Owned by Daniel Alonso, Skippylongstocking won this year's GII Charles Town Classic and was last seen finishing third to Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 4. The soon-to-be 5-year-old covered a half-mile in :49.40 (20/64).

O'Connor, campaigned by Mike Iavarone and partners, was a sound fourth in last year's Pegasus and is arguably in better form this season, having taken out Keeneland's GII Fayette S. Oct. 28. The Southern Hemisphere 6-year-old also went four furlongs Saturday, stopping the clock in :49.45 (22/64).

Also on the Palm Meadows tab was Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic), who went a half in :49.50 in preparation for the Dec. 30 GIII Harlan's Holiday S.

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One of three runners in the Classic coming out of the July 8 GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows, where he was runner-up to Friday night's sixth-place finisher Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), Skippylongstocking was notching his fourth graded win in the past year. He took Tampa Bay's GIII Challenger S. in March, Gulfstream's GIII Harlan's Holiday S. in late December, and Mountaineer's GIII West Virginia Derby last August. The first half of his 3-year-old campaign featured a third in the aforementioned Belmont, as well as in the GII Wood Memorial, and a fifth in the GI Preakness S.

SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING (Exaggerator) absolutely blows the rest of the field out of the water, securing a seamless victory in the GII Charles Town Classic! pic.twitter.com/YjHvvlnNCv

— TDN (@theTDN) August 26, 2023

Pedigree Notes:

Skippylongstocking is the sole North American-bred graded winner for Classic winner Exaggerator, who also has nine black-type winners. A son of the all-conquering Curlin and a former Kentucky sire, Exaggerator has stood for the past two seasons at Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana.

Skippylongstocking is also one of 34 stakes winners out of mares by Breeders' Cup winner War Chant, whose daughters have also produced GI Kentucky Derby winner Country House (Lookin At Lucky) and English/French MG1SW Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

The Charles Town Classic winner is Twinkling's best runner, although she also has SW Olivia Twist (Mshawish), who was third in April's GIII Fantasy S., and SW Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), who was third in the 2021 GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly named Winking (Take Charge Indy) and a yearling filly named Mia's Mom (Maclean's Music), who sold earlier this month at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for $275,000 to August Dawn Farm. Her 2023 foal, a filly by Authentic, was born May 5. Twinkling was bred back to Not This Time.

Friday, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC S.-GII, $1,000,000, Charles Town, 8-25, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:51.37, wf.
1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 121, c, 4, by Exaggerator
                1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant
                2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place
                3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle
($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel
Alonso; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $576,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 19-6-2-3,
$1,507,185. *1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW & GSP,
$177,449; 1/2 to Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP,
$174,455. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–O'Connor (Chi), 119, h, 6, Boboman–Torrente de Agua (Chi),
by Touch Gold. O-Fernando Vine Ode and Michael and Jules
Iavarone; B-Haras Carioca (Chi); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
$192,000.
3–Dash Attack, 119, g, 4, Munnings–Cerce Cay, by Hard Spun.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Magdalena Racing (Sherri
McPeek), Catalyst Stable, Kevin J. Pollard and Patty Slevin;
B-Catalyst Stable & Magdalena Racing (KY); T-Kenneth G.
McPeek. $96,000.
Margins: 5, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.40, 10.50, 23.60.
Also Ran: Muad'dib, Call Me Fast, Giant Game, Double Crown, Doppelganger, Perfect Flight, Eastern Bay. Scratched: Martin Man.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Friday's $500,000 GI Personal Ensign S. at nine furlongs has attracted older mare division leaders Nest (Curlin) and Clairiere (Curlin). Both are multiple Grade I winners with stellar records; the two will meet for the third time.

Nest, last year's Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly, is the 4-5 choice after besting Clairiere in a bang-up GII Shuvee S. July 23 over track and trip. It was her first start of the season after ending last year with a fourth as the favorite behind Clairiere's third in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland. Nest is undefeated in three tries at Saratoga, including last year's GI Alabama S. and GI CCA Oaks. She was featured earlier this week in TDN.

“She had a spectacular season as a 3-year-old and I think her Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama wins were two of the most impressive races we saw at Saratoga last year. It earned her a championship and she's come back and is training even better at four,” said Nest's Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“She has that rare ability to quicken at the end of a dirt race–you don't see a lot of horses show that display of turn of foot at the top of the stretch like we see her do,” continued Pletcher. “She's just a very, very special filly.”

Clairiere, second choice at 5-2, is no slouch either. She finished behind Nest in the Shuvee after a less-than-ideal trip and was also second in her first start of the year–Oaklawn's Mar. 11 GII Azeri S. behind fellow Personal Ensign entrant Secret Oath (Arrogate)–but in between she captured the GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn and the GI Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont. She's a four-time Grade I winner who has age and experience on her side, not to mention seven triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures.

“I'm very happy with how she's training,” said fellow Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. “Obviously, Nest is a very tall order. We'll see how we do, but we couldn't be happier with Clairiere going in. She's a four-time Grade I winner of $3 million. She's covered plenty of ground.”

Clairiere's dam, Cavorting (Bernardini), won the 2016 edition of the Personal Ensign.

GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath has beaten both of the top contenders and Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is never shy about putting her in tough spots, including tries against the boys last year, where she finished third in the GI Arkansas Derby and fourth in the GI Preakness S. When she's on her game, she is very, very good. Secret Oath skipped the Shuvee to await the Personal Ensign.

Brad Cox's Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin), on a two-race win streak that covers the GII Delaware H. and GIII Shawnee S.; Tom Amoss trainee and GSW Sixtythreecaliber (Gun Runner), an optional allowance winner July 19 over this surface; and Wayne Catalano's last-out Hawthorne allowance winner Malloy (Outwork) complete the field.

Show Me the Money at Charles Town

Night owls are in for a treat as Charles Town hosts two rich late-night graded races Friday. The $1-million GII Charles Town Classic, won the last two years by the late Art Collector (Bernardini), attracts a field ages three and up going nine furlongs. Among the top choices are Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), winner two back of the GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows over the re-opposing MGSW Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) and Call Me Fast (Dialed In). A Dale Romans trainee, Giant Game was fifth behind White Abarrio (Race Day)'s monster effort in the GI Whitney S. Aug. 5. This spring's GI Carter H. winner Doppelganger (Into Mischief) and West Virginia-bred Muad'dib (Fiber Sonde), second to Art Collector in last year's Classic, are among the others looking to make some noise.

Also on tap at Charles Town Friday night is the GIII Charles Town Oaks offering a $750,000 purse for sprinting sophomore fillies going seven furlongs. All eyes will be on Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), the Tom Amoss trainee who captured the GII Golden Rod S. in her third straight last year but faltered since in disappointing efforts. In her last out June 17, she appeared to be getting back on track in the Monomoy Girl S. at Ellis Park, which she captured over subsequent GI CCA Oaks winner Wet Paint (Blame).

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Horse Racing Nation was first with the story.

“This was sudden and a tough experience for me and my wife,” said owner-breeder Bruce Lunsford. “I can summarize this pretty easily. He gave me my highest highs in this business and now my lowest low. That's as simple as I can put it. He will be in my brain and my thoughts for the rest of my life. He was very special. The biggest win of my life was in the Pegasus down in Miami, so this was a really big loss. And he was going to be a great sire.”

Trainer Bill Mott said the problems started only a few days ago but became more serious by the day.

“He started to develop laminitis a couple of days ago and he went in a hurry,” Mott said. “He had a very good work on the fifth of August and was fine the next day. Then he developed what appeared to be a small foot abscess two days later. We were soaking it and treating it. We didn't think it was going to be anything serious, but it developed into laminitis in all four feet. He was with us in Saratoga and was in his stall. He started to get real uncomfortable on Tuesday. Yesterday was a bad day and it was getting worse and we had to make the decision to put him asleep.”

Art Collector was originally trained by Joe Sharp. He was transferred to trainer Tom Drury for his 3-year-old campaign. His first graded stakes win came for Drury in the 2020 GII Blue Grass S., which, because of the pandemic, was run on July 11. He returned with a win in the Ellis Park Derby before finishing fourth in the GI Preakness S., which began a three-race losing streak.

In July of 2021, Lunsford made the decision to turn the horse over to Mott, who helped turn around the horse's career. He won his first three starts for Mott in a streak that included the Alydar S., the GII Charles Town Classic and the Woodward. He scored another win in the Charles Town Classic in 2022. After winning this year's Pegasus, he finished his career with second-place finishes in the GII New Orleans Classic and the GII Alysheba.

He was being pointed for a return visit to this year's Charles Town Classic. Lunsford said the plan was to retire Art Collector after the Charles Town race and then to send him to Claiborne Farm, where he was to stand at stud.

Art Collector won 11 of 21 starts and earned $4,231,290.

“To win the Pegasus, what a brilliant race that was for him,” Mott said. “It may be the biggest race of the year so far in North America. We all have great memories of that. He won 50% of his races. He wasn't just an average race horse. He was pretty special.”

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Sleepy Eyes Todd – trying to become the first repeat Classic winner since Researcher in 2010 – was sent to the lead and carved out opening fractions of 23.80 and 47.90 for the first quarter and half mile under rider Ry Eikleberry, with Art Collector glued to his flank for much of the early running.  With Saez and Art Collector seizing the lead, they appeared poised to draw off for a convincing win but were fought every step of the way by the world traveling Sleepy Eyes Todd before prevailing by a length and a half at the wire.

“I thought I had him [Sleepy Eyes Todd] turning for home,” said Saez.  “He looked like he was going pretty well and that's why I tried to attack pretty early.  Art Collector gave me that kick but he was fighting in the stretch.  It was just a great finish.”

In winning the Classic, Art Collector gave his Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott his first victory at the West Virginia oval.

California shipper Rushie finished 5 1/2 lengths back of Art Collector in third with another west coast presence in Restrainedvengence rounding out the superfecta.

On the wagering front, the $7,179,783 wagered on Friday night's Charles Town Classic card established a new single card handle record for the track, shattering the previous mark of $5,720,375 set on the 2019 Classic card.

“We couldn't be happier with the way the night unfolded, the way our horseplayers and fans responded and the record handle that resulted,” said Charles Town's Vice President of Racing and Sports Operations Erich Zimny. “It's a testament to the job that our Director of Racing, Charlie McIntosh, and the racing office staff did in putting such a deep and competitive card together that we can't wait to expand upon in 2022.”

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Following all scratches announced this morning, the number of betting interests in the late Pick 4 and Pick 5 sequences as well as the Pick 6 remain unchanged with the only defection being Belle Tapisserie in Race 10 – the $150,000 Russell Road – who will be replaced in the field by Speighstford who draws in off the also eligible list. Alayla, who was on the also eligible list for the Charles Town Oaks, was also an early scratch as were also eligibles Cayenne Creek, Brother Corbin and William and Mary in the final race of the night, the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial.

Post time for the first race on tonight's Charles Town Classic program is set for 5:00 P.M.

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In a 2020 racing season turned topsy-turvy by the COVID-19 pandemic, Art Collector stormed into an unusual October edition of the Preakness Stakes (G1) as one of the principal favorites. When the field crossed the finish line, however, Art Collector had checked in a dispiriting fourth, having never made the lead, the hallmark of his best efforts. He went on to the Breeders' Cup and was a well-beaten eighth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), and when he returned to the races seven months later, this past June, he was off the board again in the ungraded Kelly's Landing at Churchill Downs.

Perplexed, Lunsford decided to shake things up and sent the son of Bernardini to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's barn in Saratoga. On August 6, Art Collector raced for the first time under Mott and scorched a quality field in the Alydar Stakes, his imposing velocity back on full display.

Now, Mott will find out if Art Collector is all the way back, sending him out as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a field of ten Friday night in the 13th running of the Grade 2, $800,000 Charles Town Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles at Hollywood Casino at Charles Races.

The Classic, celebrating its 10th anniversary as Charles Town's first graded stakes race, highlights a packed 13 race card that will see total purses top $2 million. Post time for the first race is 5:00 P.M.

Mott is one of the premier trainers in the history of racing, with more than $300 million in career earnings and horses like the great Cigar and Royal Delta on his resume. Even after decades in the sport, getting a horse like Art Collector still excites him, and that he runs in the Classic off just three weeks rest – uncharacteristically short for Mott – is a sign of high confidence.

“We're glad to have the opportunity to have a horse like him in the barn,” Mott said. “It's nice to have a horse you can take to these kinds of races, and you have some sort of chance.

“It's a little bit risky coming in on that short rest, but it's a nice race to participate in and the purse money is very good. If we had another week it would be a lot better, but that's the only drawback.”

Mott's lone other Charles Town Classic starter, Ron the Greek, finished a close-up third behind Game on Dude and Clubhouse Ride in the 2013 edition.

Jockey Luis Saez, the leading rider this summer at Saratoga, will fly in for the mount.

Like Art Collector, every horse in the Classic has a resume laced with success as well as something to prove.

Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables' five-year-old millionaire Warrior's Charge has been a top racer since 2019, but hasn't won since taking the Razorback (G3) at Oaklawn Park in February 2020. Yet he has placed in three graded stakes including last time out in the Stephen Foster (G2) at Churchill Downs, where he got pinballed around at the start only to rally courageously for second behind top-flight handicap horse Maxfield.

Normally a constant pace presence or front-runner, Warrior's Charge showed maturity and a new dimension in the Stephen Foster, giving confidence to trainer Brad Cox that he's not so one-dimensional.

“Maxfield is a cut above that group, but he ran second,” Cox said of the Stephen Foster. “But it showed [Warrior's Charge] doesn't have to go to the front and can pass horses. It wasn't the way we thought it would play out, and we were happy with the way it played out.”

Cox admitted he didn't know how Warrior's Charge would run Friday, only that he expects a good race.

“I'm not a big instruction giver to begin with,” he said. “Florent [Geroux]'s riding him, and he knows the horse really well. We always try to break with the speed and be involved with all of our horses. Good jocks don't need instruction and bad ones don't listen. He's training well at Ellis Park, and we'll ship Wednesday.”

“We have to hopefully get a good trip and hopefully he likes Charles Town. There are 800,000 reasons to try it.”

Trainer David Fawkes comes into the race with Harold Queen's homebred six-year-old Noble Drama, a win machine making his first start outside of Florida.

The evening will be extra special for Fawkes as this is the 10th anniversary of him winning the Classic with Duke of Mischief, the first year the race was graded.

Charles Town has announced that Duke of Mischief, who stands stud at nearby Flowing Acres Farm, will lead the Classic post parade.

“I haven't seen him in 10 years,” Fawkes said. “[VP of Racing & Sports Operations] Erich Zimny called me about a week ago and the farm manager called me. Now, I've gotta win.”

Fawkes just might. Noble Drama, who comes from off the pace has won four of his past seven starts and two in a row. He's a Sunshine Millions Classic winner with multiple stakes victories.

“He's gotten really good this year, and he came off that layoff [in May] like a monster,” Fawkes said. “I know bull rings. You've got to pick your horses, and I think this is the right one. First of all, it's how he's built. He's not a real big horse. He should be comfortable on the tighter turns. I never lean on him at all. I put a couple horses in front of him last work and he went 47 and three and galloped out in 59 and 1. He wasn't even breathing.”

Angel Cruz has the call on Noble Drama on Friday night.

Jim and Donna Daniell's Rushie has at times shown glimpses of being a top horse in his own right, and he will ship in from California for trainer Michael McCarthy. The four-year-old son of Liam's Map finished third last year in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and third behind Art Collector in the Blue Grass before breaking through with a commanding win in the Pat Day Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs.

After finishing seventh behind the overwhelming Knicks Go in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Rushie returned in April and missed winning the Oaklawn Mile by a nose. McCarthy said he thought the race portended good things to come, but Rushie ran fourth in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) and then dueled on the lead and tired to sixth in the San Diego Handicap (G2) last time out on July 17.

“The horse has been training well and had a bit of a head scratcher in the San Diego,” McCarthy said. “I have no reservations about this. I thought this would be a big year for this horse. He ran so well in the Oaklawn Mile. He's got a stamina pedigree. It's been frustrating, but he's got a lot of ability, and we hope he can get it all together on Friday.”

Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza will ride Rushie in the Charles Town Classic.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out John Fanelli, Cash is King and LC Racing's Ny Traffic, another runner who has flashed tremendous promise and is looking for a breakthrough performance.

The gray four-year-old son of Cross Traffic finished second last year in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Matt Winn (G3) before nearly knocking off Horse of the Year Authentic in the Haskell (G1), beaten only by a nose.

Ny Traffic tailed off in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and has failed to regain his best form this year, although he showed glimpses with a good second in the Salvator Mile (G3) in June at Monmouth.

He also likes to be involved in the pace early.

“He's a tactical type of horse,” Joseph said.

Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Ny Traffic in his last start at Monmouth, has the mount once again.

The horse that beat Ny Traffic in the Salvator Mile was Informative, who won at odds of 79-1 and comes from the barn of one of racing's long-shot kings, trainer Uriah St. Lewis.

St. Lewis won the 2018 Jockey Club Gold Cup with Discreet Lover at 45-1, who ran the following year in the Charles Town Classic. Last year, his Forewarned checked in seventh in the Classic.

Informative, a four-year-old son of Bodemeister, comes into the Classic off a fifth-place finish behind Max Player and Mystic Guide in the 1 1/4 mile Suburban (G2) at Belmont Park.

“I work with him, work with him; we're trying with him every day,” St. Lewis said. “We took him to Pimlico [for an allowance], and he ran a good race, so we decided to go to the Salvator Mile and won that. Then we went to the Suburban, and we got beat, but it was still only nine lengths to those types of horses.”

At 20-1 on the morning line, St. Lewis will have the services of Jose Ferrer in the irons as he attempts to pull the upset.

2020 Charles Town Classic winner Sleepy Eyes Todd will attempt to do what the prior seven horses in his shoes failed to accomplish – defending his title in West Virginia's richest horse race. He waltzed home by 7 1/2 lengths last year and then took down two more graded stakes races before moving up and running consecutively in three of the world's richest races – the $3,000,000 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (fourth), the $20,000,000 Saudi Cup (fifth) and the $12,000,000 Dubai World Cup (10th).

Sleepy Eyes Todd, owned by Thumbs Up Racing and trained by Miguel Angel Silva at Canterbury Park, hasn't raced since April, when he finished third in a stakes race at Fonner Park in Nebraska.

Ry Eikleberry has the mount on Sleepy Eyes Todd in the 2021 Classic.

Bourbon Lane Stable and Six Column Stables will run seven-year-old Bourbon Calling, who won the seven-furlong Russell Road on the Classic undercard last year at the track and has twice placed in graded stakes.

“We know he likes the track,” said trainer Ian Wilkes. Sometimes it's not the best horse that wins [at Charles Town] because that track is a little different.”

Bourbon Calling was prepped for the Classic by finishing third in the West Virginia' Governor's Stakes (G3) on August 7 at Mountaineer Park.

Joining Rushie in making the trip from out west is the versatile Restrainedvengence, a six-year-old California shipper owned by Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bob Grayson and trained by Val Brinkerhoff.

The gelded son of Hold Me Back is a graded stakes winner on grass, placed in Grade 1 races, and is a stakes winner as well on dirt. In his most recent start, on July 24, Restrainedvengence finished sixth, beaten just 3 1/4 lengths by leading turfer United in the Eddie Reed (G2) at Del Mar.

Brinkerhoff had two decades of experience riding bull ring tracks and as a trainer breaks and prepares his babies at Dixie Downs, a six-furlong track in St. George, Utah, before bringing them down to California.

He believes with that past experience that Restrainedvengence will take nicely to Charles Town.

“I trained him a little on Dixie Downs,” said Brinkerhoff, who decided to re-route his horse from the Del Mar Mile to take a shot in the Classic. “This is a really good horse. He's never thrown in a clunker.”

Jockey Edwin Maldonado, a former leading rider at the old Fairplex in Pomona, California, will ride.

“He's excellent on this type of track,” Brinkerhoff said.

Air Token completes the full field of ten for the Charles Town Classic on Friday.

The Classic, which is slated to go postward at 10:18 P.M. EST, will be part of three sequences of interest to horseplayers – a mandatory payout of the Charles Town Pick 6 jackpot, which commences with Race 8, a $100,000 Guaranteed Pick 5 beginning in Race 9 and a $100,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 that starts with Race 10.

$800,000 CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC (G2)

August 27, 2021

Race 12 – Post time 10:18 PM EST

1. Warrior's Charge, Florent Geroux, 118, Brad H. Cox

2. Noble Drama, Angel Cruz, 118, David Fawkes

3. Rushie, Victor Espinoza, 118, Michael W. McCarthy

4. Bourbon Calling, Brian J. Hernandez, Jr., 118, Ian R. Wilkes

5. Informative, Jose C. Ferrer, 120, Uriah St. Lewis

6. Ny Traffic, Tyler Gaffalione, 118, Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.

7. Sleepy Eyes Todd, Ry Eikleberry, 118, Miguel Angel Silva

8. Art Collector, Luis Saez, 118, William I. Mott

9. Restrainedvengence, Edwin A. Maldonado, 120, Val Brinkerhoff

10. Air Token, J.D. Acosta, 118, Jose Corrales

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Both the late, all-stakes Pick 4 and Pick 5 on the Charles Town Classic card will come with $100,000 guarantees, where the track will supplement the difference in either pool if less than $100,000 is wagered. The Pick 4, which covers the final four races on the Classic card, and the Pick 5 covering the final five paid out $380.00 and $1,466.15 respectively for a 50-cent bet on the 2020 Classic card, despite 50-cent win parlays for each sequence returning less than half those amounts.

In addition to the multiple guaranteed pools, Charles Town has also scheduled a mandatory payout of the Charles Town 6-12 carryover which currently stands at $21,243 with 4 cards remaining prior to its distribution. The Charles Town 6-12 is a jackpot style Pick 6 covering the final six races on each Charles Town card and carries a low 12-percent takeout.

Due to the low takeout and size of the carryover, the mandatory payouts of the Charles Town 6-12 have typically resulted in a players' advantage of in upwards of 13% paid out on top of the gross pool on the night of the distribution.

The first race on Charles Town Classic day is slated for 5:00 P.M EST, with the $800,000 Charles Town Classic carrying a tentative post time of 10:18 P.M.

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The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay worked a half-mile solo in :48.45 on the main track in preparation for a start in the $600,000 Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs on the main track on Travers Day August 28.

“He's bounced out of the race good. We haven't seen anything to deter us running back in the Forego,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He got the thumps last time pretty bad. Hopefully, that was the reason for his performance.”

A multiple graded stakes winner, Mischevious Alex has won 3-of-5 starts this year, including scores in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., in February and the Grade 1 Carter Handicap in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Joseph Jr. said Friday's breeze have him confidence that Mischevious Alex could return to form in the Forego.

“He went a good half by himself. Hopefully, the real Alex shows up and if he does, he'll have a good chance,” Joseph, Jr. said.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock, a sophomore son of Maclean's Music, also breezed Friday covering a half-mile in :48.83 on the main track.

Boasting a record of six wins and two seconds from nine starts, Drain the Clock bested Jackie's Warrior by a neck on June 5 at Belmont in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.

Last out, in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam, Jackie's Warrior turned the tables with a romping 7 1/4-length score over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga main track.

Joseph Jr. said he is hopeful Drain the Clock will one-up his familiar foe in the $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Travers Day.

“No one was beating Jackie that day. He ran dynamite. Maybe our horse didn't run his best that day but all credit to Jackie,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We have no excuse. We had a good trip. The record is one and one. He's beat us once, we beat him once. We'll try again in the Allen Jerkens.”

John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman, and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic, a 4-year-old New York-bred son of Cross Traffic, breezed a half-mile in :48 flat Sunday on the main track.

The talented colt finished second in a trio of graded events last year, including the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., the Grade 3 Matt Winn in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., in July in which he finished just a nose back of Authentic.

Ny Traffic won his seasonal debut in May at Belmont by 6 3/4-lengths sprinting seven furlongs against fellow state-breds in an optional claimer and followed with a close second in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June at Monmouth.

Last out, Ny Traffic faded to fourth in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 17.

“He went good this morning. It was his first breeze back since Monmouth, I had him in 47 and 4. It was a good work back,” Joseph Jr. said. “There's a possibility he could go in the Forego or the Charles Town Classic.”

Joseph Jr. said Ny Traffic will breeze again next weekend before he decides on cutting back to seven furlongs for the Forego or stretching out to nine furlongs for the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at Charles Town in Charles Town, W.Va. on August 27.

Overall, Joseph, Jr. said he has been pleased with Ny Traffic's performances this season.

“He won his debut at Belmont and in his second race at Monmouth he ran second but it was a good race,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Last time he disappointed a little bit if you just look at the running lines, but the reality is that he acted up pre-race back at the barn and I think he lost his race there. It wasn't a true run.”

Joseph, Jr. said e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Gibberish will turn back to nine furlongs for the $120,000 Summer Colony on August 22 at the Spa.

Last out, the 4-year-old daughter of Lea was a game second to Miss Marissa in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 10.

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“I'm thinking Charles Town,” trainer David Fawkes said Wednesday.

Fawkes has his sights set on the $800,000 Charles Town Classic (G2), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for Aug. 27.

“I think he fits in there really well,” Fawkes said, “and I've won the race before.”

Fawkes saddled Duke of Mischief for a 2 ¼-length victory over Game on Dude in the 2011 Charles Town Classic. The Florida-bred son of Graeme Hall returned the following year to finish second behind Caixa Eletronica.

Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama has won seven stakes and more than $700,000 in purses while racing in Florida, but the gelded son of Gone Astray came up short in only one graded-stakes opportunity.

“I just think this year he's gotten better than normal. He seems better than he used to be,” Fawkes said. “His comeback race was good and his second race is better. I just feel like he's doing really good and deserves an opportunity like that.”

Fan Favorite Noble Drama is 2-for-2 in mile overnight handicap starts since returning from a four-month layoff following his second-place finish in the $200,000 Sunshine Classic during Gulfstream's Championship Meet. He captured the May 22 My Name's Jimmy with a last-to-first surge before defeating a very talented field of rivals with another last to first score in the July 11 City of Dania.

In Noble Drama's absence, a field of seven veteran stakes performers has been assembled for the Benny The Bull, a seven-furlong stakes for Florida-breds.

Jacks or Better Farm Inc.'s Shivaree and Garter and Tie were entered Wednesday with trainer Ralph Nicks hoping that the homebreds can return to winning form. Shivaree, the runner-up in the 2020 Florida Derby (G1), is winless in four starts this year. Garter and Tie, a multiple-stakes winner who finished a troubled third behind Noble Drama in last year's Benny The Bull, is scheduled to make his 2021 debut Saturday.

Owner/trainer Kathleen O'Connell's Well Defined, who captured the 2019 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, is scheduled to seek his fifth victory in eight races this year in the Benny The Bull. Gary Barber and Michael Sebastian's Untitled, who finished second in the 2020 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, is set to come off a 5 ½-month layoff.

Owner/trainer Larry Bates' With Verve, owner/trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Silver Enough, IAB Stables and Walter Fralick's Quenane; Rodney Lundock's Pro Quality round out the field; and Hacienda Real Racing LLC's Travy Boy round out the field.

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