Francesca Le Donne Photo

Belmont Park Notes 10.27.17

by NYRA Press Office

• Sadler’s Joy puts in final work for BC Turf; will ship out Sunday

• Takaful fires bullet in final preparations for BC Sprint

• Decked Out primed for swan song in G3 Athenia

• NYRA Bets celebrates Breeders’ Cup with exclusive offers

Woodlane Farm’s multiple graded stakes winner Sadler’s Joy put in his final work Friday morning before heading to the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders’ Cup Longines Turf on November 4 at Del Mar.

Sadler’s Joy worked a half-mile in 50.02 seconds on Belmont Park’s main track. Under regular exercise rider Alberto Garcia, Sadler’s Joy was clocked going the first quarter-mile in 24 3/5 seconds and galloped out through five furlongs in 1:04.

“It was a good, even work,” trainer Tom Albertrani said. “He broke off from the five-eighths pole in 13 and 2 and it was steady the rest of the way. It’s what we were looking for today and he galloped out good, and we’re all set to go.”

Sadler’s Joy also worked four furlongs on Big Sandy on October 16, marking his first breeze since running fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 30. He is scheduled to ship to California on Sunday morning.

“The first time, I usually go four [furlongs] after they run, usually,” Albertrani said. “We’re kind of cramming in a couple of works before we leave, so the other day, we let him stretch his legs out and today was just what he needed according to his distance and schedule.”

Sadler’s Joy won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on August 26 at Saratoga Race Course at the Turf distance of 1 ½ miles. The 4-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy is 3-1-0 in five career starts at the distance.

“He loves the distance. It’ll be down to getting a good, clean trip,” Albertrani said. “We’re hoping we’re not too far back this time around. In his last start, we were a little too far back than we needed to be and had a lot of ground to make up. Hopefully we get a good position early on and it’ll set up for us.”

Albertrani said the Turf will feature a formidable field that includes European shipper Ulysses and Highland Reel, Irish-breds trained by Sir Michael Stoute and Aidan O’Brien, respectively.

“Those are the two I think you have to focus on from the horses overseas, but if he [Sadler’s Joy] runs like he has in the past and gets the right trip, I think we’ll be right there.”

Ready for Rye is entered in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler Handicap at seven furlongs on the main track, but Albertrani said he could still be pointing towards the $125,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 25 instead.

“I’m not entirely sure if we’re going to run there, we entered him just to get a look at the race, but I’m really leaning towards running him in the Turf Sprint,” Albertrani said. “He’s doing well, I just hate to keep switching back with turf and dirt all the time. I’m trying to just keep him on the turf one more time before the turf season is over with. We can always look at dirt races if he stays up here this winter or goes to Florida. I’d rather give him one more turf race.”

Ready for Rye ran sixth in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on dirt July 29 at the Spa before running the last two times on turf, including a second-place finish last out in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational on October 7.

“He’s doing well, he always tries,” Albertrani said. “He runs his races and he’s always right there, so hopefully we can find a good spot for him.”

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Shadwell Stable’s Grade 1 Vosburgh winner Takaful visited the Belmont training track late Friday morning for his final breeze in preparation for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint, breezing four furlongs in 46.66 seconds. Earning the bullet work among 46 workers at the distance, he galloped out in 59 4/5.

“He’s a very fast horse,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin who nonetheless was pleased with the work. “He went off very quickly 22 and change and 46 and three, and out in 59 and four. He’s a fast horse so it was a good work.”

Coming off a Grade 1 Victory in the Vosburgh, in which he stalked the swift El Deal before kicking past for a one-length victory, McLaughlin is hoping for a similar scenario in the Breeders’ Cup.

“Coming into the Vosburgh, we knew El Deal was going to be on the lead,” said McLaughlin. “We knew it was going to be tough to go with him or come off the pace and get to him. Jose [Ortiz] had confidence in him and laid pretty close. We stalked and were able to catch him late to win by length.

“It was a good effort,” he continued. “He’s only 3, but he’s doing very well. We’re going to be facing some top sprinters and the draw will be important. Hopefully, we draw in towards the middle or outside where we can stalk out a good trip.”

Scheduled to ship to California on Tuesday, McLaughlin said Takaful is tentatively planned to walk on Wednesday and jog either Thursday or Friday heading into the race on Saturday, November 4.

“We don’t like to do much with him before a race,” said McLaughlin. “He’s fit and ready so we’ll go from here.”

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Grade 1 winner Decked Out will look to close out her racing career on a high note, facing a full and talented field in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia for fillies and mares on the grass.

With three wins from 18 races, including a nose victory in the Grade 1 American Oaks last December and a 2 ¾-length score in the 2016 Grade 3 Providencia, the 4-year-old Street Boss filly has been consigned to the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Lexington, Kentucky on November 6. The Keith Desormeaux trainee arrived at Belmont from Southern California early Tuesday morning and has been under the care of assistant Julie Clark.

“We wanted to get one more race into her,” said Clark. “She missed a prep race we were pointing for and we felt like in her next two races, she came up a hair short, so she probably could’ve benefitted from that race. It’s an opportunity at a graded stakes and it just seemed to fit. We could ship her here and then she’ll go to Kentucky.”

Owned by Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners and Gene Voss, Decked Out was given time off after her American Oaks win and came back in a pair of stakes in September, finishing fifth in both the Grade 2 John C. Mabee at Del Mar and in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita Park, where she came up only 1 ¼ lengths short of Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf contender Avenge.

“In her last race, she was fifth, but she wasn’t beaten that much, so I think it was more of a fitness issue,” said Clark. “She tired towards the end a little bit but that should set her up. She was training great at both Santa Anita and Del Mar, she just came up a tiny bit short. She puts everything into her races.”

Installed at 8-1 on the morning line, Decked Out has drawn the outside post 12 in the 1 1/16-mile race, where she will be ridden by Nik Juarez for the first time.

“I think she fits in there, there’s some tough ones and it’s such a full field,” Clark said. “Some people are saying it’s a Grade 2, Grade 1-type field and the stats from the outside [post] aren’t that great, but she’ll want to come from out of it anyway, so I don’t know how much that’ll affect her. It’s a rider’s race too, I guess. You can only do so much with your horse; get it as ready as you can and hope both horse and rider make some good decisions out there.”

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