Englishman will train up to Breeders’ Cup Sprint
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While Golden Tempo couldn’t reprise his performance in the Belmont Stakes from 12 weeks ago finishing third in Saturday’s Travers Stakes at Saratoga, trainer Cherie DeVaux’s other outstanding 3-year-old, Englishman, was able to give an encore performance from 84 days ago in Saturday’s Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens.
Englishman, who on June 6 won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens by 5 3/4 lengths earning a 115 Beyer Speed Figure, on Saturday romped to a 3 3/4-length victory in the Jerkens, earning a 117 Beyer. Yes, his final time for seven furlongs of 1:20.71 was .31 of a second slower than his track-record-setting time of 1:20.40 in the Woody Stephens, but Saratoga’s main track on Saturday was slower than it was June 6.
“The sky’s the limit for him,” DeVaux said Sunday morning. “He’s just ultra-fast, very consistent, and, for me, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the privilege of having a horse like that again because he’s just that level of ability and talent.”
Englishman, a son of Maxfield owned by C R K Stable, has now won 4 of 5 starts, his lone defeat coming to Crude Velocity in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day. Englishman, throughout his career, has shown the ability to fire fresh, which is why DeVaux has no qualms about training him up to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
“He does need some time after” his races, DeVaux said. “He looked fine this morning. He’s one we’ll be inclined to train up to the Breeders’ Cup because he puts it all out there and he stays pretty fit. Coming off a little layoff didn’t affect him at all in his performance.”
Deep Flame, who won his last two starts impressively including the Maxfield Stakes, finished second by 7 3/4 lengths over Local Knowledge in the Jerkens. Brad Cox, trainer of Deep Flame, did not seem interested in pursuing Englishman in a race like the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
“It’s probably a bad year to be a fast one-turn 3-year-old, but he’s a good horse with what he showed yesterday,” Cox said. “Made me start thinking – and this will be up to the Juddmonte team – pump the brakes with him and get him ready for the 2027 campaign. I don’t want to chase a horse that’s faster around there than we are and discourage him. He’s a good horse.”
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