Golden Tempo draws post 9, tabbed morning-line favorite for Travers
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - If things continue as they have, Jose Ortiz is likely to set a record for wins at a Saratoga meet. Following Sunday’s 34th day of racing, Ortiz had 64 winners, four shy of Ramon Dominguez’s record of 68 set in 2012.
Whether he sets a record or not by the time he leaves for Kentucky Downs next Sunday, Ortiz hopes Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes is part of his ultimate win total. Ortiz, a three-time leading rider at Saratoga who is 0 for 10 in the Travers, will take his regular seat aboard Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo against nine rivals in the Travers, the highlight of a 14-race card with six graded stakes.
On Sunday, Golden Tempo drew post 9 and was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite by Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona. Renegade, beaten a neck by Golden Tempo in the Derby, drew post 5 and was made the 3-1 second choice.
Ortiz has been aboard Golden Tempo in all six of his starts, which has resulted in four wins and third-place finishes in the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Ortiz believes the addition of blinkers, which trainer Cherie DeVaux added after Golden Tempo’s third-place finish in the Risen Star in February, was a turning point for the colt’s success.
“When we put the blinkers on him his switch went on,” Ortiz said Sunday. “Obviously, first time with blinkers he ran third, but I think he made a great move around the turn and the track was playing speed in Louisiana.”
While Golden Tempo rallied from last in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont, Ortiz noted that he was closer to contention by the quarter pole of the Belmont.
“If I manage to be close enough in contention around the quarter pole, I think he has a lot of stamina to stay,” Ortiz said. “That would be key, just be in contention at the right time.”
Golden Tempo, a few weeks after the Belmont, got sick and missed some training time, which also forced him to miss a planned start in the Jim Dandy here on Aug. 1. Thus, he will be running in the Travers off a 12-week layoff.
Ortiz has been aboard Golden Tempo for all five of his workouts in Saratoga, including a half-mile move in 49.45 seconds on Saturday.
“I think he’s been working steady, I think he’s been working great,” Ortiz said. “Every work has been like we wanted. He’s been feeling very healthy underneath me. But did I wish he had run in the Dandy? Maybe.”
The Travers, which like the Derby and Belmont is run at 1 1/4 miles, drew a field of 10. Seven of them will have different riders than they had in their most recent starts.
That includes Renegade, whose regular rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., is sidelined with a foot injury. Renegade, who won the Jim Dandy on Aug. 1, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione in the Travers, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday morning.
“I don’t think he’s complicated, he just doesn’t want to be rushed early,” Pletcher said of Renegade. “That’s one thing Irad said he wished he could have changed about the Belmont; he thought he maybe asked him to stay a little closer and that might have diminished his late kick a little bit.”
With Gaffalione riding Renegade, Edgard Zayas has picked up the mount on Ocelli, the maiden whom Gaffalione rode his last four times, including a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and a fourth-place finish in the Preakness. Ocelli drew post 6 for the Travers.
Zayas has ridden two horses for trainer Whit Beckman at this meet, including a victory on the 2-year-old Let Em Know.
“He’s ridden a couple for us, we like the trips he’s given us and the feedback he’s given us,” Beckman said.
Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride Emerging Market for the first time as Flavien Prat, who rode Emerging Market in his first five starts, will keep the mount on Sea Strike, on whom he won the Curlin Stakes by 8 1/2 lengths. Both horses are trained by Chad Brown.
Emerging Market, who won the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March, drew the rail. Hours before the draw, Brown said he was hoping Emerging Market would draw an inside post after having outside draws in his last two starts.
“I’d like to see the horse draw inside, get a decent trip, saving ground with no trouble in the first turn,” Brown said.
Preakness winner Napoleon Solo will be ridden by John Velazquez in the Travers. He replaces Paco Lopez, who in the Haskell left room open along the rail for Baby Vino to slip through. Baby Vino outfinished Napoleon Solo to win the Haskell by a half-length.
Lopez will be aboard Baby Vino, a horse he rode to a 10 3/4-length victory in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth on June 13. Baby Vino, who drew post 8, was scheduled to have her final workout for the Travers on Monday morning at Saratoga.
Leading Change, who had won his first two starts including the Grade 3 Indiana Derby under Irad Ortiz Jr., will be ridden by Manny Franco in the Travers. Franco is enjoying a sensational meet, with 50 wins including Grade 1 victories the last two weeks on My Gun’s Loaded in the Alabama and Survie in the Christophe Clement. Leading Change, trained by Brad Cox, drew post 2.
Javier Castellano will be reunited with The Puma, on whom he won the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby and was beaten a nose in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Castellano was injured when The Puma, trained by Gustavo Delgado Jr., ran fourth in the Haskell. The Puma drew post 4.
Silent Tactic, who finished third in the Arkansas Derby, drew post 10. The Mark Casse-trained runner will be ridden by Luis Saez, who was aboard for his third-place finish in the Jim Dandy, his first start off a four-month layoff.
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