Saranac good bridge race for Annapolis
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The early part of the year was about trying to stretch Annapolis out in distance. The second part of the year is about shortening him back up.
With an eye toward the Grade 1, $1 million Coolmore Turf Mile on Oct. 8 at Keeneland, and perhaps the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November thereafter, Annapolis will cut back to 1 1/16 miles in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Saranac Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.
Annapolis, a son of War Front, used two one-mile races earlier in the year to get to the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational at 1 3/16 miles where he finished a credible second behind Nations Pride.
“We got a super trip and we had an opportunity to get there, we couldn’t run the winner down, but I thought it was a good performance,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Annapolis for Bass Racing.
Annapolis is 2 for 2 at 1 1/16 miles, having won his maiden here last Sept. 4 and the Grade 2 Pilgrim at Belmont Park before he was forced to miss the Breeders’ Cup due to an ankle chip.
After finishing second in the Grade 2 Penn Mile – a race contested over a bottomless Penn National course – Annapolis bounced back with a 2 3/4-length victory in the one-mile Manila Stakes contested over firm ground on July 4 at Belmont.
Annapolis, who breaks from post 3 in a five-horse field under Irad Ortiz Jr., figures a short price against four rivals that include Celestial City and Fuerteventura.
Celestial City, trained by Shug McGaughey for Stuart Janney III, comes off a third-place finish behind Ready to Purrform and Wit in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes here Aug. 5. Wit came back to win the Better Talk Now Stakes here last week, Ready to Purrform is the morning-line favorite in Sunday’s Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs.
McGaughey is adding blinkers to Celestial City’s equipment for the Saranac and said he wouldn’t mind seeing him a more forward factor breaking from the rail under Javier Castellano.
“I wouldn’t mind him being up close, but I don’t like to take the race away from him,” McGaughey said.
Fuerteventura, who won a maiden $30,000 claimer at Gulfstream Park in March, beat Celestial City a head in the Jersey Derby going a mile at Monmouth Park before finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Marine over Woodbine’s synthetic surface on July 2. This will be his first start since.
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In the Jersey Derby, Fuerteventura “settled really well,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “There was a little pace on, he was ridden extremely well. A lot came together strategically on the racetrack.”
There appears to be less defined pace in the Saranac, perhaps Piqua being the primary candidate to set the pace under Junior Alvarado for trainer Graham Motion. Piqua is coming off a third-place finish in a first-level allowance here Aug. 13.
Ethereal Road, who won the Sir Barton Stakes on dirt in May for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, finished ninth of 10 in the Saratoga Derby on turf Aug. 6. This will be his second try on turf.
With only five runners, the Saranac is carded as the fourth race on a 13-race card that begins at 12:05 p.m.