(Not) Winding Down
Front office window at the Saratoga Downtowner Motel.
– Dark days are always subdued, and the last Tuesday before the final week is especially so. This morning felt autumnal, a little melancholy, the air chilly and daubs of fall color bright in the trees. It was possible to enter a local coffee shop on Broadway and get immediate service, and even though the barns still looked full on the backstretch, there was a feeling of packing up and moving on as conversations were filled with mentions of the upcoming Belmont meet and the Keeneland yearling sale.
Despite all that, and the usual post-Travers winding down, the weekend ahead promises to be much more exciting than getaway days of recent years. The midsummer Derby may be the meet’s conclusion for many, but Saratoga gets an epilogue in the form of Curlin headlining the Woodward, in addition to the running of the Forego on Saturday and the Hopeful and Spinaway on Monday, and NYRA is looking for a big closing weekend boost, reports Sherry Ross:
The town is hoping for a similar profitable end, promoting the Woodward with banners in the Jackson stable colors hanging downtown, a window decorating contest (see above), and various events, including a presentation by mayor Scott Johnson to Curlin of a key to city (a nice gesture, although unless the key is made of hay, I think the horse will have a hard time showing much interest).
– Curlin wrapped up his prep for the race with a four furlong work in :49.14 over the Oklahoma on Monday. According to assistant trainer Scott Blasi, he’ll gallop on Wednesday and school in the paddock again on Thursday. A field of six or seven is expected for the Woodward, including Met Mile winner Divine Park. Trainer Todd Pletcher is entering A.P. Arrow, just in case. “We need all of those stars to align and all the planets to align and we need everything and then some to go right…. Things happen sometimes.”
– Bill Mott scored his third Saratoga win on Monday, with second time starter Pioneerof the Nile, a 2-year-old Empire Maker colt, half to stakes-placed Forefathers. It’s a far cry from last year, when the trainer earned the Saratoga title with 27 wins, as yet another reporter reminds readers, but consider — Pletcher, who has won previous titles by racking up 24, 22, or 35 wins, is currently tied at 13 wins with Kiaran McLaughlin heading into the last six days, and Rick Dutrow is third with 11. Unless one of these guys gets hot and not only wins each day but wins multiple races in a day, the title this year seems likely to go to a trainer with fewer than 20 wins (an estimated total especially striking since NYRA has carded approximately 9% more races this summer than last). There’s no mystery to Mott’s cold summer; it’s the cycle of racing, combined with an ultra-competitive training colony.
– The riding title is no less competitive, with young Alan Garcia topping the standings with 30 wins (six of those graded stakes), John Velazquez sporting an equal total (and leading in earnings with more than $2.4 million won), and Edgar Prado sitting third with 26 wins (and 40 seconds, far more than any other jockey, a stat that must be its own source of frustration).
– FoR Bud sends along his Travers weekend photo album, including possibly the best at-the-wire shot of Ginger Punch winning the Personal Ensign.
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