The Latin term 'carpe diem' translates into English as 'seize the day," and that's exactly what the 2-year-old Giant's Causeway colt Carpe Diem accomplished on today's final program of the Saratoga meeting. Carpe Diem made his career debut less than six months after his purchase by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables for a co-sales topping $1.6 million out of the Northwest Stud consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s March 2-year-old sale. Trained by Todd Pletcher, and racing in the colors of Stonestreet and WinStar Farm, the chestnut colt - at odds of 70 cents to a dollar - fired out of the gate from the rail  under jockey John Velazquez in the $83,000 maiden special at 5 1/2 furlongs. Carpe Diem had to fight off his first challenger, Louisiana Brown, with Luis Saez, through potentially suicidal fractions of :21.88 and :44.90. When Louisiana Brown threw in the towel, Javier Castellano roared up on the outside with Ready for Rye, but Carpe Diem refused to give an inch and put that colt away, too, before drawing off in the final sixteenth to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths. He was clocked in 1:03.99, a superb performance for a juvenile debut considering the track record is 1:02.51. Carpe Diem was meant to be something special from the day he was born in 2012 - on Feb. 29.