Sunday, August 29, 2010
Contact: NYRA Press Office
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- Afleet Express in good shape after Travers victory; Jerkens still absorbing win
- Travers a victory for whole Jerkens family
- Zito mulling options for Travers runner-up Fly Down; Miner's Reserve (seventh) has sore foot; Ice Box's performance a mystery
- Another consistent effort for Travers third-place runner First Dude
- Pletcher pleased with Discreetly Mine's King's Bishop win, will send Super Saver for testing
- Dutrow 'Rightly' impressed; no excuses for A Little Warm
- Benzel savoring Dynaslew's Ballston Spa victory
- Connections impressed with Silver Reunion's Ballston Spa
- Rapport's win in Victory Ride the beginning of a great day for Baffert
- McLaughlin reflects on performances of Trappe Shot, Bank Merger
- Qualia OK after troubled Ballerina
- Rail Trip works for next start at Belmont Park
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Travers appears to have taken more out of trainer Jimmy Jerkens than his colt Afleet Express, who yesterday prevailed by a nose in the "Mid-Summer Derby."
"I was tired," said Jerkens, moments before saddling Luxury Appeal to a second-place finish in Sunday's third race. "I was knocked out. I slept pretty good."
Jerkens said Afleet Express exited the race in good shape, but he and the colt's owners –
Gainesway Stable and Martin L. Cherry – have yet to discuss where the 3-year-old son of Afleet Alex might make his next start.
"They didn't feel like talking about it yet, either," said Jerkens.
Jerkens had high expectations for Afleet Express going into the race, but that didn't take any of the awe away from the horseman's first Travers victory.
"I was hoping I wouldn't wake up and learn it was all a dream," said Jerkens. "It was a big thrill for all us, the whole crew. It's very satisfying. That's why we work seven days a week, 365 days a year: so that once in a while something like that will happen."
* * *
Perhaps the only person as excited as trainer Jimmy Jerkens about Afleet Express's Travers victory was his Hall of Fame father, Allen Jerkens, who said it was the next-best-thing to winning it himself.
"I watched it at home, and I saw him at the restaurant later on," said Jerkens, 80. "It was a close finish, but I thought he had it. Like they say, it was a good horse, well-trained and well-ridden."
The elder Jerkens, for whom the leading trainer award has been named at Saratoga Race Course, has saddled five starters in the "Mid-Summer Derby," with his best showing a second-place finish in the 1992 edition with Devil His Due.
* * *
Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito came within a nostril of winning his second Travers in 23 tries with Fly Down, but instead had to settle for his fifth runner-up finish.
Zito had run second previously with Louis Quatorze (1996), Albert the Great (2000), The Cliff's Edge (2004) and
"I don't know what to say," Zito said. "It's frustrating, but we've got to be grateful to be in these races, that's for sure. I've got to be grateful that way and think about that, but on the other hand, getting beat all these races is tough. Fly Down obviously ran a winning race. A nose here or there, that's all. It's just a tough break, that's all I can say. We do the best we can, right or wrong?"
Owned by Richard C. Pell, Fly Down had run fifth in the Jim Dandy, beaten 4 ½ lengths after being forced to check late. Prior to that, he was second in the Belmont Stakes and won the Grade 2 Dwyer, both at
"I watched the replay in the grandstand with a lot of fans, and that replay shows he won," Zito said. "In the clubhouse, it looked like it could have gone either way, but it didn't look as good as it did in the grandstand. It's weird.
"Mr. Pell said to me, 'I don't think we got it, Nick.' I thought like maybe he did, because he's so long. It was a really tough race."
Looking ahead, Zito is eyeing the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on November 6 for Fly Down, possibly using the Grade 1 $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at
"The goal would be to somehow try to get him to the Breeders' Cup Classic," he said. "I don't know what races we'll pick yet. We'll just wait it out. Hopefully he's OK and if that's the case, then we'll see. The Gold Cup is something to think about. He likes
Zito said Miner's Reserve, the Jim Dandy runner-up who set the Travers pace from the gate to the eighth pole before tiring to finish seventh off 11, emerged from the race with soreness in his right front foot.
"I'm a little worried about his foot," Zito said. "We X-rayed him and it was OK. Hopefully, he's going to be all right, but it looks like he has a really severe bruised foot. Let's hope that's it. Thank God the X-rays are good. We noticed it when he came back to the barn. He walked back fine, and maybe a half-hour after, he started favoring it. He was in front all the way and I don't know if that made him stop or the mile and a quarter made him stop."
Meanwhile, Zito remains mystified with Ice Box, who finished eighth. After winning the Grade 1 Florida Derby and closing to be second following a rough trip in the Kentucky Derby, the Pulpit colt was ninth in the
"Ice Box came back good. I don't know what it is," Zito said. "We scoped him and didn't find any displacement or anything. I don't know what it is, to be honest with you. I'm a little disappointed in him. He was far back, but so was Fly Down. It wasn't a closing track yesterday, but definitely disappointing. Maybe we'll take some precautions and check him out real good and see what the story is. He certainly didn't duplicate his Florida Derby or Kentucky Derby."
* * *
Dale Romans found himself telling the same story Sunday morning about First Dude, who ran virtually identical races in the Travers (third), Haskell (third), Belmont (third), Preakness (second) and Blue Grass (third).
First Dude, owned by Donald Dizney, battled for the lead, was passed in the lane by winner Afleet Express and runner-up Fly Down and held gamely for show. The colt has now run in six straight Grade 1 races and hit the board in five of them without winning.
Even the addition of half blinkers at the suggestion of jockey Ramon Dominguez couldn't break First Dude's role as bridesmaid to the top 3-year-olds.
"I've already said this six times this morning, it's the same race over and over again," Romans said. "They should have an Eclipse Award for most consistent horse."
"At the quarter pole, he looks like he's going to be sixth or seventh," Romans added.
Romans said First Dude would head back to
"Distance, maybe even a different surface," he said. "He's out of a Smart Strike mare, so maybe turf. We just have to discuss it. He will stay in top company."
* * *
Trainer Todd Pletcher reported that Discreetly Mine, front-running winner of the Grade 1 King's Bishop, came out of his 1 ¼ -length victory in good order and would most likely train up to the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
"He came out of it very well," said Pletcher. "We felt kind of handcuffed the way we were going to approach the race, based on the way the track seemed to be playing, so it was a pretty courageous effort to go as fast as he did and keep going."
The trainer also said that while Phola and Katy Now exited their 8th- and 4th-place finishes in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa and Grade 3 Victory Ride, respectively, in good shape, he remained puzzled and disappointed with Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver's 10th place finish in the Travers.
"We're going to do some diagnostics, either here or at a clinic," said the trainer. "Obviously that was not up to standards. Maybe there is something going on that we can't see. He seems OK this morning, nothing dramatically wrong, but maybe there is something underneath that we are not seeing."
Pletcher added that he was very happy with the performance by
"It was pretty exciting," he said of the 2-year-old son of Indian Charlie, owned by Repole Stables. "He had trained really, really well all summer and we were encouraged by some of his workmates running well, and we expected him to run well, but that was even more than we anticipated or hoped for."
Pletcher said
Sunday morning, Pletcher had Quality Road breeze five furlongs over the main track with jockey John Velazquez aboard as he put the finishing touches on the colt's preparations for Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward.
The 4-year-old Elusive Quality colt went in 1:00.05, fastest of 15 at the distance.
"We were looking for 1:01," said Pletcher. "He worked well, and galloped out strongly, so we were pleased."
* * *
Trainer Tony Dutrow continued to marvel Sunday morning at Rightly So's impressive front-running victory in the Ballerina, and said that both she and A Little Warm, fifth in the Travers, appeared to come out of their races in good order.
"A Little Warm is a little quiet this morning, but physically they both seem like they're very good," Dutrow said. "I'm not surprised at what [Rightly So] did. She is capable of going that fast and keeping it going. She performed brilliantly, so impressively. It looks like she's getting better. I couldn't be more proud of our gang that's hung in there with her and helped her become what she is – a Grade 1 winner at
Dutrow added that he was not closely analyzing A Little Warm's race in the Travers.
"I'm not going to come up with anything," he said. "I'm feeling like we had a real chance going into the race – we couldn't have been happier with the way our horse went into the race. I'm not seeing any excuses before or after, and we certainly don't need to apologize for A Little Warm, he's been fantastic. He'll get another chance someday. Congratulations to the winner."
* * *
Trainer Seth Benzel said Live Oak Plantation's Dynaslew is in "fantastic shape" after earning her second graded stakes victory in yesterday's Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa.
Since arriving in Benzel's barn, the 4-year-old daughter of Dynaformer has demonstrated a versatile running style, wiring the field in the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont Park on May 1, but stalking the pace the Ballston Spa. When second in the Grade 3 All Along Stakes at Colonial Downs, she closed from off the pace.
"She has taken her game up to the next level. She's matured a lot," Benzel said. "Fortunately for us, she has put herself in a position where she can be tactical. She can be rated off the lead. She can take the lead. She gives you options right off the bat. It's nice to have those options going into these races."
As for Dynaslew's plans for the remainder of the year, Benzel wants to focus on winning a Grade 1 race.
"Our first goal is to get a Grade 1 under her belt between now and the end of the year," he said. "Next year, after a year like this, we could develop her going longer. I think she's come a long way this year already. She's going what she's doing very easily and well within herself.
* * *
There was an upbeat feeling at Graham Motion's barn Sunday morning, the day after 4-year-old filly Silver Reunion returned to the races after 10 months off and finished an excellent second, beaten just a half-length by winner Dynaslew in the Ballston Spa.
The effort, under jockey Rajiv Maragh, was even more impressive considering Silver Reunion broke through the gate before the start and then set a solid pace. She dug in when confronted by Dynaslew and fought to the wire.
"I think she's a Grade 1 filly," said Motion assistant John Panagot. "The jock said she was off the bridle the whole time on the backside and didn't even pick it up until he shook her."
Panagot said no race had been picked out for Silver Reunion, who is owned by Brereton Jones, but "we'll keep her eligible for everything.
"Rajiv was adamant that if she didn't break through the gate, she wins," Panagot said.
* * *
A pretty good day Saturday for trainer Bob Baffert turned into a pretty good night, too, as the Hall of Fame trainer launched an impressive bicoastal attack with important victories at
At the Spa, Baffert sent out Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable's Rapport to an authoritative 3 ½-length victory in the Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride for 3-year-old fillies.
The win was the first in a stakes for the daughter of Songandaprayer and sets Rapport up for a run in the Grade 2, $150,000 Gallant Bloom, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares at
"She ran like she was supposed to," Baffert said. "Her Calder race (a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Azalea off a blazing opening half-mile) – she ran poorly because the gas pedal got stuck the first quarter. Martin Garcia knows her really well. She runs like she looks."
After the
"I watched it in Siro's bar," Baffert said. "I won two stakes races out of Siro's bar in between bites of lobster. My three-pound lobster."
* * *
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was making no excuses for Trappe Shot the morning after his ninth-place finish as the 7-2 favorite in yesterday's Travers.
"He got knocked a little coming out of the gate, but he had a good trip and was able to save ground," said McLaughlin. "He just didn't fire."
McLaughlin said Trappe Shot horse exited the race in good shape, but hasn't thought about where the Mill House colorbearer will race next.
"We'll regroup now and he'll tell us where he'll go next," he said.
Partially offsetting Trappe Shot's disappointing effort was Bank Merger's second-place finish at 9-1 in the Grade 1 King's Bishop, the third start of the Darley Stable representative's career.
"Bank Merger was a nice result," said McLaughlin. "It was a late decision to enter the race, and he finished second to a nice horse."
* * *
Trainer Bobby Ribaudo was disappointed but relieved outside his
The daughter of
"From the time we got in the paddock, nothing went right," Ribaudo said. "She lost a shoe in the paddock and had to be re-shod. Then she acted up in the gate, then broke right into [Pretty Prolific] leaving the gate, then she's back getting dirt in the face for the first time. The jock [Rajiv Maragh] is fighting her, and she's fighting him, and the more he takes hold, she's trying to get out."
Eventually, the saddle slipped on Qualia, she bore out badly and slowly crossed the finish line in last.
Ribaudo was demoralized because Qualia had been on a carefully calibrated schedule: the Bed o' Roses on July 5, the Ballerina and then, if all went well, the Breeders' Cup.
"Now, that next start is very important," Ribaudo said. "That will be the Gallant Bloom at
Ribaudo added that veteran turf runner Grand Couturier will be pointed toward a title defense in the Grade 2, $150,000
"He's doing very, very well," Ribaudo said.
* * *
Jay Em Ess Stable's Rail Trip put in a light workout over the main track this morning as he is trains up to the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up going 1 ¼ miles at
The multiple graded-stakes winner breezed five furlongs in 1:02.06, which included 37 seconds for the first quarter.
"He did well," said trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. "If he stays good and moves forward like he did today, as we expected, he'll go in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. That's what we want. We'll be very happy if we get a chance to run in that race. That means the horse is doing really well."
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