by B. Jason Brooks
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After knocking on the door of his first trip the winner’ circle earlier this summer, Phipps homebred Pentathlon is ending a 45-day layoff for the third start of his sophomore campaign on Thursday, August 15th in Race 3 at Saratoga Race Course.
The maiden special weight race covering one mile on the dirt for ages three years and older has a purse of $100,000 and a post time of 2:22 pm Eastern. Pentathlon is breaking from post position No. 2 in a field of eight entries for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.
The Speightstown colt came up a head short last time out at Aqueduct on June 30th, breaking from the outside post in field of five entries. He stalked the pace from the three-path before nudging ahead for the lead entering the stretch. He dug in for a stretch duel, bumping with a foe as they raced shoulder to shoulder six lengths ahead of the rest of the field before finishing a close second. His runner-up effort came after finishing third in his previous two starts.
He enters the race on Thursday as a 2-to-5 morning-line favorite. Wearing saddle cloth No. 1, Pentathlon is a paired entry with 3-year-old Curlin colt Upstanding, a Todd Pletcher-trainee co-owned by St. Elias Stables who also co-owns Pentathlon with Phipps Stable and Woodford Racing.
Pentathlon has been training well since his last start, putting in three timed workouts on Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, including a four-furlong bullet on July 24th in 48.25 seconds.
Newly-inducted Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario has the mount. He rode Pentathlon two races ago (pictured below) to a third-place finish at Saratoga in which the colt earned his highest career Beyer speed figure of 84. Mr. Rosario has a record of success with the stable, sharing in the connection’s 2013 Kentucky Derby victory after guiding Orb to a memorable two-and-a-half-length win.
Well-bred Pentathlon shares the same sire (Speightstown) and female family as Phipps homebred multiple graded stakes winner Performer who suffered a career-ending ankle injury at the age of 5. Retiring with six wins from nine starts in 2021, he was to stand at Claiborne Farm but tragically died from a ruptured stomach prior to his first season at stud.
A sixth-generation Phipps-bred, Pentathlon is the second foal out of graded stakes-placed Parade, by Tapit. Pentathlon’s second dam is graded stakes-placed On Parade, by Storm Cat, third dam is Breeders’ Cup champion My Flag, by Easy Goer, and fourth dam is undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign, By Private Account, all trained by Shug McGaughey. The family traces back to imported Argentine-bred Dorine, by British sire Aristophanies, acquired in 1970 by Ogden Phipps.
The deep, winning Phipps female family also includes Storm Flag Flying, by Storm Cat, Personal Flag, by Private Account, Miner’s Mark, by Mr. Prospector, Traditionally, by Mr. Prospector, as well as sires Mr Speaker, by Pulpit, Arabian Lion, by Justify, and Seeking the Soul, by Perfect Soul, all of which are grade 1 winners.
(Race replay of Pentathlon’s runner-up finish last time out on June 30, 2024 at Aqueduct.)
Phipps Stable Fan 