Saratoga wrap: 3 graded stakes are on Acorn undercard

Future Is Now Holds on to win Intercontinental

R. Larry Johnson’s homebred Future Is Now earned her second career stakes victory with a gritty head score in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental, a 5 1/2-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares, at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.

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“This filly has learned to sit off of horses and run when she’s needed,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “It’s really changed things for her. In the last couple of races, it’s all really come together for her. This was great. I mean, this is over the top for us. We came in here with expectations just to run well. But to win it is extraordinary.”

Ridden by Paco Lopez, Future Is Now broke sharply from post 5-of-9 as Kaufymaker took advantage of a swift break under Luis Saez and hustled to the front to lead the field through an opening quarter-mile in 21.76 seconds over the firm but rain-soaked footing after a deluge fell on the course shortly before the race.

“I was concerned when I saw the weather roll in before the race,” Trombetta said. “I thought the storm would really tear up the place and be a problem. But she handled it [the course] good. The little bit of water didn’t hurt her.”

Future Is Now kept close watch in second rounding to the turn and was asked to pick it up at the top of the lane to go head-to-head with the game Kaufymaker with Roses for Debra charging down the center of the course through the half-mile in 44.24. Future Is Now stuck her head in front in the final sixteenth and had put away the resolute Kaufymaker, but was under threat from Roses for Debra to her outside.

Lopez urged with a right-handed crop in the final strides to the wire to will his charge to hold on long enough to turn back Roses for Debra by a head in a final time of 1:01.35 with Kaufymaker finishing another neck back in third.