SARATIOGA SPRINGS — Entering the homestretch of Saturday’s opening race at Saratoga Race Course, a 2-year-old colt named Jonathan’s Way (Vekoma) was beaten six, maybe seven places wide.
But he was moving, and with each long, powerful step he gained momentum like a giant tidal wave.
In California, Richard Rigney, the stallion’s owner, followed the race on a cell phone with thoroughbred agent John Moynihan. They were hopeful, but they were also realists. After all, the six-furlong race was the first in Jonathan Way’s career.
“I thought, ‘This horse has to stop at some point,'” Moynihan said by phone from the West Coast, “because at some point he’ll get tired.”
Jonathan’s Way came to a good stop after winning the $100,000 Maiden Special Weight by a convincing 4 1/4 lengths and didn’t look tired at all.
“That,” said trainer Phil Bauer in the winner’s circle at Saratoga, “was visually very impressive.”
“We have been excited about this horse for a long time,” said Rigney.
Moynihan has worked with Rigney for four years and selected Jonathan’s Way at the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. He was purchased for $290,000.
Phil Bauer | Sarah Andrew
“John bought this horse as a weanling,” Rigney said. “We bought five or six weanlings at that time and turned them into some really nice Vekomas.”
Bauer said three of the young horses he has in the barn are from Vekoma’s first crop. Moynihan was impressed by the looks of the young weanling who would become Jonathan’s Way when he saw him at the Keeneland sale.
“He’s a beautiful horse,” Moynihan said. “As far as I can remember, he was the most beautiful horse sold that day. He was mentioned later in the book, by a young horse at Vekoma, but he was a beautiful individual and we thought we’d give him a go. We were lucky enough to get him. He was absolutely beautiful; he was beautiful his whole life.”
On Saturday, Jonathan’s Way was the third 2-1 candidate in the nine-horse field. Ridden by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, Jonathan’s Way got off to a promising start when he got sandwiched between horses and then had to attack from behind.
For a young horse that goes through that and then runs wide, he showed Bauer, Rigney and Moynihan he has some talent, running the six furlongs in 1:10.40 on a track marked as fast and earning $6.40.
“He got a little green from the dirt and Joel ran him over,” Bauer said. “He put Joel in the back seat. He was fit enough, he was on the reins and then he was just clearly the best.”
Rigney said he named the horse after his 17-year-old son, Jonathan. In fact, he names many of his horses after his children. In addition to Jonathan, he has 14-year-old twin daughters, Madison and Claire, who have horses named after them.
Rigney and Moynihan were in California to compete in the $300,000 GI Del Mar Oaks on Saturday with Buchu (Justify), a three-year-old mare.
There could be a reason for another trip to California in November if Jonathan’s Way fights his way to the Breeders’ Cup. Of course, that’s still a long way off. Bauer said the next step for the colt could be the GIII Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 14 or the GI Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 5.
“We couldn’t be happier with how this turned out,” Rigney said. “We’re very fortunate.”
