McCraken beats the rush with Travers work
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – McCraken, beaten a nose when second in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational last out, worked four furlongs in 48.97 seconds Thursday over the Oklahoma dirt course as preparations for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 26 are beginning to pick up.
Working at 6:20 a.m. under exercise rider Yoni Orantes, McCraken went his first quarter in 24.54 seconds and his second quarter in 24.43 while doing it mostly on his own. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.22.
“The horse was jumping out of his skin yesterday,” trainer Ian Wilkes said Thursday. “He needed to do something today. He would have hurt himself if I didn’t do something.”
During the meet, Wilkes rarely works horses on the Oklahoma training track, which is about as far away from his barn as possible. But Wilkes has had several horses get hurt training over the main track.
“I’ve had some injuries here on the main track,” Wilkes said. “I’ll probably move most of my works to Oklahoma now. I can’t keep staying in a rut and doing the same thing after the same things keep happening.”
There is time for McCraken to get in two more workouts before the Travers. Wilkes said Brian Hernandez Jr., the only jockey to have ridden McCraken, will retain the mount for the Travers.
“I’ve got the right jock, I’ve got the right horse, I’ll be okay,” Wilkes said.
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Most of the other 3-year-olds under consideration for the Travers are expected to work from Friday through Sunday. Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit were expected to work Friday at Saratoga. Irap, the winner of the Ohio Derby and Indiana Derby, was expected to work Friday at Del Mar.
On Saturday, Haskell winner Girvin, Jim Dandy winner Good Samaritan, and Preakness winner Cloud Computing are scheduled to breeze. Others under consideration for the race are Giuseppe the Great, Fayeq, Game Over, Lookin At Lee,
and Outplay.
West Coast, the winner of the Los Alamitos Derby, worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Del Mar on Tuesday.