Call Paul gets an education in half-mile work

ELMONT, N.Y. – Call Paul has not yet had to contend with dirt in his face, winning each of his first two starts while on the pace and either inside or outside of horses.

Trainer Jason Servis knows that scenario may not be the same in the Grade 1 Champagne, Call Paul’s next scheduled start, on Oct. 6 at Belmont Park. On Saturday morning, at Belmont, Servis had Call Paul sit behind two horses early in a morning workout and he took a lot of dirt before passing his stablemates in midstretch while on his way to completing a half-mile move in 49.48 seconds. Call Paul galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.27 and six furlongs in 1:15.27. Call Paul’s two workmates were O Shea Can U See and Wheresthebarber.

Irad Ortiz Jr. was aboard Call Paul, and both rider and horse were covered in dirt as they came off the training track. In upper stretch of the work, Call Paul seemed to take an awkward step when Ortiz first pulled him out from behind his workmates but quickly recovered.

“When I tapped him on the shoulder and asked him, probably some dirt from the other horse hit him, he didn’t like it,” Ortiz said. “But after that, he kicked. He waited a little bit when he passed the other horses, but then I asked him and he galloped out really good.”

“They went slow early in front of him,” Servis said. “He might have looked a little rank, but they’re not going to go that slow when they run.”

Call Paul is 2 for 2 for Servis. He won a maiden race at Delaware Park beating Mind Control by 2 1/4 lengths. Mind Control has since come back to win his maiden and the Grade 1 Hopeful.

Call Paul won the Saratoga Special, overcoming a bump with Tight Ten in upper stretch to win by a length.

Servis said he had been training Call Paul behind horses at Monmouth Park in between his maiden win and the Saratoga Special.

“I was covering him up at Monmouth thinking I was going to lay third [in the Saratoga Special] and it came up a four-horse field,” said Servis, who won last year’s Champagne with Firenze Fire.

Code of Honor and Network Effect were other 2-year-olds of note to work Saturday at Belmont Park.

Code of Honor worked a half-mile in 48 seconds, besting workmate News Anchor, who was timed in 48.60 seconds. It was Code of Honor’s second work since he won his debut at Saratoga on Aug. 18.

Trainer Shug McGaughey said he will keep an eye on both the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race at Keeneland, and the Grade 1 Champagne, a one-turn mile at Belmont. Both races are Oct. 6.

“I don’t want to go to Kentucky if there’s 14 in there and we draw 14 and look up and there’s five here,” McGaughey said, referring to the Champagne.

Network Effect, one of several juvenile winners on dirt during the Saratoga meet for trainer Chad Brown, worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 in company with Party With Friends. Network Effect is a candidate for the Champagne.

Other works of note Saturday were 3-year-olds Gronkowski and Instilled Regard, who went five furlongs together in 1:01.47 over the main track. They got their last quarter in 24.21 seconds and galloped six furlongs in 1:14.19.

Gronkowski, the Belmont Stakes runner-up, is being considered for the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 29. Instilled Regard, fourth in the Kentucky Derby, is scheduled to run next Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

Firenze Fire, the Grade 3 Dwyer winner, worked four furlongs in 49.72 seconds over the training track by himself in preparation for a start in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx.

Separationofpowers, the Grade 1 Test winner, worked a half-mile in 49.03 seconds over the main track by herself and is expected to run in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx.

Carrick, the Grade 1 Secretariat winner, worked five furlongs in 1:01.98 over the training track. He is preparing for a start in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont on Sept. 29.