Gate work puts Upstart on his toes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Rick Violette said he doesn’t really like to work older horses from the gate. But he made an exception here Friday with the star of his stable, the multiple graded stakes winner Upstart, who sizzled four furlongs from the gate in 46.31 seconds with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.

Upstart has shown a tendency to break tardily, and Violette was hoping Friday’s experience might help alleviate that problem prior to the Grade 1 Whitney here on Aug. 6.

Upstart launched his 2016 campaign with a victory in the Grade 3 Razorback at Oaklawn before finishing fifth following a slow start in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap and a distant third behind Frosted in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.

“He still didn’t come away real great this morning,” said Violette. “I told Irad to chase him out of there and then sit, and it looked like he went really well, very easily, once under way.”

Working with blinkers on, Upstart posted splits of 23.70 and 34.85 before galloping out five-eighths in 58.81 without need of urging from Ortiz.

“I hated to do it, but sometimes you just can’t keep doing the same stuff in the morning and hope they’ll break better in the afternoon,” said Violette. “He just can’t afford to continue to surrender so much ground and position at the break. It’s okay if you’re much the best, but he did it at Oaklawn, and he did it in the Met Mile. I haven’t been working him with blinkers, but it didn’t make sense to have him come out of the gate without having the blinkers on this morning, and he can work 46 with blinkers easy.”