Handal believes short rest won't be an issue for Chummers
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Chummers looks to put the bow on a terrific summer for himself and his trainer Ray Handal when he wheels back on short rest to run in Monday’s $200,000 Gio Ponti Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.
The Gio Ponti, scheduled for one mile on the inner turf, shares billing with the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes for New York-breds on dirt as the co-features on a 12-race closing-day program that kicks off at 11:30 a.m.
Chummers, a gelding by Combatant, has recorded neck victories in both the Rick Violette for New York-breds on July 20 and the Cab Calloway for progeny of New York-based stallions on Aug. 20. Overall, Chummers has won three straight, a streak that began in a $55,000 claiming race at Aqueduct in June.
Handal had originally planned to train Chummers up to the Mohawk Stakes on Oct. 24 at Belmont Park. He entered Chummers in the Gio Ponti, for open-company 3-year-olds, to see how his horse is doing. Handal likes what he’s seen and is okay with the 19-day turnaround.
“He’s jumping out of his skin, he’s carrying great weight, dappled out head to toe and is just training amazingly,” Handal said. “Figured we’d enter and take a look. If we looked good, run, and he looks really good. I’d say we’re going to run in there and I feel really good about it.”
Handal has had a lot to feel good about this meet. He entered the final three days with seven wins from 36 starters with three stakes wins. At the 2024 Saratoga meet, he won eight races, a personal best.
There is no clear-cut favorite among the nine entered for the turf in the Gio Ponti. At 9-2, Chummers is one of five horses listed between 7-2 and 5-1 on David Aragona’s morning line.
Black Hornet, listed at 6-1, is interesting as his last two efforts – a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 American Turf at Churchill Downs in May and an eighth-place finish in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park in March – sully his form. Prior to those efforts, Black Hornet won the Black Gold Stakes and a maiden race, both at Fair Grounds.
“We ran him on the synthetic. I don’t think he cared for that whatsoever,” trainer Brendan Walsh said “Then the waters might have been a little deep for him the next start at Churchill.
“He’s been a little bit tricky to train, but when he’s right, he’s right, and I feel like we have him in a good place. We gave him plenty of time and I think he’s sitting on a good run, which he’ll need to do to have any chance in there.”
Doubting Thomas, a Virginia-bred son of Caravaggio, has won three of five starts including a pair of turf sprint stakes at Colonial Downs. Though Doubting Thomas’s siblings are mostly turf sprinters, trainer Mike Trombetta is interested to see if this guy can stretch out.
“It’s a bit of an unknown, we’re going to give it a try,” Trombetta said. “[Jockey Jorge] Ruiz had indicated before he thought the horse would go farther. He acts like he might. Looking at the schedule, and the limited options, this is a great time to try it.”
Trombetta said when Doubting Thomas finished second in the Tom Ridge Stakes, he had a troubled trip.
“He was in a ton of traffic, made a nice run and got up for second,” Trombetta said. “With a cleaner path, he’d have been right there for sure.”
John Velazquez rides Doubting Thomas from post 6 on Monday.
Siyouincanada was cross-entered in Monday’s Old Dominion Derby at Colonial, but trainer Joe Sharp, via text, confirmed the horse would run in Saratoga. He was sixth in the Saranac on July 3 and then finished third in a first-level allowance against older opponents here on Aug. 6.
Lyneham, a French-bred son of Wootton Bassett, won both of his starts at age 2 in France but is 0 for 4 this year for trainer Christophe Ferland.
Third Coast, trained by Tom Proctor, won the Jersey Derby going a mile at Monmouth Park in June. Most recently, he was fifth in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame with blinkers added. Proctor is removing the blinkers for the Gio Ponti.
Glavine, Glorious Boy, and Bull Shoals round out the field on turf.
Following Monday’s card, racing on this circuit is dark until Sept. 18, when the new Belmont Park opens before a capped crowd of 6,000.
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