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Caracaro Works Despite The Rain, Tiz the Law Move Postponed

The connections of presumptive GI Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law (Constitution) called an audible Saturday morning when heavy rains pelted Saratoga, opting for a gallop (XBTV video) and moving a scheduled breeze for the treble Grade I winner to Sunday. But the inclement weather did not stop ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Caracaro (Uncle Mo), as he posted a five-furlong move in 1:01.02 over the main track (XBTV video). It was the first serious piece of work for the bay colt since his distant runner-up effort to Tiz the Law in the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 8.

“We wanted something easy. In his first work after the Travers, we just want to see where we’re at,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., son of and assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado. “Ideally, we’ll have [Hall of Fame jockey] Javier [Castellano] aboard next Saturday. We’ll see during the week how he comes back from this work and where his energy level is at, but so far, he’s doing well.”

Accorded ‘Rising Star’ status off his six-length graduation going Gulfstream’s one-turn mile Jan. 11, Caracaro was off six months before running Country Grammer (Tonalist) to a neck in the GIII Peter Pan S. on opening day at the Spa July 16. He earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his Travers, in which he was 5 1/2 lengths behind Tiz the Law and two lengths ahead of Max Player (Honor Code).

Caracaro is scheduled to depart for Louisville Aug. 30.

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On To The Derby For Travers Runner-Up Caracaro; Rice Keeping Max Player’s Options Open

It's on to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby for Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing's Caracaro, runner-up in Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trainer Gustavo Delgado said he was pleased with the way Caracaro exited the “Mid-Summer Derby,” his second race in three weeks off a six-month layoff.

“He came back very good. He's happy, he ate his food, he's relaxed. Right now, he's sleeping. Everything's good,” Delgado said. “We'll check with the vet and talk with the owners and my son and decide. As long as there's no problems, we'll go to the Derby.

“Yesterday was a big race, a strong race. I consider Tiz the Law the best horse in the country,” he added. “In the Travers, they were all good horses. It was his second race after the six months and to run second again was very good for us.”

Caracaro earned 40 qualifying points for the Derby in the Travers, where he was 5 1/2 lengths behind Tiz the Law but two lengths clear of Max Player in third. Caracaro picked up 20 points for his neck defeat in the Grade 2 Peter Pan on July 16 at Saratoga and ranks 10th, solidifying his spot in the 20-horse Derby field.

“That's what we wanted and that was the plan. It's always been the plan with him. We're kind of satisfied that we accomplished that,” Delgado's son and assistant, Gustavo Delgado, Jr. said. “Of course we know there's a freak horse around. We do think that our horse still has a lot of room for improvement. He's still developing, you can tell, and we were asking a lot from him.

“I think running after three weeks, one more furlong, out of that effort in the Peter Pan, to come back in the Travers, a tougher race, a tougher field, and he showed up again,” he added. “His figure numbers keep improving. He handled the distance pretty well. You can tell he kept going, at his own pace, but he kept going. We were just second-best. But he beat all the other horses, so that was good.”

Delgado, Jr. said Caracaro is expected to remain in Saratoga to train for the Derby, which was rescheduled from May 2 to September 5. It will be the third trip to Louisville for the Delgados, who ran 18th with Majesto in 2016 and 13th with Bodexpress in 2019.

“It's going to be a long and very exciting three weeks,” Delgado, Jr. said. “It's more likely that we will stay here. I don't think shipping the horse the next few days would be good for him. He will go through regular post-race stress so it's better if he stays here, and he likes it here, the weather and everything. Ideally, we will stay here and train for the Derby and ship right before the race. That's what makes more sense right now.”

'Baby Steps' Forward For Third-Place Finishers Max Player
George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player continued his career-long trend of finishing in the money, earning third-place honors for the second consecutive Grade 1 with his black-type effort in Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

Just like in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20, Max Player stayed off the pace in the 151st running of the Travers before finishing strong to earn a placing in a race won by New York-bred Tiz the Law.

Under jockey Joel Rosario for the second consecutive start, Max Player went four-wide in the upper stretch and hit the wire two lengths back of runner-up Caracaro, who was 5 1/2 lengths behind the runaway winner and 1-2 favorite.

Bred by K&G Stables in Kentucky, Max Player is 2-1-2 in five career starts for trainer Linda Rice.

“He came out of it really well,” Rice said. “He's a little tired, but otherwise, he's in good shape.”

Max Player earned a 99 Beyer for the effort, the best of his career and exceeding his previous high of 92 garnered in the Belmont Stakes. He has improved his speed figures in every start, beginning with a 68 in a second-place debut effort as a juvenile in November at Parx. After breaking his maiden at second asking to cap his 2-year-old year in December over a sloppy and sealed Parx main track, Max Player earned an 86 for his 3 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Withers in his stakes – and sophomore – debut in February at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“We were pleased with it,” Rice said. “He's continued to improve and taken baby steps forward. So, we were pleased with that. He's been pretty consistent and has been moving forward with gentle progress. We're happy with that. He came out of it fine and he's sleeping a lot today since he ran hard and is a bit tired. But all in all, he came out of the race well.”

Max Player earned 20 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby on September 5 at Churchill Downs, with the Runhappy Travers awarding 100-40-20-10 to the top-four finishers. He sits ninth on the Derby leaderboard with 60 total points and $337,500 in non-restricted stakes earnings. With the “Run for the Roses” expected to draw its usual full field of 20, that would put Max Player in contention to give Rice her first career Derby starter should the connections decide to ship him there.

“We're certainly going to keep that option open,” Rice said. “We'll give it a few days and I'll discuss it further with George and Joe De Perio [president of SportBLX] and talk about that later in the week.”

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Tiz the Law in Good Order After Travers Romp, On to Derby

Sackatoga Stable’s GI Runhappy Travers S. winner Tiz the Law (Constitution) was bright-eyed the morning after his dominant 5 1/2-length victory in Saratoga’s marquee race, for which he received a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure. Shortly after training concluded for the morning, trainer Barclay Tagg was at his barn on the Saratoga backstretch standing next to the garland of carnations that had been draped around the now four-time Grade I winner’s neck Saturday. Tagg said his star 3-year-old colt was in good order.

“He looks fine,” Tagg told the NYRA notes team. “I was very pleased with the way he ran. He did everything a good horse ought to do and did it perfectly.”

After becoming the first New York-bred to win the GI Belmont S. in 138 years, Tiz the Law became the first horse bred in the Empire State to win the Travers since Thunder Rumble in 1992. Tiz the Law will now point to the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, which Tagg won with Sackatoga’s Funny Cide in 2003.

“He seems to terrorize the competition when he makes his move,” Tagg said. “Every race I’ve seen, even the first one, has been great. He came off that turn, and I thought, ‘They’re going to run by him like he’s standing still’ and then I look again and he’s three in front. It was the same way yesterday. I thought, ‘Get into him, Manny’ and he just kept running, running, running.”

Tiz the Law will likely have two breezes prior to the Derby, according to Tagg.

“He’ll gallop every day,” Tagg said. “He’ll have about 10 days before we breeze him again. We’ll probably only be able to get two breezes in him before we go out there. We’ll go out there a week ahead of time.”

Travers runner-up Caracaro (Uncle Mo) is likely Derby bound, reported trainer Gustavo Delgado. The lightly-raced colt would be making just his fifth career start in Louisville.

“He came back very good. He’s happy, he ate his food, he’s relaxed. Right now, he’s sleeping. Everything’s good,” Delgado said. “We’ll check with the vet and talk with the owners and my son and decide. As long as there’s no problems, we’ll go to the Derby. Yesterday was a big race, a strong race. I consider Tiz the Law the best horse in the country.”

Third finisher Max Player (Honor Code), who also ran third in the Belmont, has enough qualifying points to be trainer Linda Rice’s first Derby starter, but Rice said she would wait a bit to make a decision on the race.

“He came out of it really well,” Rice said. “He’s a little tired, but otherwise, he’s in good shape. He’s continued to improve and taken baby steps forward. So, we were pleased with that. He’s been pretty consistent and has been moving forward with gentle progress. We’re happy with that. We’re certainly going to keep [the Derby] option open. We’ll give it a few days and I’ll discuss it further with George and Joe De Perio [president of co-owner SportBLX Thoroughbreds] and talk about that later in the week.”

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Fan-Favorite Bodexpress Seeks Stakes Breakthrough In Alydar

Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable's Bodexpress will look to run off with Sunday's $85,000 Alydar, a nine-furlong route restricted to 4-year-olds and upward yet to win a stake this year other than state-bred, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the multiple graded-stakes placed Bodexpress was a late scratch before the start of the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 18 at Monmouth Park. He then re-routed to the Alydar at his home base at the Spa under the care of the conditioner's son and assistant trainer, Gustavo Delgado, Jr.

Bodexpress was also under consideration for last Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney, won by Improbable, and Delgado, Jr. expressed regret at not entering the colt in the compact, but talented, field of five.

“We were planning to enter him in the Whitney, and we were regretting not doing it because that race had no pace. They went [a quarter-mile] in 25, and almost 50 [to the half-mile],” said Delgado, Jr. “He probably would have been on the lead and not to say that he would have won it, but second or third in the Whitney would have been good.”

The 4-year-old Bodemeister bay has breezed twice on the Saratoga main track since scratching at Monmouth, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:02.66 Sunday under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano who has the call from post 5.

Bodexpress became an internet sensation after unseating Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez in last year's Grade 1 Preakness before completing the course on his own accord. Delgado, Jr. said providing Castellano an opportunity to hop aboard the quirky colt in advance of Sunday was important.

“Last Sunday he breezed with Castellano on him, and he really liked him,” said Delgado, Jr. “He's got more confidence in him now. It's always good to get to know him first.”

A runner-up as a maiden in the 2019 Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Bodexpress was placed 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, ultimately graduating in October in a mile and seventy yard maiden tilt at Gulfstream Park West. He completed his eventful sophomore season with a third in the Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream.

Bodexpress has made three starts this season at Gulfstream, including a fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational and a last-out third in the Grade 3 Hal's Hope at nine furlongs.

Delgado, Jr. said the well-traveled Bodexpress is enjoying his time at the Spa.

“He's doing really good. He's feeling good. He likes it here. The ambience, the weather, everything,” said Delgado, Jr.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Tenfold, a multiple graded-stakes winning son of Curlin, captured the 2018 Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga before running seventh in the Grade 1 Travers.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the Kentucky homebred will make his return to the Spa off a third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup on June 6 at Santa Anita, a 10-furlong event won by Improbable.

Ricardo Santana, Jr., who guided Tenfold to his most recent victory in the 2019 Grade 3 Pimlico Special, has the call from post six.

Godolphin homebred Endorsed, a 4-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt, earned a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure two starts back when second to Code of Honor in the Grade 3 Westchester traveling a one-turn 1 1/16-miles on June 6 at Belmont.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Endorsed has shown good form at Saratoga where he graduated in a maiden sprint in August 2018 and last year added a second in the nine-furlong Curlin and rallying fourth in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

Endorsed will be looking for his third win of the campaign following optional-claiming scores in January at Gulfstream for former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and a half-length win at Oaklawn Park in May at first asking for Mott.

Joel Rosario, aboard for a last-out seventh in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile on July 4 at Belmont, retains the mount from the inside post.

Rounding out the field are Backsideofthemoon [post 2, Manny Franco], Spinoff [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], and Its All Relevant [post 4, Dylan Davis].

The Alydar is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Sunday's card will also feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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