Saratoga Race Course Notes 08/19

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Mage; Susie Raisher Photo

Saratoga Race Course Notes

Mage records final breeze for G1 Travers
Forte, Tapit Trice turn in final works for G1 Travers; Nest works for G1 Personal Ensign
G1 Preakness-winner National Treasure works for G1 Travers
City Fever points to Gio Ponti
NYRA announces update to the 2023 Belmont at the Big A fall meet stakes schedule

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Mage worked six furlongs in 1:15.56 over the main track this morning in preparation for Saturday’s 10-furlong Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers at Saratoga Race Course

Under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s, Mage logged his maintenance move with exercise rider J.J. Delgado aboard. NYRA clockers caught the Good Magic chestnut colt in splits of 13.60, 26.40 and 50.40 before galloping out seven furlongs in 1:29.33.

“Mage worked very well this morning. He went very easy,” said trainer Gustavo Delgado.

The breeze was a third local move for Mage, who arrived at the Spa in early August. Last Saturday, he covered the six-furlong distance in a sharp 1:12.98.

Gustavo Delgado, Jr., the son and assistant to the elder Delgado, said everything went according to plan.

“He did well. It was just a maintenance breeze. He did exactly what my Dad told J.J. to do. He wanted 1:15 or 1:16 for six furlongs and that’s exactly what he did,” said Delgado, Jr.

Following a triumph in the Kentucky Derby, Mage finished third in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 19 at Pimlico Race Course, which was won by fellow Travers aspirant National Treasure. He returned to action two months later to run a hard-fought second in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 22 at Monmouth Park, finishing 1 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Geaux Rocket Ride.

Delgado, Jr. said Mage has acclimated well to his Saratoga surroundings.

“He likes it here. It’s been three weeks already that we’re here and he shows us all the good signs,” Delgado, Jr. said. “It helps him to be at the track with time. In the Preakness, we arrived Wednesday and ran Saturday and for the Haskell it was the same thing, we got there earlier in the week and ran that Saturday. But here, he’s been able to adapt.”

Mage is owned by OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH. Bred in Kentucky by Grandview Equine, Mage is out of the graded stakes-placed Big Brown mare Puca, whose half-brother Finnegan’s Wake was a Grade 1-winner on grass. Mage is a half-brother to stakes-winner Gunning and has a half-brother by McKinzie listed as Hip. 669 in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale catalogue. He sports a 6-2-2-1 ledger with earnings of $2,488,700.

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Forte, Tapit Trice turn in final works for G1 Travers; Nest works for G1 Personal Ensign

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s two contenders for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, multiple graded stakes-winners Forte and Tapit Trice, each recorded their final works on Saturday in preparation for next weekend’s prestigious 1 1/4-mile test for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte, who did not wear blinkers for his work last week, wore blinkers once again in his latest breeze when covering a half-mile in 50.50 seconds in company with three-time winning 4-year-old colt Bright Future. A last-out winner of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at the Spa, Forte covered the same distance last week in 48.33.

“He looked super, was moving really well and got into a nice rhythm,” said Pletcher, who vies for his third Travers win. “Sometimes if you put them [blinkers] on all the time, you lose a little effect. We were just looking to keep him as good as he is going into this. We got a good, steady work and a good strong gallop out. He was well within himself throughout and I think he’s moving terrific. He seems really happy, so we’re trying to just keep him happy.”

A four-time Grade 1-winner, Forte looks to cement his place atop the sophomore division after wins in the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth this spring at Gulfstream Park, as well as a runner-up finish to Arcangelo off 10-week’s rest in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. He is 2-for-3 at Saratoga, capturing last year’s Grade 1 Hopeful and the aforementioned Jim Dandy on July 29.

Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable’s Grade 1 Blue Grass-winner Tapit Trice became the latest Pletcher trainee to add blinkers, sporting them for the first time in a timed work when covering a half-mile solo in 49.22 under the guidance of jockey Jose Ortiz, who picks up the mount from Luis Saez in the Travers.

Pletcher said Tapit Trice, who was last seen finishing a closing fifth in the Grade 1 Haskell on July 22, is often hindered by a lack of early speed.

“His weakness so far has been getting out of the gate and getting into a good position,” said Pletcher. “We’re hoping that will help a little with that, maybe keep him a little more focused throughout the race. We galloped him earlier in the week with blinkers and he seemed to be dialed in a little more, and it seemed like that was the case breezing this morning.”

Pletcher added he is pleased with the addition of Jose Ortiz as Saez rides Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mage in the Travers.

“We had a couple choices rider wise – we felt like Jose would be a good fit for him and we wanted to get him familiar with the horse today,” said Pletcher. “He was impressed. He thought it was perfect and said he was focused but not rank. Just the effect you would want [with blinkers].”

Tapit Trice finished a nose back of Forte in the Belmont Stakes to claim show honors after finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby. He won the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby in March ahead of his determined neck score over Verifying in the Blue Grass.

Earlier in the morning, Pletcher sent out Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House’s reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Nest for her final breeze in preparation for the nine-furlong Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign on August 25.

The daughter of Curlin covered a half-mile in 48.75 seconds in company with multiple graded stakes-winner Wit, who targets the $150,000 Bernard Baruch on September 4 at Saratoga.

“I thought it was as good as a horse could work,” said Pletcher. “We expect it, but it’s always good to see. She’s been a star since Day One.”

Nest enters the Personal Ensign off a triumphant return from a nearly nine-month layoff to win the Grade 2 Shuvee on July 23 over multiple Grade 1-winner Clairiere.

Last year, Nest was awarded her Champion honors for a campaign that included memorable Grade 1 wins in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama at the Spa and the Ashland at Keeneland, as well as a strong runner-up effort to stablemate Mo Donegal in the Belmont Stakes. She concluded her campaign with an even fourth-place effort behind stablemate Malathaat as the post-time favorite in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November at Keeneland.

A $350,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Nest boasts a record of 12-8-2-1 and total purse earnings of $2,083,050.

Additional Personal Ensign contenders breezing five furlongs over the Oklahoma dirt training track at the Spa this morning were the Brad Cox-trained Idiomatic [1:01.88] and Secret Oath [1:00.85] for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

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G1 Preakness-winner National Treasure works for G1 Travers

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Grade 1 Preakness winner National Treasure will ship to New York on Tuesday for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers after breezing five furlongs in 1:00.40 this morning over the main track at Del Mar.

“It went well,” said Baffert, who noted the colt breezed without blinkers and will drop the equipment for the Travers. “I was happy with him and everything went as planned. He’s doing well and we’re looking forward to it.”

To win the Travers, National Treasure will have to topple a field that features all three Classic winners for the first time since 2017 with Kentucky Derby-winner Mage and Belmont Stakes-winner Arcangelo set to line up along with the reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte.

“That’s what the Travers is supposed to be – it’s a major,” Baffert said.

National Treasure, by Quality Road, provided Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez his first Preakness win with a game head score over Blazing Sevens on May 20 at Pimlico Race Course. The $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase was last seen finishing a prominent sixth on June 10 in the 12-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

National Treasure, to be ridden by Velazquez, is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.

National Treasure will be joined on the journey by a pair of contenders for the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in Zedan Racing Stables’ Arabian Lion [Velazquez], the last-out winner of the seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun, and last-out Grade 3 Dwyer-winner Fort Bragg [Joel Rosario].

Los Alamitos Derby-winner Reincarnate, who was under consideration for the Travers, was re-routed to the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 23 at Parx Racing.

Both of Baffert’s Jerkens contenders breezed five furlongs Friday at Del Mar with Arabian Lion working a bullet 59.20 seconds from the gate and Fort Bragg covering the distance in 59.60.

Fort Bragg, owned by the same connections as National Treasure, sports a ledger of 8-2-2-2 for purse earnings of $321,300. By Tapit, the $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase was a game second in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 6 at Churchill Downs ahead of his nose score over Saudi Crown in the one-turn mile Dwyer on July 1 at Belmont Park.

Arabian Lion, by Baffert’s Triple Crown-winner Justify, was purchased for $600,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He has banked $437,600 through a 7-3-2-0 record led by wins in the restricted Sir Barton on Preakness Day at Pimlico and his last out Woody Stephens score on the Belmont Stakes Day card that garnered a lofty 109 Beyer Speed Figure.

Tall Paul, named for Paul Weitman, who co-owns the New York-bred Frosted colt with Michael Pegram and Karl Watson, was an impressive second-out winner here on August 12 and will target next Sunday’s six-furlong $200,000 Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital as part of the New York Showcase Day card.

Bred in the Empire State by Jeff Treadway, Tall Paul made every pole a winning one in the six-furlong state-bred maiden special weight and garnered a 68 Beyer with Joel Rosario at the helm.

“He came back out of his race well,” Baffert said. “He’s doing well and that’s a nice spot against New York-breds. It was nice to win that day.”



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City Fever points to Gio Ponti

Trainer Michael Trombetta said Sonata Stable’s sophomore colt City Fever will target the $135,000 Gio Ponti, a one-mile turf tilt for 3-year-olds on October 6 at Belmont at the Big A.

The City of Light dark bay broke his maiden at second asking on August 13 at Saratoga sprinting 5 1/2- furlongs over the Mellon turf. He led the field from gate-to-wire, setting fractions of 22.61 seconds and 44.96 for the half-mile before edging clear in the stretch to win by 1 1/2-lengths under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

The performance contrasted his debut when he earned second coming from eighth-of-10 at the same distance and surface in July at the Spa.

“He was narrowly beaten in his first start, but he turned it around in his second start,” Trombetta explained. “I think we might stretch him out to a mile and train towards the Gio Ponti in October.”

City Fever was a $275,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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NYRA announces update to the 2023 Belmont at the Big A fall meet stakes schedule

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced an update to the previously announced stakes schedule for the 28-day Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

The 2023 Belmont at the Big A fall meet, which begins on Thursday, September 14 and runs through Sunday, October 29, now offers a total of 44 stakes worth $9.275 million in total purses. The Belmont at the Big A fall meet will include four Grade 1 events and six Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers.

The updated stakes schedule will now kick off on Opening Day September 14 with a pair of steeplechase stakes for older horses in the 2 1/2-mile Grade 1, $150,000 Lonesome Glory and 2 3/8-miles $75,000 William Entenmann Novice.

In addition, two races previously run at 1 1/16-miles during the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet have been added to the Belmont at the Big A flat stakes schedule with the $135,000 Winter Memories, a one-mile turf test for sophomore fillies scheduled for Friday, September 15 and the $135,000 Gio Ponti at one-mile on turf for sophomores set for Friday, October 6.

For the complete Belmont at the Big A stakes schedule, visit www.NYRA.com.

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