R Free Roll was sent to Gargan two weeks prior to the Honorable Miss by her regular trainer, Kirk Ziadie, off a pair of stakes victories at Calder and Gulfstream Park. Rarely outrun for the lead in any of her 16 previous starts, R Free Roll broke a step slowly but was aggressively handled by jockey Paco Lopez right from the start, easily outsprinting La Verdad to control an honest pace over the sloppy track.

R Free Roll repulsed a bid from Merry Meadow entering the stretch, then remained clear under steady urging, with La Verdad gradually weakening to finish a disappointing fifth.

Read original article at Daily Racing Form

My Wandy’s Girl, who defeated La Verdad in winning the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap earlier this year, rallied mildly between horses to be second-best, finishing 1 1/4 lengths in front of the tiring Merry Meadow.

R Free Roll, a 4-year-old daughter of Rockport Harbor, completed six furlongs in 1:10.12 and
paid $15 while giving Gargan his first stakes victory at Saratoga.

“My owner [Averill] is a pretty smart handicapper, and we knew the only way we could beat her [La Verdad] was to take control of the race and make her chase,” said Gargan. “That was the game plan. It’s always fun when a horse comes in and is doing as good as she was.

Kirk pretty much told us everything to do. It’s nice being the quarterback, especially when you have a coach as smart as he is.” Averill said R Free Roll will go back to Ziadie at Calder and likely will be pointed for the Grade 3 Phoenix at Keeneland on Oct. 3, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“I’d love to bring her back to Saratoga to run in a Grade 1, but the next one here is seven furlongs, and that’s really not her cup of tea,” said Averill, referring to the Ballerina on Aug. 23.

The post Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga appeared first on Cory Moran.