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Unbridled’s Song 4-year-old Emcee broke into the stakes-winner ranks in a big way with a 4 1/2-length win in the $500,000 Forego S. (G1) Saturday at Saratoga. The lightly raced dark bay colt was beaten just a half-length four weeks ago in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Vanderbilt H.

Unbridled’s Song now has 12 Grade 1 stakes winners in his illustrious career and has eclipsed the $3.5 million mark in progeny earnings this year. Emcee is the leading earner for his sire this year.

Emcee pressed pacesetter Pacific Ocean in second through a quarter-mile in :22.64 seconds and a half in :45.38. Jersey Town scooted up the inside to take over the top spot coming into the stretch before Emcee overtook him inside the final furlong and drove clear late. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.00, just three-fifths of a second off the track record.

“My horse broke good and was right in the game,” said winning jockey Alan Garcia. “Turning for home, when I asked him, he ran and did it very well. I was very confident. It was a great post today, better than last time. All I wanted was for him to break good and take it from there. He did it the right way.”

“Had we been outside in the Vanderbilt, we might have been in a better spot,” said McLaughlin. “I’m just happy to win with this horse. He deserved a Grade 1, and he got it today.”

Overall, Emcee is 4-0-2 in seven starts with $479,000 in earnings, including the $300,000 winner’s share of the Forego purse.

McLaughlin said Emcee likely will have one start prior to a Breeders’ Cup race in November at Santa Anita.