Saratoga is nearly a full two weeks into its racing schedule and already there’s a familiar name atop the leading trainers list: Todd Pletcher.
At the end of Wednesday’s racing, Pletcher had six wins from 14 starters, three ahead of Graham Motion. Though Pletcher is often loaded with an army of 3-year-olds, he does not have an entry in Saturday’s Grade II $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, a race he won a year ago with Palace Malice.
The Jim Dandy is the local prep for the Grade I $1.25 million Travers Stakes. It gives horses and horseman the added advantage of having a race over the track. Many trainers are seduced by Sunday’s Grade I $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park and use that as a Travers prep. Over the last 16 years, 10 runners of the Jim Dandy have gone on to win the Travers.
Still the Siren’s call of the Jersey Shore is far too strong for that statistic to sink in. Despite that seven horses are set to enter the gate including Tonalist, the Belmont Stakes winner and 8-5 favorite on the morning line.
Tonalist played spoiler back in June when he charged down the three-path and defeated California Chrome to win the Belmont. The Triple Crown was on the line and Tonalist looked the part for trainer Christophe Clement. The son of Tapit has put in a steady month of five-furlong workouts starting a few weeks after his Belmont triumph. Nothing blazing, nothing to whip the hat off your head, but nice, steady conditioning, including his latest work over the Saratoga oval, five furlongs in 1:01.79.
“It’s great when your patience pays off, and that’s a credit to his owner who gave me the freedom to do that,” said Clement, who has one winner from 13 starters so far this meet. “To be competing on this level is very exciting for me. He’s doing well. He came out of his work in good shape and I’m very excited to have Mr. Rosario ride him on Saturday. Everything’s good. I just have to train him and keep him fit and sound. Life is good.”
Joel Rosario is currently tied for fifth with three wins the Saratoga jockey colony. He took off Ride On Curlin following a spectacular ride in the Grade I $1.5 million Preakness Stakes. Rosario abdicated for Tonalist in the Belmont. Rosario had ridden Tonalist to a win the Grade II Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park where the two reunited a few weeks later for a thrilling finish in the Belmont Stakes.
“I think he’s fit, but I think he can move up from the race, too,” Clement said. “He had a break after the Belmont and he put on quite a bit of weight. He’s been very playful and he thinks life is great. Unfortunately for him over the last three weeks he’s been back to work, but he still thinks that life is great. He’s a very playful kind of a horse, and that’s a great thing. He’s taking his work very well.”
The second choice on the morning line is the Grade I Wood Memorial winner Wicked Strong. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens and ridden by Rajiv Maragh, Wicked Strong (2-1) has garnered a lot of bettor attention, but hasn’t fully delivered since the Wood. He finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Belmont Stakes.
“I was a little disappointed,” Jerkens said. “He ran OK, but I didn’t think he ran as good as we thought he would. He was a little lackluster. He spit the bit out down the backside for some reason. I thought he’d be sitting there with a nice pull, but for some reason he spit the bit and [Maragh] had to get after him. He finished OK. All in all, I guess he finished slightly better than the rest of them did.”
Rounding out the field are Kid Cruz (8-1), Commanding Curve (5-1), Cousin Stephen (12-1), Legend (12-1) and Ulanbator (15-1). Older Horses Gearing Up for Whitney The Grade I $1.5 million Whitney is setting up to be the race of the year.
Scheduled for August 2, many of the country’s top horses are taking aim at the historic Whitney and its significantly beefed up purse. Of note is 2013’s Champion 3-year-old colt Will Take Charge. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Will Take Charge has run five times this year with a win in the Grade II Oaklawn Handicap and three seconds in three grade is: the Donn, the Santa Anita Handicap and the Stephen Foster Handicap.
Those races have taken him to Arkansas, California, Florida and Kentucky. Now he’s in Saratoga, the site of his Travers triumph a year ago.
“Look, we’re the champion,” Lukas said. “We don’t give a damn who shows up. Bring ’em on. You can’t dodge them; they’re all going to show up. Line ’em up. Let’s see what we’ve got. There’s no place to hide in Saratoga.”
Expected to enter are leading Horse of the Year candidate Palace Malice (winner of this year’s Grade I Metropolitan Handicap, among others) and Departing, last year’s winner of the Super Derby, West Virginia Derby and Illinois Derby.
