TRAVERS DAY – THE MIDSUMMER DERBY
Three different winners of the American Triple Crown races (sound familiar?) and all of them are together today for the 148th Travers, one of the world’s greatest races.
The race leading up to the Travers, the Jim Dandy, was an odd event as Kentucky Derby winner ALWAYS DREAMING (Bodemeister) and Preakness winner CLOUD COMPUTING fizzled while GOOD SAMARITAN blew by in his first ever race on dirt.
What to make of the Jim Dandy? Was the track so deep at the outset of the Spa meeting that you can give the big guns a mulligan?
Good Samaritan (Harlan’s Holiday) posted a 100 Beyer Figure, a lifetime best, in that win and might be simply the best horse again – unless the surface is so different that Always Dreaming takes advantage of the lack of a lot of pace in the race.
CONTENDERS – In addition to Good Samaritan, IRAP comes off an impressive race in which he was very wide…TAPWRIT runs well fresh and it is still tough to leave out ALWAYS DREAMING.
JEN’S PICKS – 1 – TAPWRIT 2 – ALWAYS DREAMING 3- IRAP 4 – GOOD SAMARITAN
LAST TIME THREE TRIPLE CROWN RACE WINNERS GOT TOGETHER?
You gotta watch this… Conquistador Cielo, 2 to 5. Aloma’s Ruler, Gato del Sol ..Marshall Cassidy, we love him, but he didn’t pick up the winner until the eighth pole!
Try this:
BILL HELLER
Daily Gazette
Who could have imagined a year ago that a California shipper who had never even started in a stakes, would torch his Travers competition by 13 1/2 lengths at 11-1, breaking the track record in doing so? Arrogate was a freak, propelling himself into the No. 1 ranking in the world in the space of eight months, an historic run which began with his unforgettable victory in the Travers.
There are no Arrogates in this year’s crop of 3-year-olds
https://dailygazette.com/article/2017/08/25/heller-you-re-good-going-with-samaritan-in-travers
Saturday, Saratoga, post time: 5:44 p.m. EDT
TRAVERS S. PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS-GI, $1,250,000, 3yo, 1 1/4m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY ML
1 Cloud Computing K Maclean’s Music Klaravich Stables, Inc. & Lawrence, William H. Brown Castellano 8-1
2 Giuseppe the Great Lookin At Lucky Mossarosa Zito Gaffalione 20-1
3 West CoastK Flatter West, Gary & Mary Baffert Smith 4-1
4 Tapwrit Tapit Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, LaPenta, Pletcher Ortiz 7-2
Bridlewood Farm, Gainesway & Whisper Hill Farm
5 Good Samaritan Harlan’s Holiday WinStar Farm LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Mott Rosario 5-1
China Horse Club, SF Racing Group
6 Girvin K Tale of Ekati Brad Grady Sharp Albarado 10-1
7 Always Dreaming K Bodemeister MeB Racing, Brooklyn Boyz, Teresa Viola, St Elias, Pletcher Velazquez 6-1
Siena Farm & West Point
8 Lookin At Lee K Lookin At Lucky L & N Racing LLC Asmussen Santana, Jr. 30-1
9 McCraken Ghostzapper Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC Wilkes Hernandez, Jr. 12-1
10 Irap K Tiznow Reddam Racing LLC O’Neill Gutierrez 8-1
11 Gunnevera K Dialed In Margoth Sano Zayas 20-1
12 Fayeq K Malibu Moon Shadwell Stable McLaughlin Saez 30-1
Breeders: 1-Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc &Stretch Run Ventures, LLC, 2-Buck Pond Farm Inc., 3-CFP Thoroughbreds LLC, 4-My Meadowview LLC,
5-WinStar Farm, LLC, 6-Bob Austin & John Witte, 7-Santa Rosa Partners, 8-Ray Hanson, 9-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC, 10-Aaron & Marie Jones,
11-Brandywine Farm & Stephen Upchurch, 12-Heaven Trees Farm
CANADIAN PREMIER YEARLING SALE COMING UP THURSDAY
Today’s Woodbine races – possible updates:
RACE 1 MSW
#2 Lillz So Precious Hip 79 1/2 bro by Victor’s Cry
#7 Quinn and Tonic Hip 26 1/2 bro by Sky Conqueror
#8 Fortestella Hip 26 as above
RACE 2 CLM $10,000
#9 She’s All That Hip 65 1/2 bro by Silent Name
RACE 4 MDN $8,000
#3 Holtz Hip 217 1/2 sis by Big Screen
#8 Butch Cassidy Hip 223 1/2 bro by Big Screen
RACE 6 MDN $10,000
#2 View the Stars Hip 101 1/2 bro by Victor’s Cry
#7 Pasture Curfew Hip 221 1/2 sis by Big Screen
#9 Court Queen Hip 194 full sis
RACE 7 MDN OC $40,000
#6 Dark Ale Hip 169 full bro
RACE 9 OC $62,500
#4 Internal Bourbon Hip 262 full bro
RACE 10 CLM $20,000
#3 Signature Heart Hip 252 full bro
#4 I Deliver Hip 293 1/2 sis by Street Boss
#6 Splash With Me Hip 153 1/2 sis by Old Forester
RACE 11 CLM $10,000 NW2
#1 Conquest Too Smart Hip 118 1/2 bro by Singing Saint
#6 Rocky Palace Hip 210 1/2 bro by Morning Line
AMIS GIZMO jogging
At this time last year, the top 3yo colt in the land, AMIS GIZMO was getting ready to tear up the Ontario Derby (Grade 3) and put a stamp on his championship season.
The son of Giant Gizmo was not seen again, however, and owner Ivan Dalos reports the colt is now jogging again. Dalos reported that the colt came up with an issue this spring.
Amis Gizmo won the Prince of Wales, was 2nd in the Plate to Sir Dudley Digges and well back in the Breeders’ behind Camp Creek.
The Canadian Triple Crown, on 3 different surfaces, at 3 different distances and at 2 tracks, certainly takes its toll on the sophomores.
This year’s 3-year-old colt crop, beaten by the filly HOLY HELENA in the Plate (and then who came back to finish last in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga) is in turmoil.
COOL CATOMINE won the Prince of Wales in a total surprise and then was not good when blasted in the Breeders’ Stakes by CHANNEL MAKER, who won a messy renewal of the 1 1/2 mile turf event.
The 3-year-old colt championship is still very much up for grabs.
JACKPOT HI FIVE KEEPS GOING
Mandatory payout coming up Woodbine Mile day
Sept. 16. That is the day dreams could come true – as long as the hi 5 at Woodbine continues to grow.
The carry over is on the cusp of $1 million – the money going into it these days is not a huge amount since the field size for the lasr race recently has been small.
If a single ticket does not win the bet, the pool will have a mandatory payout on the big Woodbine Mile card – Sept 16.
Having said that – today’s 11th race (yes there are 11 races today and tomorrow at Woodbine) is a wild group of low claimers. Anything goes.
