Arnold happy with Concrete Rose's final Saratoga Oaks work

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Concrete Rose, authoritative winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks three weeks ago, worked a half-mile in 48.92 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course Saturday morning in preparation for next Friday’s inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational.

Concrete Rose went her opening quarter in 24.53 seconds and her final quarter in 24.39 with jockey Julien Leparoux not asking for anything from the four-time graded stakes winning filly. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.05.

“I thought today she looked great, visually,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “We thought we’d go somewhere around 50, she went a little bit better, I’m in good shape.”

Concrete Rose, a daughter of Twirling Candy, is 3 for 3 this year with victories in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks and Grade 3 Edgewood before she took the Belmont Oaks. Concrete Rose will be coming back in 27 days off her Belmont Oaks victory.

“I don’t have a scale, but I think she’s gained weight since she ran,” Arnold said. “I think she’s thrived up here which some of them will do, some won’t, but I’m as happy as I can be.”

Entries for the Saratoga Oaks are to be taken on Sunday. As of Saturday, a field of seven was expected for the 1 3/16-mile turf race. The others include Cambier Parc, third in the Belmont Oaks; Olendon, eighth in the Oaks who is now with Chad Brown; Happen and Goddess, both from the barn of Aidan O’Brien; Her Royal Highness; and Kelsey’s Cross.

Cambier Parc, who won the Grade 3 Wonder Again before finishing third in the Belmont Oaks, worked five furlongs in 1:02.69, with a final three furlongs in 36.49 in company with the older filly Pollara.

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Among other key workouts Saturday at Saratoga were Preservationist and Vino Rosso, both preparing for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney.

Preservationist, the Grade 2 Suburban winner, worked five furlongs in 1:00.72 over Saratoga’s main track, getting his final quarter in 23.92 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.58 and seven furlongs in 1:26.58.

Vino Rosso, winner of the Gold Cup at Santa Anita on May 27, worked a half-mile in 49.28 seconds in company with Noble Indy over the Oklahoma training track. The pair went their first quarter in 24.91 and Vino Ross was better on the gallop-out, going five furlongs in 1:01.98 and six furlongs in 1:14.20.

Entries for the Whitney will be taken Tuesday at a function at Sperry’s, a downtown Saratoga Springs restaurant. In addition to Preservationist and Vino Rosso, those expected to enter include McKinzie, Thunder Snow, and Yoshida.

Thunder Snow was expected to work in Saratoga on Sunday. McKinzie is expected to have one more work at Del Mar before shipping cross-country on Tuesday.