Saratoga: Brilliant Speed returns to Spa for Sword Dancer

Barbara D. Livingston

Brilliant Speed in winless since the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga last summer.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Tom Albertrani hopes the return to the Saratoga turf helps Brilliant Speed end his six-race losing streak when he takes on Turbo Compressor and Point of Entry in the Grade 1, $600,000 Sword Dancer at 1 1/2 miles.

Brilliant Speed hasn’t won since taking the Grade 3 Saranac here last Sept. 4. He finished second in the Grade 1 Jamaica and third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf to end his 3-year-old season. He is winless in four starts this year.

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Albertrani believes that Brilliant Speed ran a good third in the Turf Classic and had some bad luck in a few of his other starts and got a bad ride in the United Nations, when he was kept too far back off a slow pace.

“He’s been a hard-luck horse this year,” Albertrani said. “Last time he won was the Saranac. You know horses for courses – this might be his.”

Brilliant Speed will break from post 8 under Castellano.

Turbo Compressor, the front-running winner of the Colonial Turf Cup and the Grade 1 United Nations, drew post 9 and was the 2-1 morning-line favorite under Joe Bravo.

Point of Entry, winner of three straight, including the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont last out, drew post 2 and was made the 5-2 second choice.

Others entered include Al Khali, Tahoe Lake, Newsdad, Game Ball, Center Divider, and Hailstone.