded Saratoga sprint winner in the line-up, though.
Linda Rice’s Surveillance is another longshot on the Morning Line despite delivering in the Grade II Troy Stakes here last summer. Now an eight-year-old, it’s true he looks vulnerable to younger legs, but nor should he be dismissed after making the show on two of his three graded starts this season.
Surveillance is also 2lb better off with in-form Grade II Carter Stakes conqueror Crazy Mason. Gregory Sacco’s four-year-old Cold Front colt hasn’t lost a race in 2025 so far recording strong speed figures, so also poses a threat to the market principals in the True North Stakes of 2025.
As Crazy Mason only receives 2lb from the big guns, he must improve again in a hot race for the grade. There’s less to recommend Concrete Glory and Full Moon Madness who complete the eight-runner field. This sprint on the Belmont Stakes schedule undercard could prove very informative for the future.
True North Stakes 2025 Post Positions & Morning Line Odds
- Concrete Glory (118lbs) – 8-1
- Crazy Mason (122lbs) – 9-2
- Surveillance (120lbs) – 15-1
- Nakatomi (124lbs) – 4-1
- Book’em Danno (124lbs) – 5-2
- Mullikin (124lbs) – 2-1 fav
- Full Moon Madness (120lbs) – 20-1
- Nutella Fella (118lbs) – 20-1
Our Handicapper’s Win Place Show Bets for True North Stakes 2025
Quinella Bet: Book’em Danno (5) and Mullikin (6)
Across The Board: Nakatomi
Show Bet: Crazy Mason
Longshot Bet: Surveillance
WATCH: Book’em Danno, Nakatomi & Surveillance Win at Saratoga in 2024
