A. P. Indian finally reaching his potential

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Arnaud Delacour said A. P. Indian appears to have come out of his victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt in good order and that the Grade 1 Forego on Aug. 27 is definitely on his radar.

A. P. Indian posted his fourth victory in a row – the last three since Joe Bravo became his rider – and gave Delacour the first Grade 1 win of his training career. He won by 1 1/4 lengths over Holy Boss in the six-furlong Vanderbilt.

“He shipped back to Fair Hill Sunday afternoon and looks good this morning,” Delacour said on Monday. “At the moment, I’m very happy with him. We’ll take a good look at the Forego. If he remains in good form over the next several weeks, it makes sense to try it.”

Delacour was less certain about trying the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita with A. P. Indian, who earned a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure on Saturday. Delacour said he was impressed with Lord Nelson’s victory in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar on Sunday and that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to face that horse in California.

“It’s hard to take on those kind of horses on their own ground,” said Delacour. “We’ll see where we are with him in a few months. At the moment, the Breeders’ Cup is up in the air.”

Delacour said A. P. Indian’s development into a nationally prominent sprinter took one year longer than he originally thought.

“We felt last year he could belong with those kind of horses,” said Delacour, who has more than 60 horses stabled at Delaware Park and Fair Hill. “But we started the year early, and then he had a minor setback with a little splint in the middle of the summer. This year, the timing has been better. He just came around at the right time.”

Delacour also praised Bravo for helping with A. P. Indian’s recent development. Delacour said Bravo’s familiarity with the jockeys and the tracks A. P. Indian has been racing on has helped.

“He really believes in this horse and connects with him very well,” Delacour said.