About 40 minutes after being involved in a scary four-horse spill, jockey Paco Lopez was back in the saddle and guided 12-1 longshot to an easy victory in the $200,000 Schuylerville Stakes on a steamy opening day at Saratoga Race Course.
A race earlier, in the 1-mile Wild Applause Stakes on the turf, Lopez’s filly I Love Giraffes appeared to clip heels with another horse and fell around the turn for home. That started a chain reaction that saw Paris Carver with Javier Castellano aboard, Smexy with Tyle Gaffalione up, and Lovely Grey, with Dylan Davis aboard, all falling to the turf.
Frightening at first, Lopez, Gaffalione and Davis were able to walk off the track accompanied by the track’s medical team and NYRA officials. Castellano was taken to a local hospital with a hip issue, according to information from America’s Day at the Races program on Fox Sports’ FS1.
All four horses were caught by outriders and led back to their barns with no injuries reported.
It was a hot and humid opening day for sure at the Spa, with temperatures in the 90s. There were discussions of whether to race on opening day, but the New York Racing Association chose to stick with the schedule.
To a Flame ($7.50) won the $150,000 Wild Applause, while Heeere’s Johnny stormed from last to first and won the $150,000 Saranac Stakes in the race after the Schuylerville.
The 11-race card saw 11 different trainers in the winner’s circle, with jockey Jose Ortiz winning three races and John Velazquez two.
The 6-furlong Schuylerville, the traditional opening day feature, carried a $200,000 purse. With two fillies scratched, Harper’s Corner ($26 on a $2 win bet), took charge early and led throughout, winning by 5 1 /4 lengths over Voyager. Luminous Beauty, the favorite, finished fifth.
“That filly, she’s special. I know she beat nobody at Laurel,’’ said Lopez, who was abord for the filly’s career debut, a 7 ¾-length win at Laurel in Maryland. “I said, ‘let’s go to Saratoga.’ He [trainer Cathal Lynch] thought about it, and he listened to me. He knows she’s a special filly, and he agreed and she came to Saratoga.”
Costa Linda and Washton were scratched.
Defending meet leader Irad Ortiz Jr., was among several top riders serving suspensions who missed opening day at Saratoga.
The others were Luis Saez, Kendrick Carmouche, Katie Davis and Chris Elliott, reported drf.com.
Ortiz and Saez are serving suspensions from incidents last summer at the Spa as well as recent penalties assessed from stewards at Delaware Park.
Ortiz will miss another three days before returning. Saez will be out of action through July 9.
Four graded stakes races are set for Saturday: the $750,000 Belmont Derby (G1), the $600,000 Belmont Oaks (G1), the $500,000 Suburban Stakes (G2) and the $225,000 Sanford Stakes (G3).
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