Travers Day Stakes Previews: G1 Ballerina, Allen Jerkens Memorial

Posted On 24 Aug 2023

By Christian Abdo —-

Champions Echo Zulu and Goodnight Olive square off in G1 Ballerina H.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing’s Echo Zulu puts her unbeaten 4-year-old campaign and lifetime perfect record at the Spa on the line in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap, a seven-furlong main track sprint for fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Echo Zulu [post 6, Florent Geroux, 123 pounds] enters from an impressive 7 1/4-length score in the six-furlong Grade 2, Honorable Miss on July 26 here, where she set the pace and opened up a five-length advantage at the stretch call before being geared down to the finish in a final time of 1:08.76. The performance earned a career-best 112 Beyer Speed Figure and was her seventh graded victory.

Asmussen said the talented bay, whose only off-the-board effort came in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, is at her best around one turn.

“That’s who she is,” said Asmussen of the lofty speed figure garnered in the Honorable Miss. “We chased the Oaks with her a little bit last year, but when you back her up, she’s absolutely brilliant.”

From the first crop of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, Echo Zulu won her racing debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in July 2021 at the Spa en route to three consecutive Grade 1 victories that year in Saratoga’s Spinaway, Belmont’s Frizette, and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar to earn year-end honors as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.

Echo Zulu started her sophomore season right where she left off, winning the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose before her first defeat in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. She cut back to seven furlongs in September to win the Grade 3 Dogwood at Churchill Downs, before a second at that distance in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland.

A win in the Ballerina punches a “Win and You’re In” ticket to this year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, contested in November at Santa Anita.

“You concentrate on what you have control over. We love how Echo Zulu is doing and feel great about her going into the Ballerina,” Asmussen said.

Bred in Kentucky by Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby, Echo Zulu was a $300,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She holds a record of 10-8-1-0 with over $2.3 million in earnings.

Asmussen could also be represented by Winchell Thoroughbreds’ multiple graded stakes-winning Kentucky homebred Wicked Halo [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione. 123 pounds] as she looks to protect a perfect 2-for-2 record at the Spa.

The 4-year-old Gun Runner grey, who is cross-entered in Friday’s Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon at Charles Town, captured the Grade 2 Adirondack here in August 2021 and added the Grade 2 Prioress to her ledger last summer. She finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November and is 4-2-2-0 this season, taking the Matron at Oaklawn Park and the Twin Bridges last out on July 23 at Ellis Park.

Wicked Halo is out of the Tapit mare Just Wicked, who won the 2015 Grade 2 Adirondack for these connections.

Team Hanley and First Row Partners’ Goodnight Olive [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 124 pounds], trained by meet leading conditioner Chad Brown, won last year’s Ballerina before taking the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland with a 2 1/2-length score over Echo Zulu to secure honors as Champion Female Sprinter.

“It’s a very strong division. Echo Zulu will be a tough horse to tackle. But our horse is fresh and doing well at the moment. I’m optimistic that she’ll run well,” said Brown.

After the Championship coup, Brown gave Goodnight Olive some time off before her 5-year-old debut in April when she won the Grade 1 Madison going seven furlongs at Keeneland.

In the Ghostzapper mare’s next outing, she ran third in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff in May at Churchill Downs, two lengths behind returning rival Matareya – Goodnight Olive’s first defeat since her March 2021 debut at Gulfstream Park and only loss at seven furlongs.

Goodnight Olive rebounded nicely with a neck score last out on June 17 at Belmont in the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses, rallying to the lead late past Wicked Halo.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Goodnight Olive was a $170,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. She has banked in excess of $1.5 million through a ledger of 10-8-1-1- also is a perfect 2-for-2 at the Spa.

Godolphin’s dual Grade 1-winner Matareya [post 2, Flavien Prat, 122 pounds], trained by Brad Cox, had a four-race win streak snapped in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Test last August, but after a layoff and game second in the Matron in March at Oaklawn Park, she found herself back in the winner’s circle for the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff.

The 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile bay seeks a third Grade 1 victory, having also won the Acorn in June of last year at Belmont, where she cruised to a 6 1/4-length victory going a one-turn mile despite a bobble at the start.

Matareya boasts a 12-6-3-2 record with earnings in excess of $1.5 million. She was bred in Kentucky by Godolphin and is out of the graded-stakes winning Bernardini mare Innovative Idea.

Godolphin’s Kentucky dual graded stakes-winning homebred Caramel Swirl [post 8, Junior Alvarado, 121 pounds] finished third last out in the Bed o’ Roses for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The 5-year-old Union Rags bay made the grade with a head score in the Grade 2 Raven Run in October 23 and two starts later finished second to Goodnight Olive in last year’s Ballerina. Caramel Swirl rallied from sixth to win the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont Park, besting returning rival Dr B by 2 1/2-lengths.

Cash is King and LC Racing will send out Dr B [post 4, Luis Saez, 118 pounds], trained by Butch Reid Jr., who last finished second to Echo Zulu in the Honorable Miss. Prior to that effort, she ran fourth, 13 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Goodnight Olive in the Bed o’ Roses.

“The Honorable Miss was a real good race. We had one hiccup at Belmont where she was sulky in the paddock,” said Reid. “We gave her time off over the winter and this was the spot we were thinking of when we gave her that time off.”

Dr B was freshened following a 4 1/4-length win in the Grade 3 Go for Wand in December at Aqueduct to close her 4-year-old campaign, the grade-making performance earned a lifetime high 103 Beyer Speed Figure.

Mark Anderson’s New York-bred graded-stakes placed Sterling Silver [post 1,

Javier Castellano, 116 pounds] finished ninth in her last try at the top flight in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at odds of 78-1.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, Sterling Silver has returned with a strong 4-year-old season, last out winning a seven-furlong optional claiming event last out on July 29 at Saratoga to add to a pair of state-bred stakes placing at Belmont.

“She’s a year older now. She’s a little stronger this year,” Albertrani said. “It’s still a tough race and another step up for her, but she deserves a shot and we’ll hope for the best.”

Bred in New York by Mallory Mort and Karen Mort, Sterling Silver was a $13,000 purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. She has far exceeded that price, sporting a 15-5-2-3 record and $512,988 in purse earnings with key wins in Belmont’s Bouwerie last year and Aqueduct’s Franklin Square as a 2-year-old.

Rounding out the field is graded-stakes winner Maryquitecontrary [post 3, Luca Panici, 120 pounds] for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.

The 4-year-old First Dude bay captured the Grade 2 Inside Information in January at Gulfstream Park for her former conditioner Joseph Catanese, III. She finished a close second to Goodnight OIive in the Madison at first asking for McGaughey and arrives from a distant fourth after a bobbled start in the Honorable Miss.

The Ballerina is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s lucrative 13-race program, which is headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers in Race 12. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

An expanded edition of Saratoga Live will begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS2 with continuing coverage on FS1 at 1:30 p.m. FOX SARATOGA SATURDAY will then present live coverage and analysis of the Travers Day stakes action beginning at 3 p.m.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Baffert duo Arabian Lion, Fort Bragg take on rising star New York Thunder in G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial

By Keith McCalmont —-

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sends out a formidable duo in Grade 1-winner Arabian Lion and Grade 3-winner Fort Bragg to combat the scintillating speed of undefeated New York Thunder in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

The H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, slated as Race 9, is one of five Grade 1 events on Saturday’s lucrative 13-race card which also features the $1.25 million Travers in Race 12, the $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, in Race 11, the $500,000 Forego in Race 7 and the $500,000 Ballerina, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, in Race 10. First post is 11:40 A.M. Eastern.

Zedan Racing Stables’ Arabian Lion [post 6, John Velazquez, 124 pounds] enters from a strong score in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 10 at Belmont Park.

The chestnut son of Baffert’s 2018 Triple Crown-winner Justify saved ground from fourth position through a half-mile in 45.64. He angled three-wide at the top of the lane to take command and edged clear to a 1 3/4-length score over the previously undefeated returning rival Drew’s Gold in a final time of 1:21.70. The visually-appealing win garnered a 109 Beyer Speed Figure.

That effort marked a second consecutive triple-digit figure [103] for Arabian Lion, who took the restricted 1 1/16-mile Sir Barton around two turns by four lengths over next-out allowance winner Tapit’s Conquest on the May 20 Preakness Day undercard at Pimlico Race Course.

Baffert said Arabian Lion’s versatility will give Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez plenty of options in a race expected to have swift splits.

“It all depends how fast they go early – pace makes the race,” Baffert said. “He showed the way around at Pimlico and his race in New York was impressive.”

Arabian Lion has breezed back extensively at Santa Anita and most recently at Del Mar where he worked five furlongs handily from the gate in a bullet 59.20 seconds.

“He hasn’t run in a bit and I just wanted to sharpen him up,” said Baffert, who won this race previously with Forestry [1999] and Drefong [2016], who went on to win that year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Eclipse Award honors as Champion Male Sprinter.

Arabian Lion, who was second in the Grade 3 Lexington to kick off his sophomore season, has banked $437,600 through a record of 7-3-2-0. The $600,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Unbound.

Fort Bragg [post 4, Joel Rosario, 120 pounds] enters from a game nose score over Saudi Crown in the Grade 3 Dwyer traveling a one-turn mile on July 1 at Belmont.

Owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, the Tapit bay was initially targeting the Woody Stephens but re-routed to the Dwyer after spiking a temperature.

Fort Bragg added blinkers for the Dwyer and after stumbling at the break he recovered quickly to track from second as the highly-regarded Saudi Crown rocketed through a half-mile in 44.63 and three-quarters in 1:08.84. He was angled four-wide for the stretch run and gained command at the eighth-pole but had to dig in gamely to fend off a resurgent Saudi Crown – the two rivals bumping near the sixteenth-pole – to secure a nose win in a final time of 1:35.37.

The effort earned Fort Bragg a career-best 106 Beyer and the resilient Saudi Crown exited that event to narrowly miss in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy here when a nose back of reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte, who is the morning-line favorite in the Travers.

“He shipped and handled everything well that day,” said Baffert, regarding the Dwyer effort. “He’s maturing and getting better with age. He’s working well. We just have to hope the horse shows up.”

Fort Bragg, a maiden winner in November at Santa Anita, was fifth in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby in April at Gulfstream Park before turning back in distance to finish a close second in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs when a neck back of General Jim.

Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock and Henry Field Bloodstock, Fort Bragg is out of the stakes-winning New York-bred Shanghai Bobby mare March X Press. He was purchased for $700,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

AMO Racing USA’s New York Thunder [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione, 122 pounds] missed the Woody Stephens with a bruised foot but was no worse for wear on his return with a powerful performance on July 28 in the Spa’s 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam.

Trained by Jorge Delgado, the Nyquist colt made every pole a winning one under Tyler Gaffalione, blitzing through splits of 21.48 seconds and 43.56 over the fast main track.

New York Thunder opened up by three lengths at the stretch call, putting away odds-on favorite Drew’s Gold and romping to the wire a 7 1/2-length winner in a final time of 1:14.65. His six-furlong split of 1:07.77 is faster than Saratoga’s six-furlong track record of 1:07.92 set by Imperial Hint in the 2019 Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt, and the colt’s geared down final time was not far off of Quality Road’s track record of 1:13.74 set in the 2009 Amsterdam.

Delgado, the 33-year-old nephew of Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Gustavo Delgado, said the performance, which earned a field-best 110 Beyer, was one he will never forget.

“We had such high expectations for the race and you run all the scenarios in your mind of how the race will happen but, so far, that has been the most perfect race in my career,” Delgado said. “It was everything you want in a race in the same race – beating stakes-winning horses and winning in that fashion, it doesn’t happen every day.”

New York Thunder won his first two starts sprinting five furlongs at Gulfstream Park this winter – one on synthetic and the other on turf – before shipping to Woodbine in April to capture the Woodstock by 7 1/2-lengths over the Tapeta footing under Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Delgado said he is confident the talented bay will handle stretching out to seven furlongs for the first time.

“The riders that have been on him the last two times are experienced riders. Both Ricardo and Tyler told me that he could definitely go to a distance. I believe the same,” Delgado said. “He works like he can get to a mile, but that remains to be seen. Right now, we’re focusing on the seven-furlong race.”

New York Thunder was purchased for $130,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Bred in Kentucky by Gatewood Bell and Forgotten Land, New York Thunder is out of the Midshipman mare Start Over, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Degree of Risk. His third dam, Surf Club, produced 2012 Grade 1 Forego-winner Emcee.

The regally-bred Verifying [post 3, Flavien Prat, 120 pounds] narrowly missed a Grade 1 score when second by a neck to Travers contender Tapit Trice in the nine-furlong Blue Grass in April at Keeneland for trainer Brad Cox.

Owned by Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor, the Justify bay, out of the graded stakes-winning Repent mare Diva Delite, is a half-brother to 2019 Champion Older Dirt Female Midnight Bisou.

“The Blue Grass was very tough. I loved him that day and I honestly probably said too much – I told Coolmore I didn’t think he could be beat,” Cox said. “I told them I thought he had a Grade 1 in him. Hopefully, his Grade 1 will be Saturday. It would be big for the whole team and for the horse; he’s got a big pedigree.”

The $775,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase finished a pacesetting 16th in the Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs and followed with a game second to Travers-contender Disarm in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Matt Winn on June 11 at Ellis Park.

Verifying enters from a prominent score engineered by Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 8 at Horseshoe Indianapolis when a nose better than graded stakes-winner Raise Cain.

“Marcelino Pedroza does a lot of work for us throughout the winter and I was glad to get a graded stake win with him,” Cox said. “He came back from the race and said, ‘I’m not sure this horse wants to go that far.’ I said, ‘I’m glad you said that because I’m not either.’”

Verifying, who graduated at first asking here on Travers Day last year, has breezed back four times over the Oklahoma training track, including a five-eighths effort in 1:00.60 Saturday.

“He’s been great and his works here over the Oklahoma have been phenomenal,” Cox said. “I’m really happy with the way he looks leading up to this. It’s a cutback, but I think he’s been asking for that for a little while. He’s going to get his opportunity and if he gets a good trip, I think he’s going to be tough. I’m excited.”

Rounding out a competitive field are dual graded stakes-placed Drew’s Gold [post 1, Jose Gomez, 118 pounds] for trainer and co-owner James Chapman; and Jonathan Kalman’s graded stakes-placed California-bred One in Vermillion [post 2, Luis Saez, 118 pounds] for conditioner Esteban Martinez.

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