Saratoga: Compliance Officer readies for 2013 debut

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It’s been almost a year since Compliance Officer’s most recent start, but after watching the five-time New York-bred stakes winner work Monday, trainer Bruce Brown said it might be time to start looking for a race.

Compliance Officer, idle since finishing second, beaten a head by his nemesis, Lubash, in Belmont Park’s Ashley T. Cole Stakes last September, zipped five furlongs in 58.40 seconds while working inside the dogs over the Oklahoma turf course Monday. It was his first work since arriving here from Belmont several days earlier.

“He’s had some little issues this year, nothing major, but he’s about ready to get back in action,” Brown said. “We’ll see if there is anything here towards the end of the meet, but definitely they have some New York-bred stakes right when we get back to Belmont, and that’s what we’ll be looking for. Hopefully, Jeremiah’s [Englehart] horse [King Kreesa] will stay in open company after the race he ran on Saturday.”

Brown was referring to the New York-bred King Kreesa, who gave Horse of the Year Wise Dan a tough test before settling for second in the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap.

Compliance Officer, a 7-year-old son of Officer, has won 11 of 28 career starts while earning almost $615,000, the bulk of that money since Brown claimed him for $25,000 for the La Marca Stable during spring 2011.