Departing works in prep for Whitney Handicap

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Departing has never run at Saratoga, but the way he’s trained over the local oval the past two summers, one can’t blame trainer Al Stall Jr. for looking forward to finally starting his three-time graded stakes winner here early next month in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap.

Departing used a series of sharp works at Saratoga last summer as springboards to easy victories in both the Grade 2 West Virginia and Louisiana Super derbies. Departing turned in his first work of the current season here Saturday morning, breezing an easy half-mile in 48.20 seconds before galloping out five-eighths in 1:00.70 and pulling up six panels in 1:14.65 over a main track that was a bit on the dull side both before and after the renovation break.

“I was very pleased with the way he worked this morning,” said Stall. “That’s just him. He keeps going and going at the same pace. He trained awesome here last summer, although of course, he didn’t race here. But he ran very well when we took him out of town.”

Departing has started just twice since returning from a seven-month vacation that began after his disappointing fourth-place effort as the 1-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Remington Park Derby in September. He won an allowance race going a mile April 30 at Churhcill Downs before finishing a good third behind Moonshine Mullin in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster.

“We feel pretty good about him right now,” said Stall. “He’s had two solid races since coming back after being given a complete let down this winter, and it would appear he’s sitting on ‘the race’ right now. He was in pretty deep water right away after the allowance win, he made the lead between calls, and I thought he acquitted himself real well in the Foster, considering it was only his second race all year after a long layoff.”

Stall knows the water will get even deeper in the Whitney.

“The division is a one-horse division right now. You’re going to have a 3-5 shot in the Whitney,” said Stall, referring to Palace Malice. “After that, I’m not sure where everybody else stacks up.”