Evan Shipman distance will be test for Big Business
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer David Jacobson will try to end a bad month on a good note when he sends out Big Business as the likely favorite in Thursday’s $100,000 Evan Shipman Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga.
Jacobson, the leading trainer on the New York Racing Association circuit the last two years, is just 4 for 38 in New York in July, including 1 for 20 to begin the Saratoga season.
Big Business has not yet raced in July, but his performances in May and June are certainly good enough to win the Evan Shipman, provided he can handle 1 1/8 miles around two turns.
“That’s the big question – we got to see if he wants to go that far,” Jacobson said. “A lot of times, it’s easier on horses. They’re generally running slower, not as much get-up-and-go. He’s very fit, and he’s doing everything we want. Winning a race going a mile and an eighth at Saratoga would be a big accomplishment for him.”
On May 31, in his second start off an 11-month layoff, Big Business was beaten a neck in the one-mile Commentator Stakes by Zivo, who came back to win the Grade 2 Suburban.
Last time out, on June 28, Big Business rolled to a 7 1/4-length victory in a third-level allowance race, defeating Grade 1 winner Capo Bastone and fellow New York-bred Sailmate, who is in the Evan Shipman.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer David Jacobson is 3 for 18 with a $0.90 ROI over the past five years in races at Saratoga with horses that have the top Beyer Speed Figure in their previous race.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
Awesome Vision, beaten a head in last year’s Evan Shipman, and Escapefromreality, the winner of last year’s Albany Stakes going 1 1/8 miles here, top the competition.
Key Contenders
Big Business (Last 3 Beyers: 102-95-83)
◗ Since being transferred to Jacobson’s barn in the fall of 2012, Big Business has 9 wins and 4 seconds from 13 starts.
◗ A gelding by Eddington, he was vanned off following a fifth-place finish in the Lion Cavern Stakes on June 26, 2013. Jacobson said Big Business had inflammation in his ankles and knee and was given time to recover.
◗ Big Business is 1 for 9 in two-turn races, with his win coming in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Hollywood Park in 2011.
Escapefromreality (Last 3 Beyers: 92-87-83)
◗ After winning the Albany by two lengths here last August, he went to the sidelines with a lung infection, according to owner Anthony Bonomo, who said he didn’t want to campaign the gelding through the winter.
◗ Came back off a nine-month layoff with a solid effort in a one-turn, one-mile race at Belmont on May 23, getting beaten a neck by Sailmate.
Awesome Vision (Last 3 Beyers: 92-83-81)
◗ After winning his first three races of 2013, Awesome Vision has gone just 2 for 12.
◗ He is the last horse to defeat Zivo, who has since won six consecutive races, including the Suburban.
◗ Was second to Bigger Is Bettor in this race last year, when he was four wide and drifted out in the stretch while Bigger Is Bettor came up the rail.
◗ Avenged his Shipman loss to Bigger Is Bettor by beating him in the Saratoga Sun Stakes at 1 1/8 miles here last Aug. 16.
Fox Rules (Last 3 Beyers: 92-94-83)
◗ Has won his last three races, all at Finger Lakes, including a nose victory over Awesome Vision in the Genesee Valley Breeders’ Stakes on July 4.
◗ Formulator Fact: Trainer Anthony Ferraro is 1 for 22 over the last five years at Saratoga, the win being Fox Rules’s maiden victory here in 2011 on turf at 22-1.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Beautyinthepulpit. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez is 13 for 28 with a $3.73 ROI over the past two years in dirt routes, first start after a claim.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan