Nest works half-mile for Personal Ensign

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nest, the 2022 champion 3-year-old who won the Shuvee Stakes in her 4-year-old debut, worked a half-mile in 48.59 seconds Saturday morning over the Saratoga main track in preparation for next Friday’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign. Nest, who went in company with graded stakes winner Wit, galloped out in 1:01.59 and six furlongs in 1:14.40.

Nest beat Clairiere by 2 1/4 lengths in the Shuvee, despite having not raced in eight months. Trainer Todd Pletcher expects an even better effort on Friday when Nest again meets Clairiere as well as Idiomatic, Secret Oath and Sixtythreecaliber.

“I was impressed by the way she did it, and more impressed by the way she came out of it and by the way she’s trained since,” Pletcher said.

On Saturday, Secret Oath, fifth in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps last out, worked five furlongs in 1:00.85 over the Oklahoma training track while Idiomatic, the Delaware Handicap winner, went the same distance in 1:01.88 over the Oklahoma track.

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