Tag: Racing

When it comes to the strategy for Cyberknife in Saturday's Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers, trainer Brad Cox knows the two-time Grade 1 winner is in good hands.

Florent Geroux gets the riding assignment for the eighth straight race aboard Cyberknife, who drew the rail in a field of eight for the 1 1/4-mile Travers and was made the 7-2 second choice on the morning line behind 7-5 program favorite Epicenter, runner-up in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Preakness and winner of Saratoga's Grade 2 Jim Dandy July 30.

Geroux broke Cyberknife's maiden in his 2-year-old finale last December at Fair Grounds, and was also in the irons for wins this year in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, Grade 3 Matt Winn and Grade 1 Haskell, the latter July 23 at Monmouth Park in his Travers prep.

“Just break and go forward is our plan. We're going to let the field kind of sort themselves out going into the first turn,” Cox said. “Florent obviously knows him really well. He's very capable of running from down on the inside. He did it in the Arkansas Derby, he did it in the Haskell. It's nothing that he can't do.

“I think the most important thing is seeing how the track's playing, seeing how quick it is, and if the rail's the place to be,” he added. “That's probably the main concern, as opposed to where we are in regard to where we land in the race.”

Cyberknife is by 2017 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Gun Runner and out of the Flower Alley mare Awesome Flower. While Gun Runner was third in the 2016 Travers, Flower Alley won the Travers in 2005 and sired 2012 Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another.

In his only previous try at the Travers distance, Cyberknife raced up close to a wicked pace for a half-mile before dropping back and fading to be 18th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby behind Rich Strike, the 80-1 upset winner who also returns in the Travers.

“I don't really think [distance] is [a question]. Gun Runner was able to handle a mile and a quarter in the Classic. The broodmare sire sired a Derby winner. He seems to stay on in his races well enough, so I don't think it's about the distance as much as it is getting the right trip on the right part of the racetrack,” Cox said.

“We just watched how he came out of the Derby. We knew we wanted to make a run at the Haskell and we thought the Matt Winn made the most sense getting there, as far as a race or a prep. The Kentucky Derby itself was a complete throw out. They could run that race 100 more times and it would be tough to get a similar result,” he added. “We were part of the pace presence unfortunately with two of my horses in Zozos and Cyberknife. I wish we weren't, but it is what it is. We regrouped, and it's worked out really well for Cyberknife ever since.”

Cox said Cyberknife's versatility should serve him well in the Travers. He raced just off the lead before getting up by a nose in the 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn June 12 at Churchill Downs before a patient Geroux unleashed his run with a quarter-mile left in the 1 1/8-mile Haskell to win by a head, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 102.

“I don't think this horse has to necessarily sit off of horses. He's pretty honest; he can be right where he needs to be. I wouldn't even be opposed to him being on the lead if the right opportunity presented itself,” Cox said. “I don't want to take away anything that comes easy. If they just break with their natural speed, you can't fight with them. [At a] mile and a quarter, I don't know how aggressive these other guys are going to be. We'll see how it goes.”

Geroux is riding in the Travers for the second time, having finished fifth on the Cox-trained Owendale in 2019. The two-time defending Eclipse Award winner as leading trainer, Cox won last year's Travers with Essential Quality, the Champion 2-Year-Old Male of 2020 and 3-Year-Old Male of 2021.

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Of the eight colts entered in Saturday's $200,000 Sapling Stakes for 2-year-olds at Monmouth Park, seven are coming off debut wins. Of those seven, six were well backed at the betting windows, with the longest shot among them going off 7-2.

Then there's Freedom Road.

The Gregg Sacco-trainee was one of the biggest surprises on TVG.com Haskell Stakes day on July 23, winning a 5½-furlong Maiden Special Weight race by 2½ lengths at odds of 27-1.

“I wasn't really surprised that he won,” said Sacco, a fixture on the Monmouth Park backstretch. “I was surprised that he won as professionally as he did off the pace that day. On Haskell day it was a very speed conducive track. I think he was one of the few horses that won off the pace that day.

“He did everything right going into the race. As I said, it was the professionalism that surprised me. It looked like he beat a pretty decent field. Time will tell.”

Sacco fully expects Freedom Road, a Kentucky-bred son of Malibu Moon, to be largely ignored once again by bettors for the one-mile Sapling Stakes, the first two-turn test for every horse in the field. Todd Pletcher has a pair entered – Lost Ark, a $275,000 yearling purchase, and Major Dude, a $550,000 yearling purchase – and Brad Cox will send out Bourbon Spirit, who cost $200,000 as a yearling.

Freedom Road, owned by Pinnacle Racing Team, cost a mere $20,000, making him the least expensive purchase in the field.

The colt was picked out by Sacco's son Will at the Ocala Breeders' Sale for 2-year–olds in Training in March. It was the first horse the younger Sacco has purchased for his father.

“That made his win a little more special,” said Sacco.

While Sacco knows the Sapling is a major next step for Freedom Road, he also believes he has the talent to be a good one.

“I did name Joel Rosario to ride him for his first start,” he said. “I called (agent) Ron Anderson. I knew they were coming in for Haskell day and he accepted the mount. But Rosario had horses to work that day and the private jet was leaving a little late and he couldn't make the first two races (Freedom Road was in the second race).

“I would not have reached out to them if I thought he was a mediocre, run-of-the-mill colt.”

Hector Diaz wound up with the mount and will retain it Saturday.

Beyond the Pletcher and Cox entries, trainer Juan Avila is sending V Mart, an 8¾-length winner in the slop at Saratoga in his debut, while Cal Lynch will ship in Saloon, a sharp winner at Delaware Park his first out.

“I know on paper – I took a look at the race – that it is a deep field with some impressive winners,” said Sacco. “We have our work cut out for us. But I like his running style.

“He was a May foal who is still maturing. We kind of felt he slipped through the cracks a little. He was very immature in March when he worked. I'm hoping he slipped through the cracks. It looks like he did.”

Sacco said Freedom Road “acts like the two turns should not be a problem.”

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Live Oak Plantation's Florida homebred Our Flash Drive will attempt to keep her good form intact while striving for a third career graded stakes victory in Saturday's 34th running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa going 1 1/16 miles for older fillies and mares over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

A victory would provide Live Oak Plantation, owned by Charlotte Weber, with its third Ballston Spa victress after winning with Dynaslew [2010] and My Typhoon [2006] – a half-sister to Group 1 winners and influential sires Galileo and Sea the Stars.

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the 4-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper captured the Fasig-Tipton De La Rose on August 7 at Saratoga last out. Never off the board in four starts this year, Our Flash Drive earned a runner-up placing in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 14 at Belmont Park and was third in the Grade 2 Nassau on July 2 at Woodbine.

In the De La Rose, Our Flash Drive stalked the pace from the outside in fourth and remained in the clear to fend off a late inside rally from Plum Ali to win by one length and produce a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I thought her last race was big,” Casse said. “Obviously, this is going to be a tougher race for her, but she's training well, she likes it here and we figured we'd give it a shot.”

During her sophomore campaign, Our Flash Drive became a dual surface Grade 3 winner at Woodbine when capturing the Selene over the Tapeta last July and the Ontario Colleen on the turf the following month.

A third-out maiden winner in her 3-year-old debut last June going seven furlongs over Woodbine's Tapeta, Our Flash Drive has matured according to Casse. He said the development mimics that of multiple Grade 1-winner Got Stormy, who defeated colts in two non-consecutive runnings of the Grade 1 Fourstardave at the Spa.

“She's just gotten much better. At two, she was kind of a mental mess. At three, she was better but still not great. But now at four, she's come a long way,” Casse said. “Got Stormy had the same issue. She got better mentally, and when she did it made her a better horse. Not to suggest she's as good at her, but they both got better mentally, and it helped them both.”

Dylan Davis, the pilot in 4-of-11 starts, will ride from post 3.

Klaravich Stables' multiple graded stakes winner Technical Analysis will be in pursuit of her third career graded stakes victory.

Technical Analysis, trained by six-time Ballston Spa winner Chad Brown, captured last year's Grade 3 Lake George and Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga. An in-hand winner of the Grade 3 Gallorette on May 21 at Pimlico, the 4-year-old daughter of Kingman was a last-out second behind stablemate In Italian, who led a Brown-trained superfecta in the Grade 1 Diana on July 16 at the Spa.

Technical Analysis, purchased for just over $250,000 at the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale, brags the highest bankroll in the field with earnings of $608,200 and a consistent 10-5-3-1 record.

Jose Ortiz, the pilot in all five of her career victories, will be aboard from post 5.

Brown will also saddle two other Ballston Spa aspirants in graded stakes winners Lemista [post 2, Flavien Prat] and Fluffy Socks [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who ran one-two in the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 23 at Monmouth Park last out.

A Head of Plains Partners homebred, Fluffy Socks is in search of her first trip to the winner's circle since capturing last year's Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park. The 4-year-old Slumber filly has been consistent this year, recording narrow runner-up finishes in the Matchmaker as well as the Grade 3 Modesty on May 6 at Churchill Downs, finishing a half-length behind stable mate Bleecker Street.

Peter Brant's Lemista earned her first stateside graded stakes victory in the Matchmaker last out. During her European campaign with Irish conditioner Ger Lyons, the 5-year-old Raven's Pass mare captured the Group 3 Lodge Park in March 2020 at Naas and the Group 2 Kilboy Estates in July 2020 at The Curragh.

Lemista earned her lone Grade 1 placing in last August's Beverly D. at Arlington Park.

Woodford Racing and Team D's High Opinion will be out for redemption following a narrow defeat to Viadera in last year's Ballston Spa for trainer Tony Dutrow. The 5-year-old Lemon Drop Kid mare earned her first stakes victory two starts back when shipping to Parx Racing for the June 14 Neshaminy Match Series, which she won by three-quarters of a length.

High Opinion earned graded stakes black type when second in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel in October at Belmont and third in the Grade 3 Beaugay in May.

“She's a stakes winner and has been graded stakes-placed several times, so at this point the only other accomplishment she can make is to be a graded stakes winner,” said Dutrow. “She ran very well in the Ballston Spa last year and she's never been better so we're taking another try at it.”

High Opinion arrives off a fourth-place finish at allowance optional claiming level on July 27 at Saratoga, where she finished three lengths back as the lukewarm favorite.

“I'm not troubled by that race. She's doing fantastic and we're looking forward to Saturday,” Dutrow said.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez picks up the mount from post 1.

Carded as Race 4 on Saturday's action-packed program, the Ballston Spa kicks off graded stakes action on Runhappy Travers Day, which features the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers – the Spa's marquee event – as well as the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego, the Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign, and the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational, which is a “Win And You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf. First post on the 13-race card is 11:35 a.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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