SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Charles Lopresti has been training horses since 1994, but has never run a horse at Saratoga, nor has he run in a Grade 1 stakes. Both of those streaks will come to an end Saturday when he sends out Here Comes Ben in the Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Stakes going seven furlongs over Saratoga’s main track.
Here Comes Ben, a 4-year-old son of Street Cry, brings a three-race winning streak into the Forego, having won a second-level allowance race at Keeneland in April, a third-level allowance at Churchill in May, and the Kelly’s Landing Stakes at Churchill in June.
Here Comes Ben won the Kelly’s Landing by only a neck, but Lopresti said that race was run late on a Friday night under the lights and jockey Alex Solis told him the horse was half asleep
“He said the thing that impressed him was when he did pick him up and ask him to run he still kicked on,” Lopresti said. “He only ran the last three-eighths of a mile. He was just galloping down the backside. Admittedly, this is a lot tougher bunch of horses he’s going to run against. We are realistic about that.”
The Forego is expected to draw Grade 1 winners Vineyard Haven, Warrior’s Reward, and Bribon as well as the likes of Big Drama, Girolamo, Starforaday, and You and I Forever.
Here Comes Ben has been here for two weeks and has breezed twice over the main track, including a half-mile move in 48.32 seconds Tuesday morning under Solis.
“He come back he wasn’t even blowing,” Lopresti said. “He’s a very unconcerned kind of horse; he’s easy to be around. That’s the way he is when he runs. He comes back and he walks around like he hasn’t even run.”
Charitable Man, who is listed as a possible starter for the Forego, worked four furlongs in 47.55 seconds over the main track on Tuesday.
