Graded win for Spiced Up at Saratoga

Three-year-old colt Spiced Up took advantage of a quick early pace to close from well off of it and take Sunday's Saratoga feature, the Gr.3 Mahony Stakes.

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 11th August 2025:

Given a 9-2 chance with Junior Alvarado in the saddle, the sophomore was settled back early as Ortley Avenue and Gabaldon exchanged blows up front, carving out a crisp opening quarter in :21.15. Still several lengths to make up through a half in :43.71, the bay seemingly had a lot left to do straightening for home. Rallying with purpose down the lane, the son of Quality Road got up in the final strides to best 1-2 favorite Governor Sam by two lengths. No Evidence rounded out the trifecta.

"The horse broke very well, said Alvarado. "I was thinking to be a little more forwardly placed, but I guess they went very quick. I thought I was a little farther back than I wanted to be, but they were moving along pretty quick."

He added: "When I hit the five-sixteenths pole, I thought that I could feel the horses coming back to me, and my horse was picking it up at that time. I knew I had a good chance, so I had to make sure to tip out all the way to the clear to give him a clear run, and he finished up very strong."

Fifth in his career debut going five and a half panels over the Churchill dirt last September, the bay returned to finish fourth sprinting in the slop there on 14th November. Shelved for the remainder of the season, the homebred kicked off his three-year-old campaign with a confident score going six furlongs over the Big A turf on 20th June.

"We were thinking about that last year," said winning trainer Bill Mott. "Most of the babies, I went through a stage last year where I wanted to try everything on the dirt. We got a couple races on the dirt and then we had to stop on him - forced to stop on him, to give him a little time and the decision was made to bring him back on the turf this year. He's halfway bred for it."

He added: "Visually, for me, he finished good [on turf] where on the dirt he was showing a lot of speed, and he wasn't finishing. Going six furlongs on the dirt, at the eighth pole he was kind of folding it up. But, if they like the grass, it will carry them."

Asked what's next for the Lightly-raced colt, Mott said: "The plan is to go to Kentucky Downs. The reason we jumped over a condition race is to see if we could get him eligible to go to Kentucky Downs - there's a $2 million race."

Spiced Up boasts a deep female family, courtesy of his dam Cardamon, also bred and raced by Juddmonte and trained by Bill Mott. Herself a daughter of Juddmonte's Soothing Touch, Cardamon is a half-sister to Juddmonte's multiple Gr.1 winner Emollient (Empire Maker) - dam of Group 2 scorer Raclette (Frankel) - and multiple Grade 1 performer Hofburg. Also under the second dam, Calm Water (Empire Maker) is responsible for Gr.1 Dubai World Cup hero Laurel River.