Birdstone distance suits Tacticus
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There are many reasons to believe the second U.S. start by Tacticus will be a lot better than his first. The question is whether that makes him good enough to win Wednesday’s 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes, which lured a field of eight led by defending champ Micromanage and Cary Street.
Tacticus finished fourth in his dirt debut going 1 1/8 miles earlier in the meet. A Kentucky-bred son of A.P. Indy, he had won twice in England prior to joining trainer Graham Motion’s barn this spring, with both victories coming at 1 1/2 miles. Not only will he stretch out in distance in the Birdstone, he’ll also race on Lasix for the first time.
Motion said he wanted to run Tacticus at 1 1/2 miles in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap on June 6 at Belmont.
“But he came up with a foot issue, which kept him out of the race,” Motion said. “He’s bred to run on dirt. I thought he ran well enough in his first start here to try a race like this, and it’s more about the distance than anything else. I think the mile and three-quarters will really help him.”
Motion said he put blinkers on Tacticus for his U.S. debut because “he’s very looky” in the morning, and that he’ll run on Lasix for the first time in the Birdstone because “he bled a little in his last start.”
Micromanage rallied to an 8 1/4-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the 2014 Birdstone but has finished off the board in his last five starts. He has won both of his starts over the main track at Saratoga.
Like Micromanage, Cary Street has fallen out of form of late. He was well beaten in his last three starts, all in Grade 2 stakes. He lost by nearly 30 lengths in the Brooklyn. Cary Street was a Grade 2 winner in his only previous start at 1 3/4 miles, which came last fall at Santa Anita.
Key contenders
Tacticus (Beyer: 79)
◗ Motion has a 19 percent success rate, with a profitable return on investment of $2.16, over the last five years with horses racing on Lasix for the first time, according to DRF Formulator.
Micromanage (Last 3 Beyers: 83-52-90)
◗ He finished second, beaten a neck, in the Brooklyn last year, two starts prior to winning this race. He finished 10th, 41 lengths behind the winner, in the 2015 Brooklyn.
Cary Street (Last 3 Beyers: 66-78-78-)
◗ Stretch-running gelding could be at the mercy of a slow pace, with very little early speed among his seven rivals in the Birdstone.