Kentucky Derby: Tiz the Law's work rained out but Travers runner-up Caracaro breezes anyway
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A heavy thunderstorm hit Saratoga at about 8 a.m. Saturday morning, dropping .36 of an inch of rain and turning a fast main track into a mud pit, prompting the connections of Tiz the Law to postpone a scheduled workout in preparation for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.
The connections of Caracaro, however, went ahead with their planned work and the Travers runner-up went five furlongs in 1:01.88 under exercise rider J.J. Delgado in his first of two works for the Derby.
The New York Racing Association had set aside a 10-minute window Saturday morning from 8:45 to 8:55 - which is immediately after the renovation break - for stakes horses to work out. Barclay Tagg, the trainer of Tiz the Law, had sought permission for that time period so that it would keep the amount of horses on the track to a minimum when Tiz the Law would be working.
But Tagg didn’t want to work Tiz the Law over what turned into a sloppy surface so Tiz the Law just galloped 1 3/4 miles with a plan to work early Sunday morning.
“We could work him Saturday or Sunday,” Tagg said.
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Tiz the Law, winner of the Belmont Stakes, Travers, and Florida Derby, is expected to be a strong favorite for the Kentucky Derby.
Gustavo Delgado, the trainer of Caracaro, said since he had treated Caracaro with Lasix and didn’t want to have to do that again Sunday morning so he went ahead with the work. The only difference was he told jockey Javier Castellano, who was scheduled to work the horse, to go home.
“We were going to go easy today,” Gustavo Delgado Jr., the son of the trainer said. “Javier is lighter, [Caracaro] would have done more.”
As it was, Caracaro went faster than Delgado Jr. thought he did. Working a couple paths off the fence, Caracaro went an opening eighth in 14.13 seconds. He picked it up from there going a quarter in 26.28, three furlongs in 37.63, and getting his last quarter in 24.25. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.78 and seven furlongs in 1:27.53.
“Today was his first breeze back, see where we’re at, we like what we see,” Delgado Jr. said. “From here to next week is when we will see some change. After the first breeze you see how they come back, if they’re stressed. He looks good.”
Delgado said Castellano would work the horse next Saturday. Caracaro is scheduled to be flown to Kentucky on Aug. 30.
Before the rains came, the undefeated 3-year-old Happy Saver worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds in company with the older horse En Why Cee over a fast main track. The pair got their last three furlongs in 36.00 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.61, and six furlongs in 1:14.36.
Happy Saver, trained by Todd Pletcher is being pointed to the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy Stakes here on Sept. 5.