Bird Song impresses among trio of Vanderbilt workers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Three horses eyeing the Grade 1 Vanderbilt Handicap turned in their final preps here Saturday morning including the up-and-coming El Deal, who shipped over from his Monmouth Park base to breeze five furlongs in 1:02.04 over the main track with Javier Castellano aboard. The Vanderbilt will be decided here at six furlongs next Saturday.

El Deal was purchase privately by his present connections and turned over to trainer Jorge Navarro during the spring and has registered two easy victories since changing barns, including a three-length triumph at Monmouth in the six-furlong Decathlon Stakes on June 11.

“El Deal won his first two starts impressively for us, but to be honest they were pretty easy races,” said Navarro. “We’re in the middle of the year now, and we need to find out what kind of horse we have, which is why we chose the Vanderbilt for him next. He got a little tired this morning over this track, but I expected him to. That’s the reason I brought him here, since this track is so much deeper than what he’s been used to at Monmouth Park, which is lightning fast right now.”

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Bird Song turned in arguably the best work of the morning over the main track when breezing four furlongs in 47.34 before galloping out five-eighths in 1:00.03, going easily to the wire while completing his final quarter in 23.31. Trainer Ian Wilkes said afterward that he plans to turn Bird Song, a two-time graded stakes winner, back in distance off a series of longer races for the Vanderbilt.

"I think he's going to be a better one-turn horse," said Wilkes, who added that the six furlongs of the Vanderbilt "may be a little short for him.”

Wilkes said he is planning on using the Vanderbilt as a prep for Bird Song’s major goal here this summer: the Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs on Aug. 26.

A. P. Indian was forced to bypass the Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes after trainer Arnaud Delacour said he discovered “some pressure in an ankle” following his final breeze for the July 8 race. But Delacour said all has gone well for A. P. Indian as he prepares to defend the Vanderbilt title he won a year ago with a 1 1/4-length decision over Holy Boss. A. P. Indian shipped in from his Fair Hill base to breeze five furlongs in 1:02.38 over the Oklahoma training track here on Saturday.

“He had a very good breeze last week at Fair Hill, this was more a maintenance work,” said Delacour. “The main track is a little deeper than the one he won this race on a year ago, but he seems to be handling it well in his gallops.”

El Deal was one of two horses Navarro worked here this morning for upcoming engagements along with War Story, who is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 5. War Story breezed five-eighths in 1:01.65 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.79, also with Castellano aboard.

“He also got a little tired, but not quite as much as El Deal,” said Navarro. “Javier was very happy with the way he worked. I’d say at the moment we’re about 90 percent certain for the Whitney although the Birdstone [Aug. 3], which is at a mile and three-quarters, is among our other options. I’ll sit down and talk to the owners this week and then make a final decision.”

War Story is coming off a 2 1/2-length victory going 1 1/2 miles in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Stakes at Belmont Park in his last start.

Additional reporting by David Grening