Fantasioso goes back to basics for John's Call

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – From distance, to equipment, to pre-race preparation, everything about the Grade 1 United Nations last month at Monmouth Park was wrong for Fantasioso.

Wednesday, with more distance, different equipment, and seemingly better preparation, Fantasioso looks to make things right when he runs in the $120,000 John’s Call Stakes, scheduled for 1 5/8 miles on turf at Saratoga.

For the U.N., trainer Ignacio Correas cut Fantasioso back to 1 3/8 miles, perhaps shorter than his best. Correas changed equipment from cheek pieces to blinkers. Five days before the U.N., Fantasioso worked a half-mile in a bullet 47.80 seconds in those blinkers at Keeneland before shipping to New Jersey.

“He didn’t need a work like that,” said Correas, who had Miguel Mena work Fantasioso that morning to get accustomed to the horse since he was riding him in the U.N.

In the race itself, Fantasioso finished eighth after steadying entering the far turn when Arklow clipped heels with another horse and stumbled.

“I wasn’t happy with anything that happened that day, so let’s go back to what he does well and go back to basics,” Correas said.

Correas will remove the blinkers and put the cheek pieces back on Fantasioso. Correas believes the cheek pieces help with focus but do not make the horse as aggressive as blinkers do.

Fantasioso’s works have been slower by design leading into the John’s Call. While he shows a bullet three-furlong move in 36.80 seconds on Aug 14, that came at the end of an accelerated gallop, referred to as two-minute lick. Before shipping to New York, Fantasioso went a half-mile in 52.20.

Javier Castellano, aboard Fantasioso when second in the Belmont Gold Cup, is back up Wednesday.

In the Belmont Gold Cup, Fantasioso finished a length in front of Ajourneytofreedom, who is back in this spot. Ajourneytofreedom, trained by Mike Maker, is coming off a neck victory in a 1 1/2-mile allowance race here July 23.

Ajourneytofreedom will have his stablemate Conviction Trade to perhaps help ensure some pace in the John’s Call. Twice this year – in the Grade 3 John B. Connally Cup at Sam Houston and the Belmont Gold Cup – Conviction Trade was a forward factor, and Ajourneytofreedom, well back early, finished ahead of him both times.

Ry’s the Guy could be prominent early in his return to turf. He has futilely chased Lone Rock in three straight marathon dirt races.

Red Knight won the Grade 3 Sycamore going 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland in October. The John’s Call was trainer Bill Mott’s targeted goal with Red Knight, and he used the Grade 2 Bowling Green, where he was beaten 4 1/4 lengths by Cross Border here on July 31, as a prep.

Serve the King finished fourth, three lengths ahead of Fantasioso in the United Nations for trainer Chad Brown. Shamrocket, trained by Todd Pletcher, was third in both the Bowling Green and Grand Couturier.