Del Rio Racing's Grade 1-winner Fil Dor is the 158-pound high weight as one of two entrants for trainer Ricky Hendriks in Sunday's Grade 1, $150,000 Leo O'Brien, a 2 3/8-mile steeplechase handicap for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.
The Leo O'Brien was inaugurated this year and named for the legendary trainer of New York-bred millionaires Fourstardave, Fourstars Allstar and Irish Linnet. O'Brien, a steeplechase jockey from 1964-76, passed away in January following a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia at the age of 85.
Fil Dor, an 8-year-old son of Doctor Dino, makes his second start of the year after a fourth-place effort in the three-mile Grade 1 Iroquois on May 9 at Percy Warner. There, he tracked in a close fourth through the first half before he lost position at the 14th fence and re-rallied into the lane, but came up 2 1/4 lengths shy of the victorious Zabeel Champion.
"In the spring, we weren't able to get a prep race into him, and we were pleased with the Nashville race," Hendriks said. "He just got a little tired at the end. It was tough going in there with no race under him, but I think he's coming into this one very well. I know he's going to be carrying a high weight, but he deserves it."
Fil Dor was assigned the highest weight in the field after a solid 2025 campaign that began in Ireland with trainer Gordon Elliott, making six starts there and hitting the board in four of them. He made his way stateside last fall to finish a stalking fifth in the Grade 1 American Grand National at Far Hills ahead of the trainer change.
In his first start for Hendriks, Fil Dor delivered a strong performance in the 2 5/8-mile Grade 1 Colonial Cup at Camden, where he changed up tactics and went to the lead under Dan Nevin. He was overtaken for a short bit within the first mile, but took command again shortly thereafter and never looked back en route to the 1 1/4-length score over Vae Patron.
Hendriks said Fil Dor was part of a string of horses that he received from the Elliott barn that included recent Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman third-place finisher Coutach, who won the Foxbrook on the Grand National undercard, and Chortal, winner of the Harry E. Harris that day.
"That was a great run of his," Hendriks said of the Colonial Cup. "He ran a super race and he's just a lovely horse to be around. He came over with Gordon's horses and he caught my eye right away, him and Coutach both. We got Chortal out of that group, too. Knock on wood, they've all turned out to be nice horses."
Hendriks said he would expect Fil Dor to show speed again like he did in the Colonial Cup, tactics that could prove fruitful as he gets a major cutback in distance from the Iroquois.
"He's a big, rangy horse, and hopefully he'll show some speed," Hendriks said. "The distance will be a little bit shorter, and hopefully a couple sharp works will put some speed into him."
Fil Dor sold for $668,720 at the 2024 Tattersalls Ireland A&G Brown Dispersal Sale and is out of the Ange Gabriel mare La Turbale. He has banked $418,016 via a 31-7-10-5 record and will be piloted by Jake Coen on Sunday.
The same connections will also send out Lynches Knock [Conor Tierney, 142 pounds], who enters from an off-the-board finish in the Speedy Smithwick Memorial in his barn and stateside debut on May 2 at Great Meadow.
A 4-year-old Kessaar gelding, Lynches Knock won a pair of races in Ireland in December and March for Elliott, and finished a pacesetting fifth in the Speedy Smithwick in his first stakes effort.
"He's coming along nicely and we ran him right off the plane from Ireland," Hendriks said. "It was one of those things where it just didn't work out. He lost some weight coming over and unfortunately he didn't run very well. He's been training nicely and I'm very happy with him."
Steep opposition will be provided by Rocket One [Jamie Bargary, 152 pounds], last-out runner-up in the Grade 1 Beverly Steinman on June 3 here for Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher.
Owned by Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing, the Into Mischief 7-year-old made his Grade 1 debut in the Steinman and was in second throughout before taking a 3 1/2-length lead at the stretch call and being run down late by Jimmy P, defeated a neck.
The ultra-consistent dark bay has finished first or second in 9-of-10 starts over hurdles, led by a half-length win in the Marcellus Frost two starts back on May 9 at Percy Warner. A $600,000 yearling, Rocket One is out of the winning Afleet Alex mare London Mist, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winners Last Gunfighter and Tiger Moth.
Trainer Arch Kingsley, Jr. will also saddle a pair of contenders in two 9-year-old geldings for Hurricana Farm - Grade 1-winner Merry Maker [Freddie Procter, 148 pounds] and Grade 1-placed Sweet Will [Dan Nevin, 140 pounds].
2023 Eclipse Award Champion Steeplechaser Merry Maker, a son of Malinas, makes just his 11th career start and seeks his second top-level conquest after taking the Lonesome Glory Handicap in 2023 at Belmont at the Big A. He has made three starts since them - all in Grade 1 company - and returned from a 19-month respite last out to finish third to the victorious Little Trilby in the Commonwealth Cup on May 2 at Great Meadow, missing place honors by a head.
Sweet Will, a Dragon Pulse dark bay, makes his third start this campaign after a pair of outings in May when off-the-board in the Iroquois and the Valentine Memorial at Fair Hill. He landed third in last year's Lonesome Glory, and earned his latest victory in a November handicap at Aiken.
Completing the competitive field are Grade 1-placed McTigue [Graham Watters, 144 pounds] for conditioner Cyril Murphy, and three-time winners Take Your Seats [Evan Dwan, 142 pounds] for trainer Tom Garner and St James the Great [Stephen Mulqueen, 142 pounds] for trainer Keri Brion.
The Leo O'Brien is slated as the opener on Sunday's nine-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $225,000 Kelso in Race 6 and the Listed $200,000 Harvey Pack in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, July 5, 2026, Race 1Entries: Leo O'Brien H. (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Merry Maker (IRE) Freddie Procter 148 Archibald J. Kingsley, Jr. 5/2 2 2Lynches Knock (IRE) Conor Tierney 142 Richard J. Hendriks 10/1 3 3St James the Great (KY) Stephen Mulqueen 142 Keri Brion 15/1 4 4Take Your Seats (IRE) Evan Dwan 142 Thomas Garner 8/1 5 5Sweet Will (IRE) Dan Nevin 140 Archibald J. Kingsley, Jr. 12/1 6 6McTigue (IRE) Graham Watters 144 Cyril Murphy 9/2 7 7Fil Dor (FR) Jake Coen 158 Richard J. Hendriks 7/2 8 8Rocket One (KY) Jamie Bargary 152 Jack Fisher 3/1
