New surface for Hammers Vision

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hammers Vision, a debut winner on turf on closing day of the Belmont Park spring-summer meet, will try dirt for the first time in the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special at 6 1/2 furlongs. Hammers Vision, a son of Court Vision, was one of six 2-year-olds entered Friday for Sunday’s Saratoga feature.

“He always trained well on dirt,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “The first time he’s ever been on the turf was the day he ran on it. We thought he would be a turf horse, being by Court Vision, and particularly the way he’s made. But he’s got some dirt pedigree, too. We thought we’d test the waters.”

Lynch shipped Hammers Vision up from Belmont Park to Saratoga, where he worked five furlongs in 1:01.87.

Joel Rosario will ride Hammers Vision against five maiden winners: Exaggerator, a second-out winner at Del Mar; Saratoga Mischief, a debut winner here July 25; Holding Gold; Mid Life Crisis; and John Q. Public.

Exaggerator, a son of Curlin, was flown from California to Kentucky on Thursday, then vanned from Lexington to Saratoga.

Realm, a debut winner here July 25, was nominated to the Saratoga Special but was not entered and will not run again at this meet, trainer Barclay Tagg said.

“He’s fine, but this track can be hard on horses,” Tagg said. “I think I’ll wait for Belmont. I’m just being overcautious. It’s nice to win a stake at Saratoga, but my 2-year-olds don’t usually do much until October or November.”

Meanwhile, Tagg has enjoyed a solid summer. He won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race Thursday with the first-time starter Speightstown Time, his third win from nine starters at the meet.

Tagg also had been training Confrontation, who recently was sold to Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum’s Godolphin Racing.

Confrontation has finished second to the likes of Tonalist, Lea, and Pants On Fire in Grade 3 stakes in the U.S.

Kiaran McLaughlin, the U.S.-based trainer for Godolphin, said Confrontation was to be sent to Kentucky on Wednesday and start a 30-day quarantine period before being sent to Dubai later this year for the racing carnival.