JC / Railbird

Saratoga Archive

The Street Sense We Got

It wasn’t the Street Sense who dominated in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile or the Kentucky Derby. The Street Sense who won the Travers, writes Mike Watchmaker, “was the Street Sense who barely edged Any Given Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby, who missed in a photo in the bizarrely run Blue Grass, and who was nailed by Curlin in the Preakness when he pulled himself up after opening a clear lead in deep stretch” (DRF+). The great shame of Street Sense’s imminent retirement to stud (BRIS) is that he’ll never get a chance to overcome this immaturity and fulfill his immense talent. We might get to see how Street Sense does against older horses before the Breeders’ Cup Classic, though: The September 22 Massachusetts Handicap is among the BC prep options trainer Carl Nafzger is considering. “You need to run, I think, against older horses,” Nafzger said (Times Union). The possibility must be tantalizing Suffolk Downs officials. The MassCap lost its graded status after it was cancelled in 2005 and 2006, but the track is dangling a large bonus on top of its $300,000 purse to any winner of a Triple Crown race entered.

Posted in Saratoga, Travers Stakes on August 27, 2007

‘Cide, Champ, Chicken

– Watching the works at Saratoga is the best way to start each day up here. Get a coffee, sit in the grandstand, watch the horses run by and try to figure out who’s who. This morning, I saw two instantly recognizable horses: Discreet Cat, out for a light gallop, and Funny Cide, looking magnificent and dappled, sauntering along the main track in his new role as stable pony.
– Wait a While was ultra impressive in yesterday’s Ballston Spa Handicap, regaining her brilliant form to win by 2 1/4 lengths over Vacare at 3-1. “She showed today that she is as good today as she has ever been,” said trainer Todd Pletcher of his champion filly, whose win snapped his 12-day Saratoga losing streak (Blood-Horse).
– We had to wait nearly an hour in the bar for a table and the service was largely indifferent once we were seated, but the fried chicken and red beans at Hattie’s were as good as ever last night. Tonight, we might have to try Mare, per noted restaurant critic Steven Crist’s recommendation.

Posted in Saratoga on August 24, 2007

Off to the Spa

In just a few minutes, I’ll be on my way north for Travers weekend. Despite the late start, I plan to get to the track in time for today’s Ballston Spa Handicap, which drew a field of nine, including smashing Diana winner My Typhoon, in foal Iron Goddess, and Todd Pletcher’s Wait a While. I’ll surely arrive too late to catch NYRA’s 1:30 news conference announcing a new member of the senior management team (Paulick?), but I’m sure one of my fellow bloggers will be all over that story when it breaks.
Update: NYRA announced the hiring the Hal Handel as COO. More details, commentary on Left at the Gate.

Posted in Saratoga on August 23, 2007

Street Sense Works

– It seems like Saratoga just started, but Travers week begins Wednesday and the end begins the week after. A couple of years ago, when I worked on the backstretch, this week was the one where everything — morning tasks, detention barn afternoons, the newspaper lady delivering each day’s Times and Form, the produce guy driving slowly past the barns calling, “Fruta! Fruta!” — settled, became routine. It wasn’t dull, though, of course not. Travers Day was approaching and Lost in the Fog was in an Oklahoma barn, First Samurai was all glorious potential, Bellamy Road was making his return. Excitement pervaded the backstretch, just as I’d bet it has this year, even with only seven likely starters for the Travers on Saturday ….
– Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense put in his final work for the race this morning, breezing five furlongs in 1:00.14 over the main track. “The work was really good,” said trainer Carl Nafzger, who admitted to some nerves about Saturday. “I’m not sleeping too good. I really want to win this race” (Blood-Horse). With Rags to Riches almost certainly not starting and Tiz Wonderful out, Street Sense’s main competition looks to be the Shug McGaughey-trained Sightseeing, winner of the Peter Pan and show horse in the Jim Dandy, who will get an extra eighth in the Travers to challenge Street Sense. “I’m going to be really interested what the extra eighth of a mile is going to do too, really interested,” said McGaughey. “It could be one of those things where it doesn’t make any difference, but it could also make a big difference, like a major, big difference” (DRF).
– Is it possible? Supertrainer Todd Pletcher is 0-for-21 since August 11, when The Leopard scored a maiden special win, and nine behind the meet’s leading trainer, Bill Mott. With five entered on Wednesday, Pletcher has plenty of chances to break his cold streak, although he probably won’t be visiting the winner’s circle after race three. Any other day, Wingspan, making her second North American start for the trainer, would likely be the even-money favorite in a race at this allowance level, but she’ll have to contend with the tough Argentina, coming off a second to My Typhoon in the G1 Diana last month, in this spot.

Posted in Saratoga on August 21, 2007