DeVaux prepping Englishman at home; BC Sprint the long-range goal
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While Cherie DeVaux sent North America’s leading 3-year-old dirt route horse, Golden Tempo, off to Saratoga following a workout last weekend at Keeneland, she’s keeping North America’s leading 3-year-old dirt sprinter, Englishman, in Kentucky.
Englishman on Tuesday at Keeneland worked a half-mile in 47.40 seconds and will do all his major work there before shipping to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens on Aug. 29.
“Really good work today,” DeVaux said Tuesday afternoon. “He does everything so easily – went 47 and change, did it easy, looked great.”
Englishman, by Maxfield, is 3 for 4, his lone defeat a second-place finish to Crude Velocity in the Pat Day Mile on May 2. Englishman didn’t run his best race that day, but he did in the Woody Stephens on June 6, beating Crude Velocity by 5 3/4 lengths and earning the best 3-year-old Beyer Speed Figure so far this year, a 115.
Englishman’s incredible speed belies the way he goes about his training: He’s not in a hurry, and he will do what his human connections desire. That gives DeVaux the confidence to bring Englishman to the Jerkens after a break of nearly three months.
“We’re spacing his works out a little bit, but he’s not very hard on himself. He’s just a super relaxed, nice-mannered horse.”
The Breeders’ Cup Sprint stands as a longer-term goal. DeVaux has made no plans beyond Saratoga, but said Englishman probably would have a race between the Jerkens and the BC Sprint on Oct. 31.
Sunday at Ellis Park, DeVaux sent So Sandy out to win his belated 4-year-old debut, a second-level allowance over one mile on dirt. Fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby late last summer, So Sandy got a 93 Beyer in his comeback victory and likely has a return to stakes action on his agenda.
Finally, DeVaux said she’ll run the 3-year-old grass horse Supercharger in the $500,000 Secretariat on Aug. 1 at Colonial Downs. Supercharger, a Silky Sullivan-type closer, won maiden and first-level allowance races at Churchill Downs in his last two starts.
◗ Just six older fillies and mares were entered in Friday’s featured seventh race, a second-level allowance carded for one mile on dirt and also open to $62,500 claimers. Consequent, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, is a play-against at that price. None of the four horses she beat in her last start, the 2-year-old filly-restricted Starlet on Dec. 6, has come back to win anything more than a minor claiming race.
Liam in the Dust, second choice at 3-1, also looks vulnerable, and bettors might do well to take a swing at a longer price like Bilyana.
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