With a larger presence at meet, Walsh very busy opening weekend
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Brendan Walsh will have a much larger presence in Saratoga this summer than he did last year when he started just 12 horses. He figures to find out right away what kind of summer it will be when he sends out horses in seven races over the first two days, including runners in four stakes.
“We have the horses for it this year,” said Walsh, who figures to fill the 21 stalls he was allotted. “I felt last year we didn’t have the right horses. Plus, horses do well up there.”
Walsh hopes Saratoga helps bring out the best in the 3-year-old filly Mashallah, who runs in a first-level allowance race, which is the opener on Saturday’s 11-race card. Mashallah was brilliant when she debuted at Keeneland, winning her maiden by 3 3/4 lengths and earning a gaudy 106 Beyer Speed Figure.
Walsh ran her back in a first-level allowance race going one mile at Churchill on May 30 and she finished fifth of 10 as the 4-5 favorite. Mashallah, a daughter of Maxfield, will be cutting back to 6 1/2 furlongs on Saturday.
“She had to work harder to make the lead the last time at Churchill, not that we went out and wanted to make the lead, and I think she got caught out at the end, be it distance or that we used her up,” Walsh said. “She was very impressive the first time at Keeneland, so maybe she just needs the cutback in distance. I thought initially, the way she ran at Keenland, that she would have gotten a mile no problem. Maybe she doesn’t. Obviously, it’s only her third run, so we’re still learning about her. We’ll see what happens on Saturday.”
In race 3 Saturday, Walsh sends out Nonconsecutivetrms in a maiden turf race. Nonconsecutivetrms finished second in three of five starts as a 2-year-old before heading to the sidelines. Sister Troienne, who beat Nonconsecutivetrms last November, came back to win three stakes at Gulfstream Park during the winter.
“We had to give her a little time off, but she’s been coming back nice and working good, so looking forward to running her,” Walsh said.
Walsh will have runners in three graded stakes on Saturday. Imaginationthelady is a logical contender in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, but Walsh believes Tiernanogue and Original Sin are live price plays in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby and Grade 2 Suburban, respectively.
In his turf debut in the Audubon Stakes at Churchill, Tiernanogue got squeezed between horses and then stumbled coming to the wire the first time. Last until the quarter pole, Tiernanogue came with a strong late run to get second behind Touch of Fire.
“Somebody came in very tight on him and I think he did catch a heel and nearly went down,” Walsh said. “I think he made a serious recovery and he was making a big run at the winner, who I think is a top, top 3-year-old. The distance with this guy, the farther he goes the better. It looks like he handled the turf really well. He looks like he’s in deep on the face of it, but if you look at the video of his last race he might be a little sneaky in there.”
Walsh feels similarly about Original Sin, who comes into the Suburban off consecutive wins at 1 1/8 miles. Original Sin won the Grade 3 Blame Stakes at Churchill on May 30, and while that race is the prep for the Stephen Foster, Walsh said he was already thinking about the Suburban, at 1 1/4 miles, before the Blame.
“I just love the distance for him,” Walsh said.
Walsh was to have started his Saratoga summer with Smexy in the Wild Applause. She was coming off a third-place finish, beaten one length, in the Penn Oaks at Penn National.
Among the horses he intends to send to Saratoga for other stakes is Proctor Street, who is being pointed to the De La Rose on July 17. Proctor Street was one of two winners sent out by Walsh here last summer.
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