By Dick Jerardi
When Warp Nine crossed the finish line first in Saturday’s 10th race at Saratoga, Parx-based trainer Harry Wyner’s reaction to his first win at the legendary track was: “that was like winning the Kentucky Derby.”
That was not the trainer’s reaction when he saw Warp Nine was last of nine early in the 1-mile $130,000 allowance race.
After Javier Castellano, who was scheduled to ride the horse was injured on Friday’s opening day card, they tried to get Kendrick Carmouche. But he was in the midst of a 5-day suspension and could only take advantage of the “designated race” rule. He could ride one stakes while on suspension, but had to take an extra day of suspension. He chose to ride Phileas Fogg in Saturday’s Suburban Stakes and was rewarded with a 10-length win.
So owner Dave Funderlich got Joel Rosario to ride. Wyner had told Rosario in the paddock that Warp Nine liked to be forwardly placed.
So what did he think when he saw the horse so far back? “I walked away from the TV and I said ‘I got no shot.’ I turned to Dave and said ‘I’m done, I’m walking out.'”
Good thing he did not walk all the way out. Warp Nine began to pass horses and “people are screaming at me, Dave was yelling, ‘Harry, Harry, he’s making a run.’ I turned around and I see him making his move in the middle of the turn and I was like ‘oh my God, he’s running’ and then I started screaming. I was shaking like a leaf.”
Wyner was in a race with horses trained by Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott and Brad Cox.
“I was in the paddock saddling, I came out of the saddling arena and I looked to my right, there’s Brad Cox, Billy Mott, all the Hall of Famers,” Wyner said. “Looked to my left and there were three or four more Hall of Famers. And I’m thinking to myself ‘what the hell am I doing here?'”
And a few minutes later, all those trainers were outside the winner’s circle looking in where Wyner, Funderlich, Rosario and Warp Nine took up the space.
A few years ago, Wyner claimed a horse off Funderlich. He ran the horse at Delaware and he won. Funderlich came up to him in the paddock and said ‘you claimed my horse two weeks ago and you just won with him.'”
Wyner sort of apologized by saying the horse was in a claiming race. Funderlich responded by saying he was going to call Wyner in a few days. They’ve been together ever since.
They had Tough Tickets. The horse won four times and earned $177,805 for them. On July 23, 2023, they took Tough Tickets to Saratoga where he finished 10th in an allowance race. The second trip to Saratoga went much better.
Wyner met horse owner and former Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth before the race and touted Warp Nine who went off at a cool 17-1.
Warp Nine was a Funderlich claiming idea. He claimed the horse for $30,000 on April 12, 2025 at Keeneland from a winning maiden race. Since then, the horse has run 15 times with four wins, six seconds, four thirds and, after Saturday’s winning purse of $71,500, earnings of $284,960. His only off-the-board finish was his only grass try.
Wyner watched that Keeneland race when the horse won and said: “man, this is going to be a nice horse. I don’t know why they gave him away for $30,000.’’
Next up for Warp Nine is the Aug. 9 West Virginia Governor’s Stake at Mountaineer Park on West Virginia Derby Day. And then the Sept. 19 Parx Dirt Mile at Wyner’s home track on Pennsylvania Derby Day. Warp Nine got a career-best 99 Beyer figure Saturday.
The trainer told Rosario that he scared him by being so far back. The jockey said he was shuffled back and then (Warp Nine) just sat there so he sat there. Once the jockey asked Warp Nine to run, he ran and never stopped running until he passed all the other horses.
Warp Nine had actually been entered in the Deputed Testamony at Laurel Park the previous Saturday. The stake was 9 furlongs. The Saratoga race was 8 furlongs, a better distance for Warp Nine.
“Dave said: ‘let’s scratch him and we’ll take our chances at Saratoga.'” Wyner said.
So they took their chances and got a win on opening weekend at the Spa, absolutely, as Wyner said, like winning the Kentucky Derby for someone with his type of stable.
