Laoban schools for Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Eric Guillot knows that Laoban is unlikely to get loose on the lead in an expected full field for the Travers Stakes on Aug. 27 like he did when he upset a six-horse Jim Dandy field at 27-1 on July 30.

Guillot would like to teach Laoban to sit behind horses, and on a busy Friday morning, Laoban got quite the education. On a day when hundreds of horses put in timed workouts at Saratoga, Laoban worked five furlongs in 1:01.42 over the main track.

Laoban attempted to sit behind his workmate, a Louisiana-bred 2-year-old, but when the work started, Laoban wound up tracking a pair of 2-year-olds trained by Todd Pletcher. Laoban, under jockey Jose Ortiz, wound up going three wide in the stretch to pass those Pletcher juvenile prospects while getting his final quarter in 24.42 seconds.

“It worked out good because I’m trying to get my horse to relax, knowing I’m not going to get the lead,” Guillot said. “I told him to go in 1:02, and he did a little better than that. He galloped out strong.”

Laoban was one of seven prospective Travers starters to put in workouts Friday morning in Saratoga.

Governor Malibu, the Jim Dandy runner-up, went five furlongs in 1:01.98 over the Oklahoma training track at around 8 a.m. Under Joel Rosario, Governor Malibu went from the half-mile pole, going his first quarter in 24.51 seconds and his last three furlongs in 37.47. Rosario had Governor Malibu in the No. 4 path in the stretch.

Trainer Christophe Clement said he was happy with the work, and while his goal is the Travers, Clement said Governor Malibu would also be nominated to the Albany Stakes for New York-breds on Aug. 26.

“I think he’s been moving up,” Clement said. “In the meantime, I’d kind of like to win a race. He will be nominated to the Albany as well.”

Trainer Chad Brown has three horses possible for the Travers: Connect, Gift Box, and My Man Sam. Connect, the Curlin Stakes winner, went four furlongs in 48.33 seconds in company with the 3-year-old maiden Born for a Storm, while Curlin runner-up Gift Box went a half-mile in 48.89 seconds by himself. My Man Sam, the runner-up in a July 23 allowance race, went a half-mile in 48.93 seconds in company with Battle of Evermore.

“I let Gift Box work by himself, and I thought the horse worked great,” Brown said. “He galloped out well. The same for Connect. I let him work with company, and I thought he was moving very, very well. Both horses came out of the Curlin in very good shape.”

Destin, the Belmont Stakes runner-up and third-place finisher in the Jim Dandy, worked a half-mile in 48.89 seconds with Anchor Down. The pair galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.82.

Forever d’Oro, third in the Curlin, went four furlongs in 48.34 seconds in company with Tom’s Ready, who is pointing to the King’s Bishop on Aug. 27.

Others pointing to the Travers who did not work include American Freedom, Arrogate, Creator, Exaggerator, Gun Runner, and Seeking Blame.

Gettysburg was scratched from an allowance race Friday and remains possible for the Travers.

– additional reportingby Mike Welsch