Pin Oak gave a final update on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Wednesday, saying, “Our hearts are broken but Geaux Rocket Ride is at peace. We will miss you forever, Rocket.”

Pin Oak's official statement said: “It is with very heavy hearts that we report that, at the recommendation of the medical team, Geaux Rocket Ride has finally reached peace. His mind and his spirit never quit, but his body never recovered from surgery. He had a very rare response post-op and he wasn't able to stand up again. He fought hard and our team of vets tried everything they could.

“We are grateful for Dr. Bramlage, Dr. Carpenter, Dr. Slovis, Dr. Klohnen and all of the other doctors and medical staff who helped Rocket. We are appreciative of all of the support that we've received from everyone. We made sure he knew how loved he was. Geaux Rocket Ride was the first member of our Pin Oak family and he will never be forgotten. We will miss you forever, Rocket.”

Our hearts are broken but Geaux Rocket Ride is at peace. We will miss you forever, Rocket pic.twitter.com/RINqzRcoEw

— Pin Oak Stud (@PinOakStud) November 1, 2023

Bred by OXO Equine LLC in Kentucky, Geaux Rocket Ride was a $350,000 purchase on behalf of the Pin Oak team at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale in 2021. Sent to Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, he burst onto the scene this January with a 5 3/4-length maiden special weight win at Santa Anita. After winning the Affirmed S. in June, he shipped across the country to Monmouth Park and won the TVG.com Haskell S. He also placed in both the GI Fanduel Racing Pacific Classic and the GII San Felipe S. His final record was 5-3-2-0 with earnings of $980,200.

The Breeders' Cup also released a statement late Wednesday, saying: “The immense effort that went into Geaux Rocket Ride's medical care following Saturday's injury is a testament to his team's deep commitment to his wellbeing. Our thoughts are with Pin Oak Stud LLC, Richard Mandella, and everyone affected by his loss.”

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An update from the Breeders' Cup read: “Geaux Rocket Ride sustained an open condylar fracture with intersesmoidian ligament damage to his right front leg during a workout this morning under Mike Smith, who was uninjured, dismounted, and tended to the horse. Geaux Rocket Ride was taken via equine ambulance to the Southern California Equine Foundation (SCEF) equine hospital at Santa Anita Park and has since been transferred to his barn to undergo additional evaluation and diagnostics to determine the appropriate course of action. Our thoughts, along with those of the entire racing community, are with trainer Richard Mandella, the Pin Oak Stud LLC team, and all those who care for him during this difficult time.

Mandella said Geaux Rocket Ride has condylar fracture that broke through skin. While no sesamoid fracture, ligaments are stretched. Plan is for arthrodesis Sunday. “It's going to be a delicate situation, it's going to be lucky to make it, but we're going to do everything we can.”

— David Grening (@DRFGrening) October 28, 2023

Leading up to the World Championships, the Breeders' Cup has been working closely with Santa Anita Park, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), and our veterinary team to ensure every Breeders' Cup runner is fit to race. The Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team also coordinated with regulatory and track veterinarians across the country to thoroughly review the veterinary records associated with all potential Breeders' Cup runners starting in early October. This expanded veterinary review protocol is designed to ensure, to the extent possible, every horse that made the trip to Santa Anita Park for the World Championships was sound to race and train. We have faith in these processes, which include expanded veterinary exam protocols, increased testing, 24-hour equine surveillance starting Tuesday, Oct. 31 for domestic runners and Sunday, Oct. 29 for international runners, and enhanced reporting requirements.

Safety always comes first, which is why Breeders' Cup and industry leaders like the CHRB and 1/ST Racing have been longtime advocates for the uniform safety and integrity reforms that eventually became part of HISA. We are constantly evaluating and updating our safety and screening measures so we can continue to provide the safest possible racing environment.”

Veterinarian Will Farmer issued an update about the condition of GEAUX ROCKET RIDE. pic.twitter.com/TkUs5tSkA7

— TVG (@TVG) October 28, 2023

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NYRA Clockers caught the Gustavo Delgado trainee through splits of :12.58, :24.49 and :36.35 over the main track.

“Very good, because it was very easy,” Delgado said of the work, which was Mage's first breeze since finishing second in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. July 22. “The rider said to me, 'no complaints.' Very intelligent and concentrated. He came back and wasn't breathing heavy and was quite focused. We can't ask for more. We wanted whatever the horse wanted to do. It's two weeks after the Haskell, so we had no expectations and he didn't need to hit a mark.”

Restrepo added, “I'm super happy. He galloped out strong and he's really feeling himself. He's really enjoying Saratoga and a lot of horses take to it here. It's like a horse paradise for them and for ourselves. We go week-by-week in this process.”

Work of the Day from #Saratoga—Mage worked 5 Furlongs in 1:01.03 on August 5th, 2023, for trainer @GDS_Racing. pic.twitter.com/0cIktv4xHu

— XBTV (@WatchXBTV) August 5, 2023

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West Will Power, owned and bred by Gary and Mary West, is under consideration for either next Saturday's GI Whitney S. or the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sept. 2 at the Spa.

“It's a very prestigious race. It means a lot,” Cox said of the Whitney. “We'll see how things unfold after this work and make a decision a little bit later. We'll speak with the West team and come up with a plan.”

The Cox-trained Verifying (Justify), a narrow winner of the GIII Indiana Derby, worked a half mile in :48.75 (13/53) in company with the maiden Fighting Back (Lookin At Lucky) over the Oklahoma training track.

Cox said that Verifying will point to the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Aug. 26 at Saratoga.

“He went a really good half. I wasn't looking to do a whole lot with him, but he was on it,” Cox said. “He was ready to do something.”

Charge It Breezes for Whitney…

'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (Tapit), a front-running winner of the GII Suburban S. last out downstate, worked a half mile in :48.77 (28/101) Saturday morning over the main track in his final tune up for next Saturday's Whitney.

“I thought it was excellent,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He did it well in hand and looked good doing it. I've been very pleased with the way he's trained since the Suburban.”

Pletcher continued, “He's a horse that's always trained really strongly and shown hints that he's capable to run a big race. His (GIII) Dwyer was brilliant. His Suburban, I thought, was his most professional race. He's starting to put it all together consistently. It's a very tall order going up against the best older horses in training, but we're happy with the way he's coming into it.”

Pletcher added that fellow 'Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), fifth in the GI Haskell, will target the GI Travers S. Aug. 26.

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Mage shipped from Monmouth Park in New Jersey to Saratoga on Monday and was given another day off on Tuesday. He made his first visit to the track on a cool, foggy morning under his regular exercise rider J.J. Delgado. Assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado held the colt while he was bathed, while his father, trainer Gustavo Delgado, watched.

Delagado, Jr. said that Mage has come out of his first race since the GI Preakness on May 20 in good shape.

“We like what we see, especially the eating, the travel and then here,” Delgado, Jr. said. “This morning he looked pretty good.”

Mage wanted to move around during the bath and Delgado, Jr. said he was tough to control at times.

“Tomorrow, I think he will start galloping, the way he looked today, because he needs it,” Delgado, Jr. said. “He will start off galloping here and then probably next week we'll start taking him to the main track.”

Mage's connections set the Travers as the summer goal after he finished third in the Preakness. They gave him 17 days off and embarked on a training program to prepare him for the summer starts. Delgado, Jr. said that even in defeat the Haskell was a success.

“Everything was according to plan,” he said. “Of course, we wanted to win. And we never had a doubt that he was going to be competitive enough. The thing is that previous to the race we missed at least one breeze that was on the schedule. It was raining a lot at the training center so we couldn't get one work in. But his last one, he was ready. 'Let's take him to the Haskell because he might pull it off.'”

Yet to be decided is whether Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride Mage in the Travers. Castellano rode Arcangelo (Arrogate) in the GI Belmont S. and that colt is headed to the Travers, too. Delgado said he and his father had dinner at Castellano's house Tuesday night, watched the Haskell several times, but did not discuss the Travers.

Delgado, Jr. said they hope that Castellano will be aboard for the marquee race of the Saratoga season, which could decide the 3-year-old male title.

“We wouldn't want to try with somebody else, that's for sure,” Delgado, Jr. said. “But at the same time he's an easy horse to ride. He's not that difficult.”

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The decision was not revealed until about 4:30 ET Thursday when trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr. tweeted the following: “After much consideration and planning Mage's summer goal of getting to the G1 Travers; we have decided to have a prep run in the G1 Haskell this weekend.”

The other option, the connections had been saying for a couple of weeks, was to pass both the Haskell and the GII Jim Dandy S. and go into the GI Travers S. after a series of works. Watching Mage train, they decided a race in the Haskell was the best way to fulfill the goal of winning the Travers.

“Since the day after the Preakness, we have been targeting the Travers as our summer jewel,” said co-owner Ramiro Restrepo. “And we've identified the Haskell as the best route to get him ready for the Travers. We look forward to competing in our fourth consecutive Grade I and putting forth a quality effort.”

Mage hasn't run since finishing third in the GI Preakness S.

The Haskell had already lined up a strong field before the confirmation that Mage would be running, but the race is now shaping up to be one of the strongest Haskells in years.

“We have the Derby winner,” said racing secretary John Heims. “We have Bob Baffert's 'A' horse in Arabian Knight [Uncle Mo]. We have Tapit Trice [Tapit], a Grade I winner who was third in the Belmont. We have Geaux Rocket Ride [Candy Ride {Arg}], who is from the barn of Hall of Famer trainer Dick Mandella, who has been pointing to this race for some time. We have Extra Anejo [Into Mischief], Salute the Stars [Candy Ride {Arg}]. We had a very good race and I think with the addition of Mage it's a great race.”

The field for the Haskell will be drawn Wednesday at noon.

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Mage was given a break from training by trainer Gustavo Delgado after his third-place finish in the GI Preakness S. May 20. He had his fourth timed work Friday–six furlongs in 1:13.40–at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Ky.

“Gustavo just wants to watch the horse until Tuesday,” Restrepo said. “There is no injury. No setback. Nothing negative. We just want to make sure that he is ready to go against horses like Tapit Trice (Tapit) and Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo). There are some serious horses in the Haskell. We want to make sure he makes a good account of himself. The horse has to say to us, 'I'm good.'”

The summer goal for the colt has been the historic $1.25 million GI Travers S. at Saratoga Race Course. Delgado and Mage's connections have been considering whether to have him make his first start back in the Haskell or the GII Jim Dandy at Saratoga July 29. They have focused on the Haskell in recent days, Restrepo said, because it is five weeks before the Travers. However, Delgado may elect to send Mage to Saratoga to train and skip a prep.

Mage did not race as a 2-year-old and has made five starts this year. He broke his maiden Jan. 28 at Gulfstream and finished fourth in the GII Fountain of Youth S. March 4. He secured his Kentucky Derby qualifying points with a second in the GI Florida Derby April 1 and delivered in the Derby at odds of 15-1.

Delgado did not immediately commit to run in the Preakness two weeks after the Derby, but did decide to try him in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. He promptly was sent off to a vacation after the Preakness.

“The break did him wonders,” Restrepo said. “That's what caught our attention. You're so focused from the Derby to the Preakness, there's such a small window, you're really trying to make sure he makes it into the Preakness well, and there's no hiccups that you don't have a chance to step back and kind of view a bigger picture.”

Restrepo said that after being away from the colt for a few weeks, it was apparent that Mage benefitted from what he called a mini off-season.

“We all come back and we're like, 'Whoa. He's put on muscle.  He's put on weight. He's matured,'” he said. “You could see it in his bones, in his body. It's crazy how that time off helped him kind of refill his gas tank. It was a wonderful break for him.”

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The first race of the 40 days of the 155th season opens at 1:10 p.m. Thursday with a 10-race program at Saratoga Race Course. By the time the meeting reaches its conclusion on Labor Day, Sept. 4, over 400 races, including 71 stakes worth $20.8 million, will have been run. The traditional opening-day feature is the $175,000 GIII Schuylerville S. for 2-year-old fillies.

Godolphin's Cody's Wish (Curlin), quite likely the most popular horse in the country, leads the deep lineup of standouts expected to compete at Saratoga this summer. That group includes 2022 Eclipse Award winners Forte (Violence), Nest (Curlin), Elite Power (Curlin) and Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), all of whom won over the track during their championship seasons. Unbeaten Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) is on course for the GI Test on the Whitney Day program on Aug. 5.

Todd Pletcher, the 14-time leading trainer at Saratoga, said that Forte will prep for the GI Travers in the GII Jim Dandy on July 29, but the decision has not been made on whether Tapit Trice (Tapit) will run in the GI Haskell on July 23 at Monmouth Park or the Jim Dandy. He said his grass star Up to the Mark (Not This Time) is likely to run in the GI Arlington Million at Colonial Downs, Suburban S. winner Charge It (Tapit) is a candidate for GI Whitney S. on Aug. 5 and that Far Bridge (English Channel) will follow his Belmont Derby score with a start in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational of Aug. 5.

Cody's Wish, the winner of six straight and nine of his last 10 starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, is on course for the $1 million Whitney. It will be a distance test for GI Met Mile winner; he was third in his lone try at 1 1/8 miles in 2021 at Saratoga.

Todd Pletcher will have all of his stars at Saratoga | Sarah K. Andrew

Three years after the Saratoga season was conducted without fans because of the Covid-19 pandemic and following last year's record-setting summer with remarkable weather, this Saratoga meet appears ready to settle into the familiar groove with the focus fixed squarely on the equine talent. It's business as usual at the Spa.

“I think you always think about Saratoga that way,” said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. “The COVID year was certainly strange, because it was the first time I'd ever seen empty stalls here because some people were unable to attend. But, aside from that, I think you always come into Saratoga expecting to see the best horses in the Midwest and the East Coast and we'll probably get some California shippers. It's that time of the year when you expect to see top-class horses, running in all the big races.”

This will be the 10th season that Jason Fitch and his brothers Adam and Patrick, have operated Kings Tavern, a fixture on Union Avenue across from the main entrances to Saratoga Race Course. Jason Fitch said that in the past few weeks the track has awakened from its annual slumber.

“The vibe is hard to describe. It's because it's kind of like COVID never happened,” he said. “It's like, everything's back to normal. Everybody's happy. Everyone's excited.”

Kings has a solid year-round local clientele and Fitch said with some out-of-town track customers already making their first visits of 2023, one season flows into the next.

“It kind of felt like the track ended like yesterday,” he said. “For me, personally, it feels like, just yesterday was Labor Day.”

During the racing season Kings opens early: at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m., Wednesday-Friday and on Sunday.

In recent years, the New York Racing Association has unveiled a series of capital projects on the grounds. Last year, the rebuilt Wilson Chute enabled NYRA to add one-mile dirt races to its lineup. This year, the most notable addition is very important–the backstretch healthcare clinic building–but not something that the average racegoer would be aware of.

Saratoga's patrons will notice a change of admission pricing and the move to an all-access ticket. NYRA announced in March that daily tickets purchased at least 24 hours in advance will cost $7 and the day-of-the-event price is $10. Since 2019, a grandstand ticket cost $7 and clubhouse entry was $10. The new approach will allow all visitors to go into the clubhouse. General admission on Travers Day will be $30, but $25 in advance.

Some of the bigger names in sport will compete early in the meet. In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) trained by Chad Brown will go after her second-straight win in the GI Diana Saturday and Clairiere (Curlin) will try to repeat in the GII Shuvee on July 23 against Nest, who will be making her 2023 debut.

Nest showed that she was of championship caliber last summer with GI wins in the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Alabama. Pletcher said that the Shuvee run is intended to set her up for the GI Personal Ensign on Aug. 25.

“We wanted to get started a little earlier,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately, she got sick when she first came in and we basically missed a month. It took a little while, to get her well enough to get her back into training. Our original plan was to either run at Keeneland or Churchill and then the Ogden Phipps. It's just unfortunate that set us back to the point where she is just now getting ready.”

The Saratoga season features important off-track events, too. The Jockey Club's annual Round Table will be conducted on Thursday, Aug. 3, the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame will induct its newest members on Aug. 4 and the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of select yearlings will take place on Aug. 7-8.

Pletcher and Chad Brown have been the kingpins on the trainer's table for 12 consecutive years and it's a very safe bet that they will be vying for the title once again. Brown has won the last two and five of the last seven. Defending champ Irad Ortiz Jr. has won the jockey's competition four times.

2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage | Horsephotos

Though the $1.25 million Travers, first run in 1864, is always the marquee race of the season, it could be a crucial test to determine the 3-year-old male title following a spring in which three different horses won the Triple Crown races. That trio, GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) and G1 Belmont S. champ Arcangelo (Arrogate), may meet in the Travers on Aug. 26. If that happens, it will be an oddity: just the fourth time in history and first since 2017. Arcangelo is already based at Saratoga and being pointed to the Travers. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has not announced which horses he will run at Saratoga–in his return to the track after missing 2022 due to a ban imposed by the New York Racing Association–but on Monday did not rule out National Treasure for the Travers. He said that recent Los Alamitos Derby winner Reincarnate (Good Magic) is a Travers possibility.

Mage was given a break following his third-place finish in the Preakness on May 20 and resumed training in June. After his next scheduled breeze Friday at The Thoroughbred Center a decision will be made on whether he will make his next start in the Haskell or the Jim Dandy.

“It's a special moment, for sure,” said Mage's co-owner Ramiro Restrepo. “To have all the classic winners in one spot it's lovely for the fans and lovely for the horse players. Like any athlete or representative of an athlete, you want to run against the best and compete against the best and hopefully put forth a good effort. For ourselves, as a collective, our lifelong dreams have been the Kentucky Derby and the Travers. Our dreams are those two races. It's been an incredible ride to have accomplished one and to have a decent shot to accomplish the second one would be, it's really the stuff of dreams. The Travers is our end-all, be-all. That's what we're focusing on.”

Cody's Wish | Sarah K. Andrew

Cody's Wish is a very talented 5-year-old with a distinctive backstory. He is named for Cody Dorman, of Richmond, Kentucky who was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. As a result of the syndrome, Dorman uses a wheelchair and communicates with a tablet. They met in 2018 during a Make-A-Wish Foundation visit to Gainsborough Farm. The young foal interacted with Dorman and laid his head on the boy's lap, which led to his naming.

Mott's always-strong barn is especially heavy with headliners this year with Cody's Wish, Sprint champion Elite Power, and War Like Goddess (English Channel) in the lineup.

Once a seasonal visitor to Saratoga, Mott has a large part of his stable based at Saratoga for most of the warm weather months. He said he looks forward to the meet.

“It's fun. It's exciting to be a trainer here,” he said. “It's fun when there's enthusiasm around. We enjoy it.”

In the late 1950s, Saratogians feared that NYRA, then a new organization, might drop Saratoga, which was far less popular than the meets at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack. In 1957, the state legislature passed a bill guaranteeing Saratoga a 24-day season without competition at the downstate tracks. By the 1970s, Saratoga's stature had risen again and it is the most significant meeting on the NYRA calendar. Benefitting from warm, dry weather last summer, NYRA lost just 16 grass races–compared to 45 in 2021–and registered a record all-sources handle of $878,211,963, a jump of 7.7% from the previous year. Excluding fan-free 2020, NYRA reported its seventh-straight season of one million in paid attendance.

In a well-timed announcement on Monday, the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency said a new report it commissioned showed that the meet at Saratoga Race Course generates $371 million in economic activity and more than 2,900 jobs in the Capital Region.

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“We're freshening him a little bit, keeping some options open,” Toffey said. “There's the Haskell and the Jim Dandy and we'll look at those, but we'll talk with [trainer] Todd [Pletcher] and just keep things open. Obviously, it gets pretty tough with fewer spots for these good 3-year-olds. You won't find too many soft spots. We still think he's a nice horse and he should move forward off his last race.”

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Rivelli added that Two Phil's showed no sign of injury until Sunday morning, when pressure was detected in his right front ankle.

“It probably puts him out for the rest of the year,” Rivelli said. “We're sick.”

Rivelli said stallion farms have shown interest in acquiring Two Phil's, and it's not out of the question that the colt won't run again.

“He doesn't owe us anything. In my experience, they aren't usually the same horse after something like this. We don't know the extent of it all yet. The amount of time off he'll need still is to be determined,” Rivelli said.

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