Talk to Me Jimmy ready to speak up in $200K Albany

SEI Thoroughbreds, Michael Imperio and trainer Rudy Rodriguez’s Talk to Me Jimmy seeks his third career stakes win in Sunday’s $200,000 Albany, a nine-furlong test for New York-bred sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course. 

Talk to Me Jimmy graduated second-out when adding blinkers to wire a state-bred one-turn mile maiden in November at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Modernist bay returned as a sophomore in February there to win the nine-furlong Listed Withers gate-to-wire by 11 lengths and pick up 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Talk to Me Jimmy next tried the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino in April at Aqueduct, finishing off-the-board after dueling with future Grade 1 Preakness winner Napoleon Solo for early command. 

Since then, Talk to Me Jimmy has made two encouraging starts: a pacesetting second to Growth Equity in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan that earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure and a last-out 1 1/4-length score over Sculcos Folly in the 1 1/16-mile state-bred New York Derby on July 13 at Finger Lakes Racetrack, both with returning rider Manny Franco up.

“He ran in the New York Derby and hasn’t missed a day, working on schedule,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been good weather for him and he’s training very good. He’s happy, he’s doing good. We’ll take it from there.” 

Rodriguez preferred to keep Talk to Me Jimmy with state-breds rather than contest the local Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on August 29, with the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 19 at Parx Racing or a turf stakes at the new Belmont Park among potential future targets.

“I preferred to keep him in this race. The owners were thinking about the Pennsylvania Derby after this, but we have to take it one step at a time,” said Rodriguez. “Let’s see how he runs in the Albany. You’ve got a lot of options for where to go after. If you’re going to try him on the grass, there’s a couple of 3-year-old races coming up on the Belmont turf course that looks like it’s going to be very, very good.” 

Talk to Me Jimmy [post 6, Manny Franco] earned his most dominant win in the Withers and his best Beyer in the Peter Pan, both at nine furlongs.

“He’s still got to show up,” Rodriguez said. “He’s got a win at this distance, that's a plus for us. He looks good and Manny is very comfortable with him.” 

Bred by Majestic View Farms, Talk to Me Jimmy, a $31,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the 10-time-winning Trippi mare Prairie Trip. 

DiRico Racing and Breeding’s Sunday Boy [post 2, Jose Ortiz] employed frontrunning tactics to defeat elders in a one-mile state-bred allowance on July 11 here. Trained by Jim Ryerson, the Central Banker bay set an opening quarter-mile of 25.07 seconds and had plenty left to post a 1 1/2-length score over Judge Boushay with a career-best 85 Beyer.

“They went 25 seconds early, I don’t think you’ll find him on the lead in this spot,” Ryerson reasoned. “I know he was last time, but with Rudy’s horse in here and all that, I don’t think he will be again. It was nice that he got away with a 25, but I don’t think he has to be in front. This is his first time at a mile and an eighth, first time going two turns on dirt, but we’re happy with that last race and hoping to build off of it.” 

Sunday Boy also secured his first win in his fourth start since the seven-furlong $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way in December at Aqueduct. There, Sunday Boy closed from 10th-of-14 to graduate at sixth asking in the final start of his juvenile campaign. 

“His biggest earning win was at seven furlongs, but his best race was probably his last one,” said Ryerson. “Based on what we’ve seen in the mornings, we feel he might be able to get this distance, but basically, you have to put yourself out there and see what happens.” 

Bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and Spruce Lane Farm, Sunday Boy, a $65,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne, is a full-brother to the dual-surface multiple stakes-winner Sunday Girl.

Sunday Boy is cross-entered as a main track-only entrant in Thursday’s NYSSS Cab Calloway here. 

Amanda Gillman, Upland Flats Racing and trainer Amelia Green’s Minorinconvenience [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] rallied from seventh to fourth in the restricted Listed Curlin presented by Casamigos over course and distance on August 2. The Mendelssohn gelding landed 17 lengths in arrears of the victorious Sea Strike, who is expected to contest the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers.

Minorinconvenience seeks his first win this year in his sixth start, with his campaign including a third in the restricted Sir Barton in May at Laurel Park and a second to Sculcos Folly in the one-mile state-bred Gander in March at the Big A. Last year, the gray, bred by Steve Barberino, was 2-for-3, including a win in the six-furlong state-bred Funny Cide here. 

Joanne Nielsen’s homebred Tuning In [post 7, Edgard Zayas] is 1-for-1, winning a one-mile state-bred maiden versus elders on July 16 here. Trained by Jim Bond, the Upstart gelding posted an impressive 85 Beyer in the prominent half-length score over Bubster. 

Tuning In, out of the dual stakes-placed Smart Strike mare Forever Smart, is a half-brother to Grade 1-placed Still There, as well as dual stakes-placed Best Idea and Blue Baby. 

Rounding out the field is Onebigbeautfulbill [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who won a state-bred allowance sprint versus elders on August 9 here for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox; the Linda Rice-trained maiden winner Sociably Johnny [post 5, Jose Lezcano], who is cross-entered for the main track-only in the Cab Calloway; and maiden winner Tricky Business [post 1, Flavien Prat] for trainer George Weaver, second to Onebigbeautfulbill last out in the aforementioned allowance. 

The Albany is slated as Race 9 on Sunday’s 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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