Mind Your Biscuits works fast, but Summers is not impressed
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mind Your Biscuits turned in the third-fastest of 18 five-furlong works on the main track here Friday and easily the quickest of those recorded before the renovation break. But trainer Chad Summers wasn’t exactly exuding superlatives a short while later when asked to comment on the move, which came under jockey Joel Rosario and was timed in 1:00.41.
“I thought he worked well,” said Summers. “When Joel asked, he responded okay. But I certainly don’t think it’s the best work we’ve seen from him. It certainly isn’t what we saw prior to his last start when he wound up working with Green Gratto. And this is really the big work you want to see two weeks out from a race.”
Mind Your Biscuits broke off about five lengths behind stablemate Rock Nation at the 4 1/2-furlong pole, remained several lengths behind after posting splits of 24.38 and 37.31 to the top of the stretch, and ran down his mate when asked to finish coming to and passing through the finish line. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.41. Mind Your Biscuits is generally considered the leader of the sprint division following back-to-back wins in the Dubai Golden Shaheen and Belmont Sprint.
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“To be honest, he’s been kind of miserable since we shipped him up here from Belmont,” said Summers. “He’s really not happy in his stall or the barn we’re in, so we’re going to move him to another barn this week to see if that makes a difference. If not, there’s a plane leaving for California on Sunday, which brings the Pat O’Brien back into play.”
Summers has said the Grade 1 Forego on Aug. 26 is his No. 1 objective for Mind Your Biscuits this summer, but that the O’Brien, to be run at the same seven-furlong distance the same day at Del Mar, is also an option. The O’Brien would give Mind Your Biscuits a race over the track prior to the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
“He’ll have to show us more in his next work,” said Summers. “I won’t run him in either race if I don’t think he’s 100 percent right.”