Check out what the connections of the entrants for Saturday’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes say about their chances in Saratoga Race Course’s signature race.
The following appeared in Saturday’s digital edition of The Saratoga Special presented by Keeneland Sales.
1. Arrogate
Juddmonte Farms’ Unbridled’s Song colt rides a three-race win streak into his stakes debut, including allowance-optionals at Santa Anita and Del Mar. A $560,000 buy at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale, colt breezed a bullet 6 furlongs in 1:11.80. Mike Smith rides for the first time.
Trainer Bob Baffert: “He breaks well but it takes him a little bit to get going. You don’t want to get the 1 or the 2, but once you get it you have to just forget about even having it and worry about your horses showing up. The Travers is the last chance for a 3-year-old to run in a major race. To have the Travers on the resume is pretty big for these horses. It’s going to be a fantastic race.”
2. American Freedom
Gary and Mary West’s son of Pulpit won the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico and the Grade 3 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows, both on the front end, before a second to Exaggerator in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Rafael Bejarano rides for Baffert, who decided to remove blinkers for the first time in the colt’s five-race career.
Trainer Bob Baffert: “I’ve been wanting to take (the blinkers) off for a while. He runs with a really small blinker anyway, so I thought maybe they could make him relax just a tad. Last time that horse came by him and sort of threw him off kilter a little bit. American Freedom came off the Haskell in good shape, a strong heavy horse. American Freedom is the quicker of the two. The reason I took the blinkers off was so he could be outside and stalk a little bit, but now when he drew the 2-hole I thought I might as well leave the blinkers on. We’re going to be aggressive, get him out there. He’s never been behind horses so I would assume that we’d be pretty aggressive with him early.”
3. My Man Sam
Freshened after 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, son of Trappe Shot returned in allowance the first Saturday of the meet and finished second to Tale Of Verve. Second in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, he runs for Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables and Jay Bligh.
Trainer Chad Brown: “He got beat in an allowance race. It was disappointing, however he got a lot out of it so I see a fitter, stronger horse in his training since. He hooked a good older horse in that race. His Blue Grass was good and he didn’t quite kick in the Derby. The track was a little wet that day. He just didn’t quite handle it. I’m not saying he would have factored in the Derby but I think he could have run better if we hadn’t gotten that rainstorm an hour before the race. He didn’t agree with it. He’s doing well and he’s not without a chance in there. He drew a good post inside and should save all the ground early.”
4. Governor Malibu
Jump Sucker Stable’s and Oak Bluff Stable’s New York-bred son of Malibu Moon finished second to Travers rival Laoban in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy last time. A troubled fourth in the Belmont Stakes prior to that effort, he won the Gander against state-breds in February before being disqualified from a win in the Federico Tesio in April and a second in the Grade 2 Peter Pan in May.
Trainer Christophe Clement: “He ran a superb race in the Belmont, no racing luck, came back well, and he ran another very good race in the Jim Dandy. I know he doesn’t win enough, we want him to win more, but he always gives a good account of himself. We could have run in the Albany (Friday) and he would have been one of the first or second choices, or run him in the Travers. He belongs to a group of people who find the Travers extremely exciting and that makes it a no-brainer. He belongs in the race. He’s always stepping up, stepping up, stepping up, he’s very consistent, he stays and he’s a very hard-trying kind of horse.”
5. Forever d’Oro
Rallied from last to finish third behind Connect and Gift Box in the Curlin July 29 after finishing 13th in the Belmont Stakes behind Creator and Destin. Charles Fipke homebred son of Medaglia d’Oro out of Lemons Forever is a half brother to Personal Ensign contender Forever Unbridled.
Trainer Dallas Stewart: “He’s a very nice horse, broke his maiden at Belmont. We went in the Belmont, which was probably a bit ambitious on our part. We ran him here in the Curlin, he ran third behind two really nice horses. He’s moved forward since then, he’s trained hard, with his pedigree he should love the distance, he should really be finishing good at a mile-and-a-quarter. Everyone wants to run, it’s the Travers. Everybody’s been training up to it. Hey, Chad Brown’s got three horses in it, Mr. Baffert’s got two, Mr. Pletcher’s got a couple. It’s an all-star, rock and roll race. It’s going to be fun.”
6. Anaximandros
Son of Hard Spun seeks first stakes win after finishing fourth in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Aug. 6. In his lone Saratoga breeze he went 5 furlongs in 1:02.88 over the Oklahoma Training Track track Aug. 22. Leonel Reyes rides for owner and trainer Mikhail Yanakov.
Trainer Mikhail Yanakov: “I’d like him to be like first company, third or fourth, something like that. Then when he comes home, just move him because I think he’s a closer. I see him much better over (this track) than Gulfstream, I think he likes this track.”
7. Exaggerator
Preakness winner took the lead in race for 3-year-old male championship with victory in Grade 1 Haskell Invitational last time out. The winner of the Santa Anita Derby this spring and the Grade 2 Saratoga Special last summer, Exaggerator has won six of 13 starts and earned $3,571,120.
Assistant trainer Julie Clark: “He’s been good, all the prep is over, he’s happy, he’s on his toes. He’s good to gallop, he likes to stand and pose and if he thinks there’s anybody that still has a camera and hasn’t got a picture, when you go off he’s like ‘I’m not done.’ But he loves when you pull up over here in this corner and jog to the gap. It’s his chance to buck and play and let some steam off. He’s still a handful. But it’s play. The more time you spend around him, they say he has multiple personalities because he’s sweet as can be when he wants a peppermint. When I walk him he’s like a little brat showing off, ‘Oh I can get away with it, it’s mom.’ When the other guys walk him he’s all pouty, he’s just funny. Bailey, who would Exaggerator be if he were a human?”
Trainer Keith Desormeaux’s son Bailey: “Jimmy Fallon. He’s an entertainer, if Jimmy Fallon can show us some athleticism.”
8. Destin
The Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby winner seeks his first Grade 1 win for Twin Creeks Racing Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher. Second to Creator by a nose in the Belmont Stakes after attending the pace and couldn’t track down Laoban when third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy.
Jockey Javier Castellano: “Always consistent, always right there, always performs really well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tough race for everyone. Fourteen horses. We’re not used to seeing the Travers with 14 horses. They’re all competitive, good quality horses. He’s doing really well now and hopefully we can get a good trip. That’s the key, get a good position, good break out of the gate, get a good spot and go from there. There’s going to be a lot of traffic but the less traffic you have to deal with the better kick you’re going to get. Hopefully he can break good and get me a good spot. He doesn’t have to be on the lead. I’d like to have a target, covered up a little bit because it’s a long way to go.”
9. Gift Box
Will Farish’s Twirling Candy colt tracked the speed from the inside and finished second to stablemate Connect in the Curlin Stakes. Junior Alvarado takes the mount, replacing Javier Castellano.
Trainer Chad Brown: “He ran a strong race last time. He was stuck down inside, didn’t really love it down there. Hopefully gets a little clearer trip this time. He got a lot out of that race and is in great form right now.”
10. Connect
The son of Curlin beat Gift Box and Forever d’Oro in the Curlin at Saratoga July 29 and looks to extend his win streak to four. He broke his maiden and won a Belmont allowance before his Curlin victory. Chad Brown’s final runner seeks his first graded stakes win.
Jockey John Velazquez: “He ran good in the Curlin, he’s stepping up obviously, but he’s a nice horse, he worked good afterward, Chad’s hot. He breezed very nice. I don’t know why he got out (in the Curlin), but when I breezed him, I put my hands down and he was good. The guy who gallops him says the more you pull on him, the tougher he gets. I’ll let him do what he wants. I was in front but it was a slow pace. There’s more speed, the two Baffert horses, Laoban will send like they always do. I’ll sit behind those three horses, Javier probably wants the same spot, I’ll try to hold him in there.”
11. Majesto
Scratched with a fever.
12. Creator
Belmont Stakes winner looks to bounce back from lackluster sixth in Grade 2 Jim Dandy for WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay. The Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner is one of two looking to give newly inducted Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen his first Travers Stakes win. Asmussen likes the way the colt has trained since the Jim Dandy and doesn’t think a race over the track factors into his chances.
Trainer Steve Asmussen: “Not that race over this track. I think there’s nothing good about it but the fact that it’s over. We’re definitely looking at a different pace scenario and more ground, so both of those factors will help us.”
13. Laoban
Uncle Mo colt broke his maiden last out in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, where he set a relaxed pace and held sway late. Owned by Mike Moreno’s Southern Equine Stable and McCormick Racing, $260,000 graduate of 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale finished second in Grade 3 Gotham and Grade 1 Blue Grass this year.
Trainer Eric Guillot: “The trick is relaxed. This is going to be the first time in his career that he’s run on the same track twice in a row. It makes a difference in a horse. He’s always been a good horse, but you can’t fly him across the country four times, run him six times in seven months. He’s such a big animal, he eats eight gallons but is still ribby. He’s always fresh, (works in) 46 and change, trying to break the reins. This horse is going to run big. I’m not saying I’m going to win, I’m saying I can win. The other day, they can say what they want, they were a jump behind me the whole way, never closed an inch. His work was freakish last week. I’m destined to gun and run for the front, I’ll never connect with the field, I’m going to be golden forever. It’s nice to be free in America, I’m going to let my creator pick his spot, and I’m not exaggerating.”
14. Gun Runner
Candy Ride colt won the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in succession before third behind Nyquist and Exaggerator in the Kentucky Derby for Winchell Thoroughbreds, Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables. He finished fifth last time out in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on a sloppy, sealed track at Monmouth Park.
Trainer Steve Asmussen: “Hopefully that’s the last of the rain. We’ll be hoping for a fast track for him tomorrow and obviously with him drawn 14 of 14 it will be interesting. There’s a million things that are a concern in the Travers with a 14-horse field, I think my biggest concern for Gun Runner is getting a fast track for him.”
