Chance It works five furlongs for two-turn debut in In Reality Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. booked an 8:24 p.m. flight back to Florida Saturday night following the Pennsylvania Derby, he never took into consideration the one factor that could possibly keep him from catching his plane: A delay from speaking to the press should his Math Wizard actually win.

Fortunately, Joseph was able to make his flight following Math Wizard’s unexpected victory in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, allowing him to be on hand here early the next morning to watch his top 2-year-old prospect Chance It work five furlongs in 1:01.25 in preparation for Saturday’s $400,000 In Reality Stakes.

“I was doing all those interviews in the winner’s circle and I looked at my watch and it was already almost 6:30, and at that point I was afraid we wouldn’t make the flight, which was the last of the night back to Florida,” Joseph said on Monday. “And I really wanted to be back here Sunday morning to watch Chance It work.”

Working minutes after the first renovation break, Chance it went an easy opening three-eighths in 37.05 before finishing strongly and galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.62 while kept a bit off the rail throughout.

“We weren’t looking for much. I thought he worked good and galloped out really well,” said Joseph. “Everything is going in the right direction coming up to the race. Better than before the last one when he backed off his feed about 10 days out and I couldn’t give him his final work on the Sunday before the race as I’d normally do. I had to wait until just three days out instead.”

Chance It was beaten a head by Liam’s Lucky Charm after contesting the pace as the odds-on favorite in the seven-furlong Affirmed on Aug. 31 after having defeated that same rival by 3 1/4 lengths four weeks earlier in the six-furlong Dr. Fager. Chance It, a son of Currency Swap, has posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 91 in each of his last three starts but will be stretching out around two turns for the first time in the In Reality.

Chance It and Liam’s Lucky Charm will top what is expected to be a relatively small field when they meet for the third time in the In Reality, with Tyler Gaffalione to have the mount for the first time aboard Chance It.