Saratoga: Friend Or Foe works for Whitney

The rain that compelled John Kimmel to scratch Friend Or Foe from Monday’s Evan Shipman Stakes also forced the veteran horseman to go back to the drawing board to map out a new training schedule to get the New York-bred to his new objective, the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 6. Friend Or Foe’s new schedule included a five-furlong workout shortly after the renovation break Wednesday.

With jockey Alex Solis aboard, Friend Or Foe went along at an even pace while travelling easily throughout, posting splits of 24.16 seconds and 36.01 for the opening quarter and three-eighths before completing the distance in 1:00.36 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.10.

“That was awesome,” Kimmel said. “He went easy the whole way and best of all is that he was as quiet back at the barn after his work as he was on the way out. He’s already sitting on go, so this was just kind of a maintenance work and it shouldn’t be any trouble having him ready for a top effort on the sixth.”

Kimmel said he originally had his doubts whether he’d be able to get a work into Friend Or Foe on Wednesday.

“I was worried about the track being too hard this morning after all the rain, but the track superintendent said he’d double harrow it at the break and it was very nice for breezing,” Kimmel said. “I’ll come back and do something easy with him, probably next Wednesday, just to keep him on edge.

The late addition of Friend Or Foe adds a little more strength to an already classy and well-matched field of nine or 10 older horses currently expected for the Whitney.

“It sure looks like the race is shaping up as a war,” Kimmel said.