Imagining looks to bounce back in Sword Dancer
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The way he ended last year and began this season, Imagining appeared poised to successfully fill the shoes of departed stablemates Point of Entry and Boisterous in trainer Shug McGaughey’s shed row.
Imagining took a step backward, however, in the Grade 1 Manhattan two months ago when he finished sixth behind Real Solution. Imagining has shown the ability to rebound from a bad effort with a good one, and he will look to do that again in Sunday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga.
Seven were entered for the Sword Dancer, run at 1 1/2 miles over Saratoga’s Mellon turf course and the featured event on the Jockey Club Racing Tour on Fox from 5-6:30 p.m. Eastern.
Imagining, a 6-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway, ended last year with victories in an overnight stakes at Belmont and the Grade 2 Red Smith at Aqueduct. After finishing second to Lochte in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, Imagining became a Grade 1 winner in the Man o’ War on May 11 at Belmont Park. A month later, he was beaten 4 3/4 lengths in the Manhattan.
McGaughey said Imagining’s chances in the Manhattan were compromised early in the race.
“He acted like he wanted to prop going into the first turn, and he never could get untracked, really, and he was only beaten four lengths,” McGaughey said.
Imagining trained at the Fair Hill Training Center for most of the summer before coming to Saratoga, where he worked twice, including once on dirt with Grade 1 winner Mr Speaker.
“I think he has been training awfully well,” McGaughey said. “Pleased with what I’ve seen. Now we’ll see if he can relate that into a good race.”
Perhaps a good omen for Imagining came Thursday, when his half-sister Sabbatical won a 1 3/8-mile allowance race over the turf.
Joel Rosario, aboard for victories in the Red Smith and Man o’ War, will be back aboard Imagining on Sunday.
Also entered in the Sword Dancer were Main Sequence and Twilight Eclipse, the one-two finishers in the Grade 1 United Nations, as well as Amira’s Prince, O’Prado Ole, and Perfect Timber.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Main Sequence. Trainer Graham Motion is 5 for 15 with a $4.85 ROI over the past five years in turf routes of 12 furlongs and longer following a winning effort.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Twilight Eclipse. Trainer Tom Albertrani is 4 for 80 with a $0.80 ROI in turf routes at Saratoga over the past five years.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan