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Jim Dandy winner Tenfold takes ‘home track advantage’ into G1 Travers

by NYRA Press Office

• Catalano looking for big effort from Farrell in G1 Personal Ensign
• Pletcher hoping for ‘better tactical position’ for Vino Rosso in Travers; Frankel colt Gidu switches to main track for G1 Allen Jerkens
• G1 Ballerina contender Highway Star ‘doing fine’ after pulling shoe in breeze

In a race as competitive as this year’s Grade 1 Travers, even the slightest edge can make a difference. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen believes he has one with Winchell Thoroughbreds’ homebred Tenfold.

Of the 11 3-year-olds set to line up in Saturday’s Mid-Summer Derby, Tenfold is the only one with a win over Saratoga’s main track, having taken the traditional local Travers prep, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, on July 28.

A win in the Travers would make Tenfold the 11th horse to complete the Jim Dandy-Travers double. The last was Alpha, who dead-heated for first with Golden Ticket in 2012.

“He’s got a win over the racetrack and he’s done really well since,” Asmussen said. “Having a win in the prep is a positive. I thought the draw was good for him, and I expect a huge race from him on Saturday.”

Tenfold and regular rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. will break from post 10 in the 1 ¼-mile Travers, with only Grade 1 winner Catholic Boy to his outside. It will be the second start for the son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Fame inductee Curlin – also trained by Asmussen – since a Triple Crown campaign that saw him run third in the Grade 1 Preakness, beaten less than a length and a neck away from second, and fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Among the horses he beat in the Preakness was Travers program favorite Good Magic, a neck behind in fourth, while he also finished ahead of Travers contender and Preakness runner-up Bravazo in the Belmont.

“I think the Preakness showed that he’s not that far off of the level we want to be at,” Asmussen said. “He was the longest shot on the board in the Preakness [at 26-1] and I was surprised by that. He was beaten three-quarters [of a length]. He’s a lightly raced horse and if he gets beat, everybody will tell you they knew it and if he wins, everybody will tell you they knew it.”

Tenfold sat just off the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy, took a short lead into the stretch and was in command through the lane despite drifting and bearing out in the final eighth of a mile to win by three-quarters of a length over Flameaway. Travers contender Vino Rosso was another head back in third.

“It was extremely concerning with whatever he looked at. We’ve had him over there several mornings since and he hasn’t seen anything,” Asmussen said. “Through discussions with Ricardo we thought he picked up the photographers in the infield. That’s not something we can recreate and that’s not something that will be there in the morning for him. Hopefully that has nothing to do with the outcome on Saturday.

“If anything, he laid in a little bit in the Preakness. I thought he was a little tired late and laid in, but he’s never done anything like that any other time,” he added. “I’m pretty sure the company will keep him busy in the Travers.”

A career winner of more than 8,100 races including two in the Triple Crown and six in the Breeders’ Cup, Asmussen is searching for his first Travers victory. He was third with Pyro in 2008, sixth with Kensei in 2009, and third and seventh with Gun Runner and Belmont Stakes winner Creator, respectively, in 2016.

Asmussen has a second Travers starter in WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing’s Meistermind, a maiden winner over older horses going 1 ¼ miles June 30 at Churchill Downs. A half-brother to Mine That Bird, 50-1 winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, Meistermind will be ridden by Manny Franco from post 6.

Meistermind made his Saratoga debut August 3, finishing fifth in an open 1 1/8-mile allowance, also against his elders, on a muddy, sealed main track. He has had a pair of works over the Oklahoma training track since, most recently going an easy half-mile in 50.19 seconds August 19.

“I think there will be a solid pace in the Travers, especially for a mile and a quarter run, and he gets the distance. We’ll try to recreate a little sibling magic,” Asmussen said. “We all were there and … we watched it. You can see a scenario where there’s a lot of pace, a lot of horses are going to try to keep their face clean in this race and I think the draw really leads to a solid pace with who’s where, and he’ll benefit from it. I do believe there’s a bunch of those horses that can beat him at a mile and an eighth, but cannot beat him at a mile and a quarter – and this race is a mile and a quarter.”

In addition to his Travers duo, Asmussen also will be saddling Grade 1 winner Union Strike for the first time as she faces eight others in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina.

“She’s special; she’s aware of who she is,” said Asmussen of the Union Rags filly, who won the 2016 Del Mar Debutante and is in search of her first victory this year.

In her most recent outing, Union Strike broke dead last in a field of 13 for the Grade 3 Chicago Handicap on June 23 at Arlington Park and closed to finish third.

Previously trained by owner Mick Ruis, Union Strike has been based at the Spa since late July, most recently covering a half-mile in 50.21 seconds on August 20, a week after breezing five furlongs in 1:00.44.

“I expect a touch more gate speed than last time,” said Asmussen. “Her post [No. 8] helps her, coming out of the chute. I expect a huge performance from her.”

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Catalano looking for big effort from Farrell in G1 Personal Ensign

Wayne Catalano has been around horses nearly his entire life. An exercise rider for Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg as a teenager, he became a jockey, won his first race in 1974, and totaled nearly 1,800 winners over a nine-year career.

Based in Chicago, he turned to training in 1983, had a taste of Kentucky Derby fever with Louisiana Derby and Arkansas Derby winner Crypto Star, won Breeders’ Cup races with Dreaming of Anna, She Be Wild and Stephanie’s Kitten, and has saddled nearly 2,800 winners.

On Saturday, he will send out Farrell, his talented 4-year-old filly, in the “Win and You’re In’’ Breeders’ Cup Distaff qualifier Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign, the seventh race (post time 2:59 p.m.) on a stellar Travers Day card featuring seven graded stakes worth $4.95 million and highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers.

“She’s training great, we love the way she’s coming into the race,” the 62-year-old conditioner said Thursday. “She galloped like a monster this morning. It’s a very tough race, but the filly’s doing great and that’s all you can ask for.”

The field of six fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles is led by 6-5 morning-line favorite Abel Tasman and 7-5 second choice Elate, with Wow Cat third choice at 4-1, Farrell 6-1, Fuhriously Kissed 20-1 and She Takes Heart 50-1.

While trainer Bob Baffert’s Abel Tasman is the top choice off her dominating win in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on June 9 at Saratoga and Elate was an easy winner in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in her first race of 2018, Farrell should not be overlooked, says Catalano.

The Malibu Moon filly owned by Coffeepot Stables held on to beat Wow Cat by a neck in the 1 1 /8-mile, Grade 3 Shuvee on July 29 at Saratoga, following runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 La Troienne and the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis, both at Churchill Downs. In the La Troienne, Farrell finished second and Abel Tasman was fourth.

“She’s gotten bigger and stronger and [is] carrying herself further,’’ said Catalano, who also won the 2012 Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga with Stephanie’s Kitten. “I’ve been very fortunate to have a few good ones, but Farrell is right up with those others. She’s earned over a million dollars and has won some big races.”

The resume is strong. She broke her maiden in her second start, then went on a four-race winning streak to close out her 2-year-old campaign and open her 3-year-old season – taking the Grade 2 Golden Rod in November at Churchill Downs, and the Silverbulletday, the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra and the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks, all at Fair Grounds, to start 2017 off. Farrell was 14th in the slop in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks won by Abel Tasman, and closed out her 3-year-old campaign with a win in the Grade 2 Chilukki at Churchill Downs.

Farrell, who will be ridden by regular jockey Channing Hill, has a 2-2-1 record in seven starts this year, and a career record of 8-2-2 from 17 starts for earnings of $1,064,777.

“The past is the past,’’ said Catalano. “Right now is what we need to be concerned with.”

A good showing in the Personal Ensign could lead to a next start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs.

“That would be ideal,’’ said Catalano.

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Pletcher hoping for ‘better tactical position’ for Vino Rosso in Travers; Frankel colt Gidu switches to main track for G1 Allen Jerkens

Trainer Todd Pletcher said he’s hoping for a little more focus out of Travers contender Vino Rosso when the gates spring in Saturday’s Mid-Summer Derby.

Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, the chestnut colt by Curlin comes into the 1 ¼-mile Travers off a third-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Jim Dandy at the Spa on July 28. In that race, Vino Rosso got off to a slow start but closed strongly to finish three-quarters of a length behind fellow Travers contender Tenfold.

Vino Rosso won the Grade 2 Wood Memorial by three lengths in April, his second start with blinkers, and went on to finish a late-closing ninth in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

“He had a good gallop this morning. He’ll have one more and that’s all we can do,” said Pletcher on Thursday. “We have an idea of what we’d like to do [in the Travers], we just hope that Vino Rosso cooperates, has his mind on business, and puts himself in a little better tactical position than he did in the Jim Dandy.

“We’ve changed a few things in his training that are hopefully productive,” he added. “Hopefully, the weather stays good and he gets a nice, dry track, which I think he appreciates. I think those things will help.”

On the Travers undercard, Zayat Stable’s Gidu will make his first start over the main track for the Pletcher barn in the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy.

By Frankel, the gray Irish-bred colt tried two turns on the grass in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame last time out, running off to an early lead before fading in the stretch to finish fourth. That was his first start since shipping to Royal Ascot in June, where he finished sixth in the six-furlong Group 1 Commonwealth, beaten 2 ½ lengths in a field of 22.

The Ascot trip followed game victories this spring in the Paradise Creek, by a neck at seven furlongs on May 26, and the one-mile Columbia, by 1 ¾ lengths in March.

“We’ve been considering trying him on the dirt for a while now,” said Pletcher. “He’s kind of a free-running horse and he was a little bit keen in the Hall of Fame. I think he was a little too headstrong early on. I think if he relaxed, he would’ve been more effective at a mile and a sixteenth, but seven furlongs seems like an optimal distance for him and the timing is right.

“The question, obviously, is how well he’ll transition to the dirt, but he’s always trained well on it. He is out of an Unbridled’s Song mare, so his isn’t a complete turf pedigree,” he added. “We just felt like if we’re going to give it a try, we might as well do it in a meaningful race. The thing about running on the dirt is that you don’t have to hold them up quite as much and you can kind of let him do his thing.”

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G1 Ballerina contender Highway Star ‘doing fine’ after pulling shoe in breeze

Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred Highway Star galloped Thursday morning for the first time since pulling a shoe during her final breeze for the Grade 1, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina.

Highway Star lost her left hind shoe in a four-furlong bullet move on Monday, where she covered the distance in a sharp 46.88 seconds, the fastest of 90. Trainer Rodrigo Ubillo said he entered the 5-year-old Girolamo mare with the intention of monitoring that foot in the days leading up to Saturday’s race, a seven-furlong “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

“At the moment, it seems like it looked worse than it was. We put the shoe back on and she’s been training OK since then,” he said. “Yesterday, she just jogged, but she galloped very nicely this morning. I’m very happy with her; she’s doing fine at the moment. It’s one of those things; I didn’t want to miss out on the race if I didn’t enter and she turned out OK.”

Highway Star was a game second in last year’s Ballerina, finishing a head behind By the Moon. She came back from that effort to win the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom by a neck that September before finishing 11th to fellow Broman homebred Bar of Gold in the Filly & Mare Sprint.

This spring, the millionaire New York-bred rebounded from a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Heavenly Prize, her seasonal debut, with a much-improved second in the Grade 2 Ruffian. She followed that with a runner-up finish in the Critical Eye for New York-breds on May 28, where she was caught by a nose in the last jump by Holiday Disguise. Highway Star turned around on short rest 11 days later to finish second to fellow Ballerina entrant Lewis Bay in the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses on June 8 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Overall, Highway Star has a record of 8-5-2 from 19 career starts and earnings in excess of $1.1 million. Ubillo added that she runs well fresh, even if the spacing between the Bed o’ Roses and Ballerina was not necessarily by design.

“I went through the same thing last year when she ran in the Ogden Phipps, there’s nothing in between,” he said. “So, I ran in the New York-bred race, where she got beat by a nose, and then I ran her back. There was nothing else before the Ballerina, so I opted to go. She had only been training for about six days before that race and she got beat by like five lengths or something. It wasn’t an ideal thing; she likes time between races.”

Installed at 10-1 on the morning line for the Ballerina, Highway Star drew the outside post 9. Luis Saez is named to ride.