Saratoga Race Course Notes

NYRA RELEASE —-

• Good Magic zips bullet five furlongs in preparation for G1 Travers; Gronkowski to breeze this weekend
• Vino Rosso in fine form after final work ahead of the Travers
• Travers filly Wonder Gadot ‘sharp’ with four-furlong bullet work
• Travers-bound King Zachary scheduled to breeze Saturday
• Manitoulin works for possible start in G1 Sword Dancer
• Other Travers reports: Hofburg likely to work ‘Sunday or Monday’; Mendelssohn, Seahenge expected to arrive Tuesday for O’Brien
• Travers Day + Week 6 stakes probables

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Multiple Grade 1 winner Good Magic, the probable favorite for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers, turned in a scintillating five-furlong breeze in 1:00.44 Friday morning in preparation for the Mid-Summer Derby at Saratoga Race Course.

The Curlin colt is looking to become the first juvenile champion since Street Sense (2006) to win the 1 ¼ mile Travers, and the first Haskell winner since Point Given in 2001 to take the Spa’s marquee race. In all, six Haskell winners have completed the double since 1960.

“He worked great,” said two-time defending Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown of Good Magic, who is owned by e Five Racing and Stonestreet Farm. “He couldn’t have done any better. I would have preferred to work him Saturday, but I left Friday as an option based on the schedule he’s been on. I just wanted to work him one of those two days.”

Good Magic officially worked alone, but was joined briefly by an unraced 2-year-old in his journey around the track after the renovation break Good Magic’s time was the fastest of 17 at the distance.

“It didn’t bother me,” said Brown. “It was only for a very short time.”

Brown, who worked a phalanx of stakes hopefuls, said Travers contender Gronkowski would have his final prep for the race on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the weather.

“He’s on a different schedule,” said Brown of Gronkowski, who in his first American start was runner-up to Triple Crown winner Justify in the Belmont Stakes. “I have to do what’s best for my horse. I’m flexible. I have a lot of options.”

Making their final Travers Day preps on Friday for Brown as well were Lewis Bay, who was caught going a half-mile in 49.09 for the Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina and Grade 3 Shuvee runner-up Wow Cat, who went a half in 48.44 for the Grade 1 Personal Ensign.

“They both worked well,” said Brown, who also sent out Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame winner Raging Bull (49.77) and Grade 1 Longines Test winner Separationofpowers (50.20), among others. “I couldn’t be happier with what’s going on.”
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Vino Rosso in fine form after final work ahead of the Travers
Vino Rosso put in his final tune-up for the Grade 1 Travers on Friday morning at Saratoga, covering four furlongs in 49.02 seconds before light rain showers began.

Taking to the main track after the break with Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, Vino Rosso worked in company with 2017 Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit. Mike Repole and St. Elias Stable’s Vino Rosso ran inside of Tapwrit, and “worked very well, enthusiastic, and galloped out nicely,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “It was the work I was hoping he’d put in before the Travers.”

Vino Rosso comes into the 1 ¼-mile Travers off a third-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Jim Dandy at the Spa on July 28. In that race, the chestnut son of Curlin got off to a slow start but closed strongly and missed by a head of finishing second.

A large field is shaping up for the Travers on August 25, including Grade 1 Haskell winner Good Magic, Jim Dandy winner Tenfold, Curlin winner Hofburg and the filly Wonder Gadot.

Velazquez has been aboard for all eight of Vino Rosso’s races, and said the colt “always shows great talent, but sometimes doesn’t put it into races.”

Vino Rosso won the Grade 2 Wood Memorial and was considered among the Kentucky Derby top contenders, but never really had a chance in the Run for the Roses, where he finished ninth. In the Belmont, he appeared to move into contention as the field came out of the final turn but wound up fourth behind Triple Crown winner Justify.

Vino Rosso has three wins and two thirds in eight starts for earnings of $792,500.

“He can be an inconsistent sort, he’s a little bit finicky about how much moisture is in the track,” said Pletcher. “In retrospect, that track was a little wetter than he liked in the Jim Dandy, and I think that was the reason it took him so long to get involved.

“He seems to like a drier surface, so we’ll see what happens on Travers day.”

Added Velazquez: “Mother Nature has been very weird, but I’m hoping we get a dry track.”
* * *
Travers filly Wonder Gadot ‘sharp’ with four-furlong bullet work

Gary Barber’s Wonder Gadot completed her major Grade 1 Travers preparations with a four-furlong bullet work early Friday morning as she tries to become the first filly to win the Mid-Summer Derby since 1915.

With exercise rider Chris Galloway aboard, the Mark Casse trainee worked solo over the main track before 6 a.m., breezing in a swift 47.60 seconds, the fastest of 67 at the distance. Wonder Gadot covered the first quarter-mile in 23.81 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.66, according to NYRA clockers.

“She goes in 47 and three[-fifths] like most horses go in 51. She’s truly amazing.” said Casse. “She’s sharp. She has a high level of energy all the time. By the time she’s finished cooling out this morning, she’ll be jumping around and trying to kick people.

“Now, you want to have an easy week and hope everything goes smoothly,” he added. “This is our lives: you get them to a point where they’re ready and now you’re sitting and waiting.”

The work was her second at Saratoga since winning the Prince of Wales by 5 ¾ lengths over males on July 24 at Fort Erie, the second leg of Canada’s Triple Crown. The 3-year-old Ontario-bred filly by Medaglia d’Oro won the first leg with similar ease, taking the 1 ¼-mile Queen’s Plate by 4 ¾ lengths on June 30 over Woodbine’s Tapeta course.

Last year, Wonder Gadot won the Grade 3 Mazarine and Grade 2 Demoiselle, and hasn’t finished worse than third in eight starts in 2018, including a runner-up finish to Monomoy Girl in the Kentucky Oaks on May 4. Wonder Gadot will enter the 1 ¼-mile Travers with a record of 5-4-3 from 13 career starts for more than $1.3 million in earnings.

Casse said an announcement regarding the jockey assignment is expected on Monday and mentioned Hall of Famer Mike Smith, Florent Geroux, and Tyler Gaffalione as possibilities. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who rode Wonder Gadot to victory in the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales, has the call aboard Vino Rosso in the Travers.
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Travers-bound King Zachary scheduled to breeze Saturday

Thomas F. Conway’s King Zachary, pointing to the Grade 1 Travers on August 25, is slated to put in his final breeze on Saturday morning, trainer Dale Romans said Friday.

King Zachary ran fourth in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 14 at Indiana Grand, rallying from seventh before finishing behind Axelrod, Trigger Warning and Title Ready over 1 1/16 miles. That effort snapped a two-race winning streak, including the Curlin colt’s first stakes win with a 4 ¾-length victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn on June 16 at Churchill Downs.

“That [Indiana Derby] was subpar for him, he’s better than that, but we haven’t lost any faith and trust in him, so we’re going to keep him on the path,” Romans said.

Romans said King Zachary should benefit from the Travers’ distance of 1 ¼ miles. The only time he ran at that distance was a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack. But Romans said both the Wood and Indiana Derby – the only two times in seven career starts King Zachary failed to finish on the board – had a common denominator.

“The only two races that he ran subpar was when we shipped him for both of them,” said Romans, who saw King Zachary arrive from Gulfstream Park just days before the Wood and from Kentucky in the days leading up to the Indiana Derby. “Maybe he gets a little agitated or something. He bled a little bit in the Indiana Derby. We got it cleaned up and taken care of and hopefully he runs up to his abilities.”

King Zachary has been at Saratoga since July, with his next breeze marking his fourth work on the Spa’s main track.

“He’s settled in well and has been up here since a few days after the Indiana Derby,” Romans said. “We just wanted to make sure we took that part of the equation out of it.”

Romans will be looking for his second Travers win after Keen Ice upset Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 edition. That was Romans’ latest entry in the Mid-Summer Derby, following First Dude (third in 2010) and Shackleford (eighth in 2011).

Romans also said his two expected entries for the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens presented by Runhappy on August 25 will work on Saturday if weather permits. Promises Fulfilled and Seven Trumpets have both been stabled at Saratoga as they prepare for the seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

“They’re both pointing to the Jerkens and they’re both doing well,” Romans said.

Robert J. Baron’s Promises Fulfilled has rebounded well from a 15th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on May 5, running back to finish third in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on June 9 at Belmont before posting a career-best effort in the Grade 3 Amsterdam on July 28 at Saratoga when he surged to a 3 ¼-length win, earning a 108 Beyer. It marked his second graded stakes win, adding to the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in his sophomore debut on March 3 at Gulfstream Park.

“The Amsterdam was a spectacular race and the best race that horse has ever run,” Romans said. “My horses are very versatile. They’re not going to try and steal it. If someone wants to go too fast, Promises proved he can let a horse go in front of him and run him down. But if they leave him alone, he’ll go to the lead and won’t be seen.”

Seven Trumpets, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, finished out of the money in three straight graded stakes starts earlier this year before wining an optional claimer on May 31 at Churchill. The Morning Line colt returned to stakes action in the Grade 3 Dwyer on July 7, Stars & Stripes Day, and ran second to Firenze Fire at one mile on Belmont’s Big Sandy.

“It’s like the light switch went on after he ran second at Belmont. He’s trained like a monster up here,” Romans said.

Romans said the opportunity to win a race named after the Hall of Fame trainer would be important. Known as “The Chief,” Jerkens won 14 training titles at NYRA tracks, including four at Saratoga. He also won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1973 and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1975.

“I knew Allen well and it would be a very big deal to win the race,” he said. “Allen was a close friend and I’d love to stand in the winner’s circle for the trophy for the Allen Jerkens.”
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Manitoulin works for possible start in G1 Sword Dancer

Trainer Jimmy Toner had a pair of turf workers on Friday, with Grade 1 Sword Dancer hopeful Manitoulin going a half in 52.18 seconds in company with Mominou, most recently sixth as the beaten favorite in the Coronation Cup on July 30.

“They both had a nice maintainence breeze; we’ll see how it shapes up on Saturday for the Sword Dancer,” said Toner. “He didn’t handle the soft ground last time [seventh behind Channel Marker in the Grade 2 Bowling Green]. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Toner said Mominou will await the $100,000 Christiecat on Opening Day at Belmont Park, Friday, September 7.
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Other Travers reports: Hofburg likely to work ‘Sunday or Monday’; Mendelssohn, Seahenge expected to arrive Tuesday for O’Brien

Travers-bound Hofburg and multiple stakes winner Elate, pointed to the Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign, will likely breeze for their respective assignments later this weekend, said Riley Mott, assistant to his father, Hall of Famer trainer Bill Mott.

The pair put in their penultimate breeze in company last Sunday, with Hofburg about a length ahead at the wire after working five furlongs in 1:00.44.

“Obviously, there’s some inclement weather in the forecast, but once we get a good track, we’ll work them,” said Mott. “It’s looking to be on either Sunday or Monday at Oklahoma where they’ve been working.”

European champion trainer Aidan O’Brien is expected to be represented by Mendelssohn and Seahenge in the Travers. The pair are expected to arrive at Saratoga on Tuesday.

Mendelssohn was a dominant 18 ½-length winner of the UAE Derby in March before easing to a last-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Seahenge, fifth in the UAE Derby, made his U.S. debut with a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Both 3-year-old Scat Daddy colts are exiting the Grade 3 Dwyer on July 7 at Belmont Park, where they finished third and fifth, respectively.
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Travers Day stakes probables: Saturday, August 25

The Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers
Probable: Bravazo (D. Wayne Lukas); Catholic Boy (Jonathan Thomas); Good Magic (Chad Brown); Gronkowski (Brown); Hofburg (Bill Mott); King Zachary (Dale Romans); Meistermind (Steve Asmussen); Mendelssohn (Aidan O’Brien); Seahenge (O’Brien); Tenfold (Asmussen); Trigger Warning (Mike Rone); Vino Rosso (Todd Pletcher); Wonder Gadot (Mark Casse)
Possible: Axelrod (Michael McCarthy)

The Grade 1, $1 million Sword Dancer
“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Turf Division
Probable: Bigger Picture (Mike Maker); Channel Maker (Mott); Funtastic (Brown); Hi Happy (Pletcher); Revved Up (Jorge Abreu); Sadler’s Joy (Tom Albertrani); Spring Quality (Graham Motion); Vettori Kin (Kenny McPeek)
Possible: Glorious Empire (James L. Lawrence, II); Manitoulin (Jimmy Toner)

The Grade 1, $600,000 Forego
“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Division
Probable: American Anthem (Bob Baffert); Awesome Slew (Casse); C Z Rocket (Al Stall, Jr.); City of Light (McCarthy); Heartwood (James K. Chapman); Limousine Liberal (Ben Colebrook); No Dozing (Arnaud Delacour); Warrior’s Club (Lukas); Whitmore (Ron Moquett)
Possible: Horse Greedy (John Sadler)

The Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign
“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Distaff Division
Probable: Abel Tasman (Baffert); Elate (Mott); Farrell (Wayne Catalano); Fuhriously Kissed (Anthony Quartarolo); Valadorna (Casse); Wow Cat (Brown)
Possible: Blue Prize (Ignacio Correas, IV)

The Grade 1, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina
“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Division
Probable: Finley’sluckycharm (Bret Calhoun); Highway Star (Rodrigo Ubillo); Lewis Bay (Brown); Marley’s Freedom (Baffert); Still There (Dane Kobiskie); Union Strike (Asmussen)

The Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, presented by Runhappy
Probable: Engage (Brown); Firenze Fire (Jason Servis); Funny Duck (Rusty Arnold); Givemeaminit (Dallas Stewart); Promises Fulfilled (Dale Romans); Still Having Fun (Timothy Keefe); Telekinesis (Casse)
Possible: Forced (Miguel Vera)

The Grade 2, $400,000 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa
Probable: A Raving Beauty (Brown); Dream Awhile (Brown); Hawksmoor (Delacour); Indian Blessing (Ed Walker); La Sardane (Neil Drysdale); Off Limits (Brown); Proctor’s Ledge (Brendan Walsh); Quidura (Brown)

New York Showcase Day: Friday, August 24
The $250,000 Albany (NYB)
Probable: Analyze the Odds (Js. Servis); Evaluator (Michael Dilger); Sea Foam (Christophe Clement); Singapore Trader (Pletcher); Spectacular Kid (Alejandro Maymo); Speke (Pletcher)
Possible: Irish Valor (Anthony Ferraro)

The $200,000 Fleet Indian (NYB)
Probable: Aunt Babe (Ferraro); Cause We Are Loyal (Mark Hennig); English Soul (Ray Handal); Held Accountable (Phil Serpe); Indy’s Lady (Jeremiah Englehart); Pas De Deuce (John Morrison); Rachel’s Blue Moon (Jerkens); Split Time (Linda Rice)
Possible: Our Super Nova (Lauren Linn); Starlite Mission (Gary Contessa)

The $200,000 Funny Cide (NYB)
Probable: Bankit (Asmussen); Bustin to Be Loved (Contessa); Dugout (Larry Rivelli); La Fuerza (Pletcher); Red Zinger (Contessa)
Possible: Dalliance (Wayne Rice)

The $200,000 Seeking the Ante (NYB)
Probable: Collegeville Girl (Richard Vega); Crossing Alaska (Chapman); Harley Q (Uriah St. Lewis); Icy Lady (Michael Gorham); Ma Meatloaf (Jeremiah Englehart); Maiden Beauty (Contessa); Release the Memo (James Ferraro); She’s Trouble (Rice); Take Me to Hardoon (J. Englehart); Time Warp (McPeek)

The $150,000 West Point (NYB), presented by Trustco Bank
Probable: Black Tide (David Cannizzo); Kharafa (Tim Hills); King Kreesa (David Donk); Memories of Peter (James Ryerson); Offering Plan (Brown); Rapt (Ribaudo); Tapitation (Ralph Nicks)

The $150,000 Yaddo (NYB)
Probable: Feeling Bossy (Js. Servis); Fifty Five (Brown); La Moneda (Tom Morley); Out of Trouble (Brad Cox); Purrageous Dyna (Edward Allard); Tizzelle (H. James Bond); War Canoe (Contessa)
Possible: Belle of the Spa (Bruce Brown)
Other Saratoga Race Course Week 6 stakes probables
Wednesday, August 22: The $100,000 John’s Call
Probable: Bronson (Maker); Gold Shield (Neil Morris); Highland Sky (Barclay Tagg); Renown (Elizabeth Voss); Rocketry (Jimmy Jerkens); Wake Forest (Danny Gargan)

Thursday, August 23: The $100,000 Riskaverse
Probable: Ferdinanda (Tagg); Going Out (Michael Matz); Goodthingstaketime (Abreu); Kitten’s Covergirl (Pat Reynolds); Madame X. (Susan Cooney); Quivery (Bobby Ribaudo); Sweet Sting (Jerkens); Tesora (Jonathan Thomas)
Possible: Blame Henny (Matz); Monte Crista (Michael Trombetta)

Sunday, August 26: The $100,000 Smart N Fancy
Probable: Chanteline (Asmussen); Faypien (Baffert); Girls Know Best (Eddie Kenneally); Jc’s Shooting Star (Donk); Just Talkin (Js. Servis); Malibu Stacy (George Weaver); Morticia (Arnold); Tillie’s Lily (Thomas)

Monday, August 27: The $100,000 Better Talk Now
Probable: Ceevee (Kelly Breen); Corot (Morley); Hot Springs (Asmussen); Prioritize (Bond); Strike Me Down (Motion)