Saratoga Race Course Notes - 8/20/16

by NYRA Press Office

• Busy morning at the Brown barn
• Travers contender Exaggerator breezes five furlongs

• Mohaymen on target for either Travers or G1 King's Bishop

• Laoban posts bullet work ahead of Travers bid

• Travers-bound Destin maintains schedule

• Majesto works for possible Travers start

• Eleven on tap for John's Call

Trainer Chad Brown worked all three of his Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers hopefuls Saturday morning on the main track after the renovation break at 8:45, and later said they are all on target for the "Mid-Summer Derby."

Gift Box, with Javier Castellano in the irons, worked solo, going five furlongs in 1:02.48, while picking it up during his gallop-out.

Connect, ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez and also working in company, covered five-eighths in 1:01.11. My Man Sam, in company and with Manny Franco up, was credited with a five-furlong move in 1:02.65.

"I thought all three horses who are pointing to the Travers worked excellent," Brown said later in the morning at his barn. "Gift Box went solo and I thought he did just what I wanted him to. It was just a maintenance move for him. He looks to be training very well. He did it on his own, but that's him - he's a very good workhorse, that's why we worked him alone, he doesn't need any encouragement to do anything.

"I choose to work Connect in company with another horse. I also worked My Man Sam in company," he added. "Both horses seem to work a little better with a target, that's why I did it that way. Both horses worked well and galloped out extremely well. Everyone cooled out fine so far, so I'm happy with that."

Brown said the focus on each of the works was the gallop-out.

"That's why I broke them off at the half-mile pole," he said. "I expected the track to be very busy after the break. I felt like we had more control over what they do on the gallop-out the way we had the works set up. That's why I broke them off all at the half-mile pole, expecting them to record at a minimum of a five-furlong work, and all three of them galloped out six furlongs in great time, all around 1:15, give or take, so, it was just what I wanted."

Unlike some of the more seasoned runners expected to contest the Travers, Brown's trio are all seeking their first graded stakes wins.

"I have a lot of respect for this field," Brown remarked. "It's a really strong group of 3-year-olds. Most of them have better resumes than my three, but I want to point to this race, first and foremost, as a race that is at the top of my list that me and the rest of my staff would like to win at some point. I think my three horses are well-suited to run a mile and a quarter. I like the fact that all three of them have had local preps over the surface here. They get to run out of their own barn - this is home for us. All these reasons made the Travers an obvious target for us."

Brown said Velazquez will have the Travers mount on Connect. Franco will be aboard My Man Sam, and Gift Box's rider is still to be determined. Castellano, who worked Gift Box Saturday and has ridden him in each of his five career starts, is also the regular rider of Travers hopeful Destin.

The workout action in the Brown barn continued 75 minutes later on the Oklahoma turf course, where Grade 1 winners Lady Eli and Flintshire both worked for their next starts on the Travers undercard, the Grade 2 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa and Grade 1 Longines Sword Dancer, respectively.

The come-backing Lady Eli worked on the outside of her stablemate Mrs McDougal and was ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. They were assigned a time of 1:01.06 for five furlongs.

In her recent works, Lady Eli has been positioned on the outside.

"Just to switch things up; I just wanted to give her a different look, breezing outside another horse and give Irad an opportunity to breeze her as well," Brown said in response to a question concerning the work set-up. "He has breezed her a couple of times on this comeback trail, but not every week, though. I thought it was executed perfectly. She worked beautiful."

Brown said Lady Eli's works this summer have unfolded in pleasing fashion, and that there wasn't one in particular that stood out.

"It's just been a progression," he said. "In the early stages of what we have asked her to do, she acted like her old self, but it's been a gradual progression. She has gotten better each week. The work today was outstanding."

Bowling Green winner Flintshire and workmate Money Multiplier, who is also being pointed to the Sword Dancer, covered five furlongs in 1:01.60.

"Just maintenance for [Flintshire]," Brown said. "This horse is in great form right now, and we're just looking to keep him that way. I thought he galloped out well and came back good. [Money Multiplier] worked great. He held his own this morning with Flintshire. He's had a great season once we've got him going long distances on turf. I think he deserves a chance in that race as well."
 

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Grade 1 Preakness and Haskell Invitational winner Exaggerator put in his final breeze ahead of the Grade 1 Travers, breezing five furlongs in 1:00.95 on Saratoga Race Course's main track early Saturday morning.

Ridden by jockey Dylan Davis, Exaggerator was turned loose from his pony escort on the backside and NYRA clockers caught the Keith Desormeaux trainee in splits of :25 and :36 4/5. The 3-year-old dark bay galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 3/5 to wrap up a move assistant trainer Julie Clark described as a "marked improvement" over the Curlin colt's previous breezes on the local surface.

"I liked this work," said Clark. "It was much nicer than the two that Keith was worried about. He went through the lane with his head nice and level, didn't have to be asked. Dylan didn't even get after him, didn't push him at all. He thought he had actually worked him a little slower than he did so he was surprised he did it so easy."

Clark said that the characteristically energetic colt will have a typically light schedule before next Saturday's "Mid-Summer Derby."

"Surprisingly, he wasn't even blowing," she said of the expected Travers favorite. "He cooled out really easily and wasn't really sweating. Granted, it was cooler this morning than it's been but he was good.

"He has [bounced back since the Haskell], definitely," she continued. "I'm sure the whole series leading up to the Triple Crown was affecting him to a degree but it seems like he was more ready to come back to his usual self after the Haskell than after the Preakness."
 

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Shadwell Stable's Mohaymen, whose half-mile workout in 47.33 seconds was fastest of 74 at the distance on the main track Friday, came out of the bullet move in good order, and could run next Saturday in either of two Grade 1 stakes - the $1.25 million Travers at 1 ¼ miles, or the $500,000 Ketel One King's Bishop at seven furlongs, although trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is leaning to the former.

"Great - he came out of the work excellent," said McLaughlin. "I'm going to speak to [Shadwell Vice President/General Manager] Rick Nichols this morning, but all is well. I'm just saying I'm going to speak to him because the King's Bishop is in the loop, but we'll point to the Travers most likely."

McLaughlin wasn't surprised at Mohaymen's sharpness yesterday morning, saying, "I knew he was doing great, he's a nice horse and has always works pretty well."

Mohaymen, fourth as the favorite in the Jim Dandy, is a four-time Grade 2 winner from eight to nine furlongs. The son of Tapit is out of the Dixie Union mare Justwhistledixie, who won four stakes for McLaughlin, including two sprints and the 2009 renewal of the Grade 2 Davona Dale, a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park.

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Maiden-cum-Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Laoban earned the bullet for his five-furlong breeze on Saratoga's main track early Saturday morning as the colt wrapped up his major preparations for the Grade 1 Travers under the watchful eye of trainer Eric Guillot.

"He worked like a beaver with an overactive thyroid trying to dam the mouth of the Mississippi," raved the Louisiana native. "That's how good that work was. It was incredible."

Stepping onto the track shortly after 6 a.m., Laoban and jockey Jose Ortiz broke away from his lead pony on the backstretch, well behind stablemate Blue Xanadu, as NYRA clockers timed the 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo in splits of :24 and :35 2/5. Laoban swept by his workmate, an unraced 2-year-old colt by Shackleford, as he turned down the stretch and tucked in along the rail to pass another worker just before the wire. As the fastest of 31 workers at the distance, Laoban hit the wire in 59.77 seconds.

Guillot said his stopwatch caught the colt galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 1/5 and seven in 1:25 1/5.
 

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Destin went to the gate this morning in maintaining a typical schedule heading to the Grade 1 Travers on August 27. The Giant's Causeway 3-year-old registered his final breeze on Friday when he officially recorded four furlongs in 50 seconds flat on the Oklahoma training track.

"He stood at the gate and behaved very well," Pletcher said. "We'll have some routine gallops this week and paddock school once or twice. All the heavy lifting is done."

Curalina came out of her work in good order before the Grade 1, $750,000 Personal Ensign on Travers Day, Pletcher said. The winner of the Grade 3 Shuvee Handicap on July 31 worked four furlongs in 49.83 seconds on the Oklahoma training track on Friday.

"She breezed well and everything looks good this morning, so it's all-systems-go," Pletcher said.

Comfort is scheduled to breeze either Wednesday or Thursday as Pletcher decides whether to run him in the Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward on September 3. The Grade 1 Whitney runner-up will breeze for the first time since July 30.

"We'll probably go with that one breeze and make a decision on the Woodward," Pletcher said.

Nonna Mela won her graded stakes debut with a victory in the Grade 2 Adirondack on Friday. The 2-year-old Arch filly has won two of her three career starts and handled the step up in class with a six-length score in the 6 ½-furlong Adirondack.

"She seemed to come out of it very well and was happy and healthy this morning," Pletcher said. "She broke super, put herself in a good spot and I thought Javier [Castellano] made a smart tactical move to ease up off that hot pace and pop to the outside. She responded with a big effort."

Pletcher said Sweet Loretta will have one more breeze before the Grade 1, $350,000 Spinaway on September 3. The Tapit bay filly has won both of her starts, including the Grade 3 Schuylerville on July 22 in her Spa debut.
 

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Grupo Seven C Stable's Majesto, a potential Travers entrant,was on the main track Saturday morning to work six furlongs in company with 4-year-old stablemate Juan and Bina.

Under Javier Castellano, who was aboard the Tiznow ridgling for a maiden victory and a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, Majesto breezed even up with his mate in 1:15.40 seconds.

With Castellano already committed, trainer Gustavo Delgado said it remains to be seen who would ride Majesto - if indeed he is entered.

"It's possible, we will decide today in the night with the owners, because I have no rider today," he said. "Javier worked him today, but he is not riding him in the Travers."

Delgado has been a personal ATM machine for longshot players at the "Graveyard of Favorites" the past two summers. In addition to notching his first Grade 1 win in the United States with 55-1 bomb Paola Queen in the Test two weeks ago, the Venezuelan native also saddled Big Family ($17.20) and Face of Winner ($47.40) here last year.
 

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Wednesday's $100,000 John's Call for 3-year-olds and up at 1 5/8 miles on the turf features a field of 11 looking to highlight their summer campaign with a stakes win at Saratoga.

Entering for meet leading trainer Chad Brown and owners Michael Dubb and Head of Plains Partners is Mr Maybe. A 5-year-old gelding, the son of Ghostzapper will look to make his first non-graded stakes start since October of last year when he captured an optional-claiming race at Belmont by 4 lengths. He returned on March 3 to begin his 2016 campaign at Gulfstream Park with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes and finished seventh in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 3.  

Renown, a lightly raced 5-year-old with four wins from eight starts, will look to continue his win streak for Merriebelle Stable and trainer Elizabeth Voss following his nose victory in the Cape Henlopen July 9 at Delaware Park. Also returning from that race are second-place finisher Street Fashion for trainer Graham Motion and Augustin Stable, third-place runner Biz The Nurse for owner John D'Amato and trainer Tom Albertrani and fourth-place finisher Set to Music for trainer Arnaud Delacour and Lael Stables.
 

Rounding out the field are Rum Tum Tugger for

Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, third on August 12 in an optional-claiming

race at Saratoga; Moss Code for trainer Niall Saville and owner Irvin

Naylor, who won an allowance race last time out at Delaware Park; My Afleet

for trainer James Lawrence and owners Jeffrey Amling and Merriefield Farms; Procurement

for trainer Mike Maker and Maxis Stable; Biedermeier for trainer Todd

Wyatt and Riverdee Stable; and Swear by It for trainer Nicholas Esler

and owner Lawrence Goichman.