Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Mage logged his penultimate breeze on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on August 26. The chestnut son of Good Magic covered six furlongs in 1:12.98 over the Spa's main track around 7:45 a.m. under regular exercise rider J.J. Delgado.
“He did pretty good. He was a little more in the bridle today,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., son and assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado. “His exercise rider was happy about it and the best thing is how he came back. He took a couple rounds [cooling out] and that was it. It's always good to see that.”
Owned by OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH, Mage put in a more serious effort than last week when covering five furlongs in 1:01.03 over a Spa main track that held some moisture after steady rains in the days leading up to the breeze.
Delgado, Jr. said he expects Mage to have one more maintenance breeze next week ahead of the 1 1/4-mile Travers.
“It will depend on the weather, but hopefully Friday on the main track again,” said Delgado, Jr.
In addition to his win in the Kentucky Derby, Mage boasts two runner-up efforts in Grade 1s this year in the July 22 Haskell at Monmouth Park and the April 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park where he was defeated one length by the reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte. He was a closing third two starts back in the Grade 1 Preakness 2 1/4 lengths back of the victorious National Treasure, who he will likely face again in the Travers.
The Delgado barn will look to kick off their Spa stakes action on a high note in Saturday's $150,000 Galway, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomore fillies, with Isabel Alexandra, who seeks her first stakes victory for owners Restrepo, OGMA Investments, Global Racing Stables and Inverdeco. The daughter of Expert Eye was a last-out winner by a neck on June 24 in a five-furlong allowance over the Horseshoe Indianapolis turf.
Delgado, Jr. said he is hopeful Isabel Alexandra is back to her best form after finishing fifth in her two other starts this year in the one-mile Ginger Brew in January at Gulfstream Park and an off-the-turf allowance sprinting five furlongs in May at Pimlico Race Course.
“She's doing pretty good and we like her in here,” said Delgado, Jr. “When horses get here to Saratoga, they start improving and you see things in them you didn't see before. We had tried to get her to go longer at Gulfstream and then we made a mistake in Pimlico when they took the race off the turf and we still raced her. We wanted to regroup and put her in a good spot to get confidence, which she did, so now we'll see. It's a tough race.”
Isabel Alexandra enters the Galway from a sharp half-mile bullet in 47.60 seconds on July 30 over Saratoga's Oklahoma turf training track. Delgado, Jr. said he was impressed with the work and is pleased to have the opportunity to breeze horses over turf at Saratoga.
“She likes it here and she was able to breeze on the turf, and that helped,” said Delgado, Jr. “We have galloping on turf in Lexington, but we can't breeze them. It's 100 percent a big plus to have that here.”
Isabel Alexandra boasts a lifetime record of 6-2-1-0 with $60,785 in earnings. The Irish-bred filly is out of the Dutch Art mare Duchess Power, a half-sister to multiple group-winner and French stallion Slade Power. She will be ridden from post 3 by Reylu Gutierrez with a morning line assessment of 8-1.
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