Mani Bhavan back quickly for Spinaway

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In an era when horsemen are seeking more time between races for their horses, it is pleasantly surprising to see trainer Steve Klesaris shipping Adirondack Stakes winner Mani Bhavan back to Saratoga for Sunday's Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes.

To listen to Klesaris, he really didn't have much of a choice. Mani Bhavan came out of her seven-length tour-de-force in the Aug. 13 Adirondack so well, Klesaris said, "I almost had to put the saddle on her the day after she ran."

Klesaris says Mani Bhavan has continued to do well since, and he is expecting another top effort from the juvenile filly when she faces seven rivals in the $250,000 Spinaway at seven furlongs.

"She's fantastic," Klesaris said Friday from his base at the Fair Hill training center in Maryland. "She came out of the races in great shape. She's coming into this race in great shape. That race didn't take a thing out of her."

Mani Bhavan won the Grade 2 Adirondack in gate-to-wire fashion, breaking on top from the outside post in the eight-horse field and widening her advantage at every call. She ran the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.09 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 while gearing down late.

Mani Bhavan has the outside post again in the Spinaway under Alan Garcia.

Though Mani Bhavan has won both of her starts in gate-to-wire fashion, Klesaris said he has from the beginning trained her to come from off the pace.

"She knows how to do it," he said. "But she's just so tactically quick. The first couple of steps out of the gate she's so quick, but she has a high cruise control."

Casanova Move and Mine All Mine were front-running maiden winners here earlier in the meet. Casanova Move, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, won a six-furlong race in 1:11.62 and was taken in hand by Eibar Coa inside the sixteenth pole.

Mine All Mine rolled to a 9 3/4-length win the slop going 5 1/2 furlongs here on opening day. Trainer Wesley Ward said Mine All Mine was his best 2-year-old of either gender in the spring, though she has been overtaken by his colt Notonthesamepage, who runs in Monday's Hopeful. Ward also will run August Rush, a debut winner sprinting on turf, in the Spinaway.

Jardin, Girlfrienontheside and Collegiate - the first-, third-, and fourth-place finishers from the opening-day Schuylerville Stakes - meet again in the Spinaway. Jardin worked out a three-wide trip from her outside post and recorded a four-length score over Cameron Crazies.

"Her two starts have been very impressive," said Scott Blasi, assistant to Jardin's trainer, Steve Asmussen. "I'm glad we got a race over the track; this is good timing back. The filly's grown a lot. We expect her to move forward. I do think she has to move forward off that race to win."

Jardin will break from post 4.

Girlfrienontheside had to steady at the half-mile pole of the Schuylerville, but she re-rallied and was beaten just a nose for second when finishing four lengths behind Jardin. Prior to that, she finished second to Bold Union in the Astoria Stakes at Belmont.

"I know that Girlfrienontheside has not run fast, but it's my opinion one day she will run fast and that's why I'm running in the Spinaway," trainer Tony Dutrow said. "I think she's got a good race in her - I hope it's Sunday."

Trainer Mark Hennig felt Collegiate was on the sloppiest part of the racetrack when she was forced to make an early move along the rail to the lead in the Schuylerville. She faded to fourth. She ran very well in her debut over a fast track, and has trained well leading up to this, Hennig said.

"I couldn't be more pleased with her last couple of works," Hennig said. "She's relaxing good, she's finishing strong. I think seven-eighths will suit her a lot better."

Longshot Winning Brew completes the field.