JC / Railbird

Saratoga Archive

‘Riches Possible for Travers?

We knew Rags to Riches wasn’t too likely for the Travers, even though the Belmont winner is nominated for the race, but then trainer Todd Pletcher hinted at the possibility she might start in the mid-summer Derby after Rags to Riches outworked Magna Graduate in 1:00.50 over the Saratoga main track this morning. “I haven’t ruled it out completely,” Pletcher said. “But it’s extremely unlikely. I did not work her this morning with the idea that this was a work for the Travers” (Times Union). The Toddster is such a tease. Is he wavering in his plan to send the filly to the Ruffian, then the BC Distaff? Wouldn’t taking on Street Sense in the Travers (and he’s really the only competition she’d face) be sporting? Like Valerie says, “Let the girl run!”

Posted in Saratoga on August 19, 2007

Still More Happy

Another Vindication baby winner for trainer Bob Baffert at Saratoga: Just like stablemate Maimonides last week in his dazzling debut, favored More Happy went to the lead early and widened her advantage to more than four lengths at the top of the stretch in today’s Adirondack Stakes. Unlike Maimonides, she then tired pretty badly (check out the replay and watch for the tail pop indicating she’s almost done), staggering to the wire barely three-quarters of a length ahead of A to the Croft to win. Todd Pletcher’s Passion finished third after encountering some traffic trouble. Final time for the race was 1:17.51, with the final sixteenth run in a slower-than-Polytrack :7.39; More Happy’s Beyer figure came back an 80. Baffert said after he wasn’t sure where the filly would start next. “I would love to start her at two turns. I really don’t know what we’re going to do. We’ll have to play it by ear” (Blood-Horse).

The Adirondack was marred by another gate incident: After determining the filly didn’t get a fair start, the stewards declared second favorite Phantom Income a non-starter and NYRA refunded $594,995 in wagers. “I don’t think either the horse or the [assistant starter] was ready for us to go, and they pulled the trigger anyway,” said jockey Eibar Coa (DRF). Phantom Income had been acting up in the gate and broke in the air, spotting the rest of the field several lengths that she never came close to making up.

Posted in Saratoga on August 15, 2007

Curlin Out of Travers

– Trainer Steve Asmussen announced today Curlin would skip the Travers and train up to the September 30 Jockey Club Gold Cup. “After the Belmont, the Classic was the major goal for the second half of the season,” Asmussen said. “Running him back in the Travers and keeping him at that level for another 60 days, I think, is unrealistic” (NYRA). Wait … if Curlin ran in the Travers, he wouldn’t start again until the Classic? Surely another race could fit into that 60 day layoff — like the Gold Cup — especially for a horse who seemed to thrive running five times in five months this spring. Asmussen, though, said racing Curlin at Saratoga was never a goal, especially given the Spa’s reputation. “I think Graveyard of Champions and the best horse I’ve ever had shouldn’t go in the same sentence,” he said. “That’s how I’ve always felt about it. I didn’t give it that nickname, but we’re aware of what happens here” (ThoroTimes).
– The same NYRA notes linked to above contained the disappointing news that Rated Fiesty suffered an injury and probably won’t race again this year. A shame — the undefeated filly who beat Ready’s Image earlier this year and broke a record at Churchill would probably have gone to post the favorite in Wednesday’s Adirondack Stakes. Without her, though, the field remains deep, with trainer Rick Violette’s Phantom Income, so impressive in her Belmont debut, and Bob Baffert’s Vindication filly, More Happy, winner of a maiden special at Del Mar, among the expected starters. The Adirondack will be a chance to test how Polytrack form translates to dirt: More Happy, Passion, and Sky Mom are all starting off races over the surface (DRF).
– Jockey Kent Desormeaux makes a comeback (NY Post).
– Poor John Velazquez. When the rider fell from Tommasi at the start of Saturday’s third race, it was the fifth time in three weeks he’d been thrown (Times Union).

Posted in Saratoga on August 13, 2007

What You Want to See for $4.6M

– Over a good track and under a handride, Maimonides romped in his debut at Saratoga this afternoon, crossing the wire 11 1/2 lengths ahead of place horse Sam’s Passion. It was a super performance: Maimonides assumed the lead early, cruised easy into the stretch, then drew off with a shrug when jockey Rafael Bejarano shook him up at the 16th pole, seemingly just for fun. Final time was 1:04.41; Maimonides’ Beyer speed figure came back an 89. Trainer Bob Baffert couldn’t have been happier with the two-year-old Vindication colt’s victory, which was the conditioner’s first maiden win at the Spa. “This is real; racing on dirt, that’s me,” said Baffert. “He did it so easy, so effortlessly. I live for a horse like this” (Blood-Horse). Maimonides is one of the four two-year-olds owned by Ahmed Zayat shipped to Saratoga after the owner and Del Mar track president Joe Harper had a little disagreement over Polytrack last week (NY Daily News). Another is More Happy, an impressive debut winner at Del Mar being pointed to next week’s Adirondack Stakes.
– Maimonides’ final time was almost a second faster than than of Z Humor, another Zayat horse, debuting for hot trainer William Mott in the day’s other 5 1/2 furlong maiden special. While Z Humor’s win was impressive in its way, the colt was upstaged by a blur named Ready’s Echo, who came from more than 12 lengths back in a mad rush to capture second. “Whoa,” cried a surprised Tom Durkin, who had been wrapping up his call with Z Humor in front, Pick Off in second. “He came from another county!”
– John at Not to the Swift has sussed out a possible spot for everyone’s favorite $16 million colt. Indian Charlie says, “NYRA linemaker Eric Donovan has announced that the Green Monkey will be listed at 20-1 for his racing debut … unless trainer Todd Pletcher decides to enter him in NY-Bred Maiden/Claimer … where he will then open up at odds of 9-to-2.”
– A shout-out to the NYRA gate crew, who made it through the card without a single incident of the sort that’s plagued them lately (NY Post). Good work, gang!

Posted in Saratoga on August 8, 2007