Romans works horses for Saratoga stakes, and makes decision on Dennis' Moment

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Dale Romans is targeting three Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga during the second half of the meet, but one race he won’t have a runner in is the Hopeful Stakes on closing day.

Unsurprisingly, Romans confirmed Saturday that Dennis’ Moment, the 19 1/4-length maiden winner at Ellis Park on July 27, would make his next start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 14.

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The Iroquois, run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns, is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.

“Two turns and it’s in his backyard and he runs once between now and the Breeders’ Cup and the spacing’s good,” Romans said Saturday at Saratoga. “If you run in the Hopeful, it’s seven-eighths then you go two turns at Keeneland and then it’s five starts at 2” including the Breeders’ Cup.

Dennis’ Moment, who earned a 97 Beyer for maiden win in which he ran seven furlongs in 1:21.95, worked a half-mile in 49.60 Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Meanwhile, at Saratoga, Romans sent out Promises Fulfilled and Coach Rocks for workouts. Promises Fulfilled, the John A. Nerud winner at Belmont, worked five furlongs in 59.19 seconds one week after he went a pedestrian five furlongs in 1:04.21. Promises Fulfilled is pointing to the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego here on Aug. 24. Promises Fulfilled won the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens here last year.

Romans said the slow work last week was on purpose and he thought about not working him at all last week. In Saturday’s drill, under exercise rider Tammy Fox, Promises Fulfilled left the pony at the 5 1/2-furlong pole and jumped right into his work at the five-furlong marker, going in splits of 11.44 seconds, 24.84, 34.66 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.06.

There was a team of horses from trainer Brian Lynch’s stable that broke off about a furlong ahead of Promises Fulfilled, who got within a few lengths of that team near the wire.

“He left there running and he finished running,” Romans said. “[Fox] said she could have went by those two if she wanted to, but it was fast enough.”

Coach Rocks, runner-up to Midnight Bisou in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park on July 20, worked five furlongs in 1:00.98 in preparation for the Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign at Saratoga on Aug. 24. She got her last quarter in 25.02 seconds.

“Beautiful, she moved free and easy,” Romans said.

Everfast, who is pointing to the Grade 1 Travers, did not work Saturday. Romans said he decided to give that horse a week off the work tab and come back next week with a breeze. Everfast finished second in the Preakness, seventh in the Belmont and, most recently, fourth in the Haskell Invitational.

“He’s fit enough,” Romans said.

Other works of note Saturday included Dunbar Road, who went five furlongs in 1:00.71 in preparation for a start in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama; Highest Honors, the Curlin winner, who went a half-mile in 49.73 seconds in preparation for the Grade 1 Travers; and Looking at Bikinis, third in the Curlin who went a half-mile in 48.65, also in preparation for the Travers.

Rowayton worked five furlongs in 1:01.04 and is pointing to the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens, according to trainer Don Chatlos.