The Big Torpedo rolls again Thursday, winning the Cab Calloway division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Saratoga. NYRA Photo.
Tom Morley met with Eric Cancel before the races Thursday to talk some strategy.
The trainer and jockey were teaming up a few hours later with heavy favorite The Big Torpedo in the $150,000 Cab Calloway division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes. Cancel knows the New York-bred son of Big Brown; he’d ridden him in five straight prior starts including two that yielded victories. Morley knew that Cancel knew the colt.
The meeting didn’t last long.
“Let’s not overcomplicate it,” Cancel told Morley, then followed suit and guided The Big Torpedo to his second straight Stallion Series victory. The 1-2 favorite in the field of seven, The Big Torpedo won all the way on the lead by 4 1/2 lengths over Courtly Banker with Fidelightcayut third. That 1-2-3 finish nearly matched the NYSS Spectacular Bid a little more than a month ago during the Belmont at the Big A meeting when The Big Torpedo and Courtly Banker finished 1-2 and Fidelightcayut finished third.
“I like the fact that Eric took no prisoners today,” Morley said. “It was a very good ride and a very good performance to go that fast early and then quicken up as well.”
Owned by Thomas Albrecht, Vincent Fusaro and James Klein and bred by Dean and Patti Reeves’ Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, The Big Torpedo improved to 3-for-8 and collected an $82,500 check to pad his bankroll to $320,900.
Foaled at Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater and out of the Empire Maker mare U. S. S. O’Brien, The Big Torpedo set strong fractions of :23.99, :46.97 and 1:10.64 while building a 2 1/2-length lead over Courtly Banker turning for home.
The Big Torpedo, a 10-length winner in a mid-January maiden at Aqueduct and placed against open company in the Woodhaven Stakes two starts back, rolled home from there. He widened his lead to 4 lengths in midstretch and won in 1:35.01 over the course labeled firm. Courtly Banker, a son of Central Banker campaigned by Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg, finished 3 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Fidelightcayut, a son of Leofric campaigned by RT Racing Stable and Hablan Los Caballos and trained by Juan C. Avila. B D Saints, Cable Ready, Six Fortyfive and Solo Empire completed the field.
Albrecht and his partners, along the Dean Reeves, relished the latest victory for The Big Torpedo.
“That’s my sixth stakes win, but my first at Saratoga,” Albrecht said on the way to the Carmen Barrera Room with Morley’s wife Maggie and others.
Reeves, who bred the colt after campaigning U. S. S. O’Brien to a record of 3-2-2 in 11 starts with $143,140 in earnings. A $130,000 buy at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale, U. S. S. O’Brien was later offered in foal to Mucho Macho Man but not sold on a $55,000 bid at the 2019 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Albrecht and his team bought U. S. S. O’Brien through Conor Foley’s Oracle Bloodstock in foal to Maclean’s Music for $40,000 at the inaugural Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July breeding stock sale in 2021. The Big Torpedo was already born at that point – he’s a March 30, 2021 foal – and U. S. S. O’Brien had also produced the Mucho Macho Man fillies Mi Pebeta (2020) and Hang On Honey (2019). The latter is a winner and U. S. S. O’Brien is also the dam of the unraced 2-year-old New York-bred Maclean’s Music colt O’Brien’s Song, who was bred by Albrecht, Fusaro and Klein and offered but not sold on a $28,000 bid at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale.
“What a thrill, this is my first winner at Saratoga as a breeder,” Reeves said. “When we bred the mare we weren’t that familiar with the New York breeding program but we’ve learned a lot about it since, and it’s been good to us. Just the other day we got a check for something like $20,000 for one of the races (The Big Torpedo) won, and no doubt we’ll be getting another soon.”
The Big Torpedo’s latest victory also continued a strong season for Big Brown, New York’s leading sire in 2020 who stands for $5,000 at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater. Champion 3-year-old male and winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2008, Big Brown is also the broodmare sire of 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch and his 2023 Kentucky Derby-winning half-brother Mage.
Big Brown came into Thursday ranked 10th on the New York general sire list with more than $540,000 in progeny earnings in 2024.
