Tag: Travers S.

Saez To Partner With Mage In Travers

Luis Saez will ride Mage (Good Magic) in the upcoming GI Travers S., it was announced Tuesday afternoon in a tweet from trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr.

He replaces Javier Castellano, who won the GI Kentucky Derby aboard the colt and also guided him to a third-place finish in the GI Preakness S. and a runner-up effort in the GI Haskell S. Saez rode Mage to a second-place finish in the GI Florida Derby. Saez opted to ride Tapit Trice (Tapit) in the Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher. Tapit Trice finished seventh.

Castellano is also the regular rider of Arcangelo (Arrogate) and won the GI Belmont S. on that colt for trainer Jena Antonucci. Like Mage, Arcangelo is being pointed to the Aug. 26 Travers.

“We have a tremendous amount of love and respect for Javier and we accomplished together what is a lifetime dream for everybody in racing,” said Mage co-owner Ramiro Restrepo. “We are fully cognizant, fully aware of the difficult decision that he was facing when it came to picking between two very talented colts, both winners of American Classic races.

“It is our understanding that there will be a full field in the Travers of 11 or 12 horses. With most of those horses, they have riders spoken for them. We know Javier was having a difficult time choosing between both horses. There's not many jockeys available as the field is starting to take shape. We didn't want to be put in a position where we were left without a top rider if Javier chose otherwise. It was in our best interest to secure a rider who knows the horse and rode him to a great second-place finish in the Florida Derby.”

Restrepo said the decision was made by the Mage camp and not by Castellano.

“We spoke with Javier a few days ago and chatted about the situation,” Restrepo said. “We asked them how they were going to proceed. Several days went by since then and Javier wasn't able to give us a decision. He said he was still mulling things over. At that point, we needed to be proactive and go ahead and make a decision.”

Earlier this week, Castellano sat down with Mike Kane to discuss the decision-making process.

 

 

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Arcangelo Gets Serious In Travers Work

Blue Rose Farm's GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate) tuned up for the Aug. 26 GI Travers S. with a five-furlong breeze over the Saratoga main track that was timed in 1:00.21 Sunday morning.

The gray colt was accompanied to the track by trainer Jena Antonucci on horseback and was put through his paces by Javier Castellano. Arcangelo galloped out a full half-mile after completing his move and was clocked in 1:26 1/5 for seven furlongs, 1:39 for the mile and out nine panels in 1:53.

“It was a little more serious work,” said Castellano, who faces a decision whether to stick with Arcangelo or return to Mage (Good Magic), aboard whom he won his first GI Kentucky Derby. “I usually hold him together. Today, I let him stretch out a little bit. I like the way he did it today–good fractions and a good move. The best thing for him is galloping out–he reaches out longer.

The reinsman continued, “In the turn, I asked a little bit and he took off. I just dropped my hands and let him roll. The boss wanted me to put on a good show today. I had been holding and keeping him fresh, but we are in a stage to make it serious because we are facing the best 3-year-olds in the country. You have to put a good foundation in and I think he does.”

According to Antonucci, Arcangelo wanted to do more after nearly linking up with another breezer on his gallop out.

“He swapped leads and went to go again,” said Antonucci, with a laugh. “That's a good quality for a horse to have. We finally got him pulled up over the three-eighths pole. He was kind of pleased with himself.

“He's happy and he loves it and he's enjoying it,” Antonucci added. “What better gift could I have?”

 

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Antonucci ‘Being Patient’ with Belmont Winner Arcangelo

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While many of the horses that Arcangelo (Arrogate) will face in the GI Travers S. on Aug. 26 are competing this weekend and next, trainer Jena Antonucci is midway through a deliberate, no-race prep program for her GI Belmont S. winner.

Antonucci and her pups Lucy and Mando completed the second leg of their drive from Ocala, Fla. to Saratoga Springs Friday morning in time to see Arcangelo gallop on the main track and frolic for a bit in the round pen near her barn before his bath. It was another quiet day on the way to the $1.25 million Travers, a race that could determine the 3-year-old male title.

After Arcangelo provided Antonucci with the biggest victory of her career, she decided to train the colt owned by Jon Ebbert's Blue Rose Farm up to the Travers. He has been in Saratoga since the beginning of July and has worked twice. The next breeze will take place in the coming week, though it not yet scheduled. Antonucci said his timed works are typically about 10 days apart.

GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) and the Belmont third-place finisher Tapit Trice (Tapit) are tuning up for the Travers Saturday in the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth Park. Preakness runner-up Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) was third behind Scotland (Good Magic) in the Curlin S. Friday at Saratoga. On July 29, Belmont runner-up Forte (Violence) is scheduled to be the headliner in the GII Jim Dandy S.

“Some fun racing coming up,” Antonucci said. “I'm looking forward to watching some good horse races.”

Arcangelo under Javier Castellano on Monday | Sarah Andrew

Antonucci said that the Travers is part of a long-range route for the gray colt that Ebbert purchased as a Keeneland September yearling for $35,000.

“Honestly, we really are hoping to have a nice 4-year-old year with him,” she said. “I know I'm getting quite a few bullets for being just very transparent about that. His owner, when he bought this horse–people laugh, but they kind of get it now–he's like 'I'm buying this horse because I want to focus on his 2024 Breeders' Cup.' And I'm like, 'Well, this horse isn't going to keep his feet on the ground until then, so we have to have another plan, too.'”

Arcangelo broke his maiden on March 18 at Gulfstream in his third career start, won the GIII Peter Pan at Belmont on May 13 and on June 10 secured Antonucci a permanent place in racing history: the first woman to win the Belmont.

Six weeks after the Belmont and five weeks from the Travers, Antonucci is pleased with how Arcangelo looks and acts.

“We're not ducking races,” she said. “It's just being patient with a horse to grow up, let him grow up. He has had his entire career spaced out. His closest races were the Peter Pan to the Belmont. It's something that he's quite used to and quite fine with. It's just giving him his breathing room. You don't need to force stuff with him.”

Antonucci said the Travers is the current focus and did not want to talk about where she might run the colt after Saratoga. She said she does not know which jockey she will give a leg up to for the Travers since Javier Castellano won the Derby with Mage and the Belmont on Arcangelo.

“It's nothing I can control,” she said. “The rider thing is going to work out. Someone will hang on to him. I just feel that in life you can't stress about things that you can't control. I can't control that. We'll continue to do us and it will work out. It always does.”

Antonucci has been around horses and racing throughout her life and saddled her first starter in 2010. She has been racing at Saratoga since 2012. Winning the Belmont with Arcangelo boosted her profile this summer. She smiled and acknowledged that things have been different since that victory.

“If you would have scripted, 'You're going to be the first woman to win the Belmont Stakes. And when you win that this is what it means,' It still doesn't cover the layering of how it's reached past our sport, and what it means to people,” she said. “That part, I'm extremely grateful for an immense amount of gratitude from people that give that to us, and finally, looked at our sport, maybe that is not like the worst thing on the planet.

“The other part that was interesting is just kind of how so many horsemen have actually been extremely gracious, which is in a sport where we tend to eat each other alive.”

Antonucci said she has enjoyed the countless kind words from people in and out of racing, but said the Belmont success was about the horse, not her.

“I can't do this without all of us, without that horse, and I am extremely aware of that,” she said. “So, it is his story that I happen to hang on to his tail for. It will continue to be his story and his owner's story. My job is to steward that. I understand logically that, but it's his journey that I'm trying to stay out of the way of.”

Arcangelo has settled in well at Saratoga, Antonucci said, and enjoys his time in the round pen, where can roll in the dirt, and the opportunity to be out of his stall.

“He loves it here,” she said. “He was here last summer, so this was probably just homecoming for him really. Our routine is very straightforward and boring, as far as every day. He does [the round pen] a couple times a day. I love being over here because you can go for big, long walks and that suits this horse, always has.

“He really has really taken all the attention well, where he thinks it's kind of cool. He knows where cameras are. He knows where people are.  You'll see him just identify it. That's a part that you can't teach them. They either have that or they don't. They either fold from it or thrive in it. I'm super grateful that he's thriving. It makes my life a little easier.”

Noting that Arcangelo is a mid-May foal, Antonucci said since he has grown since the Belmont it makes sense not to push him this summer.

“He's precocious and has speed,” she said. “Obviously, Arrogate was extremely precocious with a high cruising speed, so I feel very blessed that he has that. I think when you are managing those things, you look at it eyes wide open. You have a horse that's showing a lot of talent that has a lot of speed and he's still a young, maturing frame. We would be absolutely stupid to go in the well, 100 times on him and not let him find his space and grow up and keep putting it all together.

“I give Jon a ton of credit on this. He has been absolutely 'Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Wait. We're fine. We'll take our time. Nope. Okay.'  My job is to lay out the options. Here's X road maps. Here's how we're going to get to each one of these. It's just giving this horse the space that he needs, right? It works in our favor to have a cool horse the rest of this year and hopefully into next year.”

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Saratoga Set for 155th Season of Racing

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y–Nothing new at old Saratoga this summer. As has been the case for many decades, most of racing's stars will be in town for America's most important Thoroughbred meet of the year.

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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