Corelli on verge of breaking through with Sword Dancer upset
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Corelli appeared to make significant improvement from his first to his second start this year. If he has another forward step in him, he could very well upset Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga.
The Sword Dancer, scheduled for 1 1/2 miles on Saratoga’s inner turf course, drew an evenly matched field of eight runners, none of whom have established themselves as among the top of the older male turf division.
Corelli, a son of 2012 Sword Dancer winner Point of Entry, has not won a race in nearly two years. Trained originally by John Gosden in Europe, Corelli was sent by owner-breeder George Strawbridge to Jonathan Thomas late last year. Thomas gave Corelli plenty of time to acclimate and then struggled to find a race in the wake of the COVID-19-related cancellations.
Corelli started in the Tiller Stakes on June 4 at Belmont, where he broke poorly in the field of 12 and ultimately finished seventh, beaten 3 1/4 lengths by front-running Paret. Thomas brought Corelli back in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth and with blinkers and Lasix added, he got a three-wide trip and was beaten 1 1/2 lengths when running third to Aquaphobia, who is back in this field.
In addition to the blinkers and Lasix, Corelli broke much better in the United Nations, something for which Thomas credits the New York Racing Association gate crew. Thomas said the gate crew recommended tailing Corelli, a process where an assistant starter holds the horse’s tail until the gate opens.
“That got his attention and led to a cleaner break so he was a little more forwardly placed,” Thomas said. “My guess is we’ll do something similar or at least have a good clean break so we’re not forfeiting any kind of ground at the beginning.”
Thomas believes that Corelli probably didn’t get enough fitness out of the Tiller, which may have left him a tad short in the late stages of the United Nations.
“I’m hoping that maybe the U.N. really tightened him up, so we should be bringing in a really fit horse,” Thomas said. “He’s put in two good works since. At least on sheet numbers, he fits really well.”
There is rain in the forecast Saturday, and based on some of Corelli’s races in Europe, Thomas doesn’t feel softer ground would be an issue.
Joel Rosario rides Corelli from post 3.
Trainer Mike Maker, who has won four turf stakes at this meet, has the uncoupled trio of Aquaphobia, Cross Border, and Marzo entered in the Sword Dancer.
Aquaphobia, claimed for $62,500 by Maker in January, won the United Nations at 1 3/8 miles with a perfect trip under Joe Bravo. It was the first time he had raced that far for Maker.
“My thought is if he can go a mile and three-eighths he would have no issue with a mile and a half,” Maker said. “Speaking to Joe last time, he had plenty of horse and the pace was kind of soft that day as well.”
Despite a call for rain, Maker is not concerned with the surface.
“The way he’s doing right now, I’m not too concerned what they run on,” he said.
Cross Border is 5 for 5 at Saratoga, though his most recent victory, the Grade 2 Bowling Green here Aug. 1, came when the stewards disqualified Sadler’s Joy from first. In January, Cross Border was second, beaten a neck, in the Grade 3 William McKnight at 1 1/2 miles.
Marzo ran off to a five-length lead in the Bowling Green before fading to fifth in his first start off a four-month layoff.
“I thought he was the best horse in the race,” Maker said. “He’s continued to do well. I’d think he’d be controlling speed.”
Ricardo Santana Jr. rides Marzo from post 3.
Pedro Cara is a bit of a wild card making his first start for trainer Graham Motion. Previously trained by Mauricio Delcher, Pedro Cara was beaten a nose at 38-1 in the inaugural Jockey Club Derby last fall at Belmont Park. In two starts this year, Pedro Cara won the Group 2 Qatar Derby and was third in the Group 1 The Amir Trophy on Feb. 22.
Motion said Pedro Cara develop a foot abscess when he first arrived in the spring or he would have made it to the races sooner.
“I didn’t have this race on the radar, but there’s not a great deal of options,” Motion said. “If he returns to that form from the Jockey Club Derby that certainly puts him in the mix.”
John Velazquez rides from post 7.
Sadler’s Joy is making his fifth straight appearance in the Sword Dancer. He won it in 2017 and was beaten a neck by Annals of Time last year. Trainer Tom Albertrani said he would be concerned about a boggy turf course.
Channel Maker has a second and a fourth in the last two runnings of the Sword Dancer. Highland Sky was elevated from third to second in the Bowling Green last out.
The Sword Dancer, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland, goes as race 9 on an 11-race card that begins at 1:10 p.m. The card also includes the Grade 1 Forego, the Grade 3 Amsterdam, and the Grade 3 Saranac.