Saratoga: Jersey Town, Jackson Bend work toward Forego

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − Jersey Town, winner of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile last fall, worked five furlongs in 1:00.31 Thursday morning over Saratoga’s main track in preparation for a start in the Grade 1 Forego here Sept. 3.

Under jockey Cornelio Velasquez, Jersey Town went his first three furlongs in 36.18 seconds and got his final quarter in 24.13. It was the third fastest of 24 breezes at the distance.

Jersey Town returned from a lengthy layoff to run second in the Teddy Drone Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 31. Force Freeze won that race, running six furlongs in 1:07.77, not far off the track record.

“I’d like to run him in the Forego,” trainer Barclay Tagg said. “He’s training well up to it. He came out of his last race good, and now he’s got that under his belt. I want to run him Breeders’ Cup Day. That’s our goal.”

Tagg said he wants to run in the Forego, Kelso, and then the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Jackson Bend, who won the James Marvin Stakes here on opening day, is on the same path. On Thursday, he worked four furlongs in 48.77 seconds over the Oklahoma training track. It was the third-fastest of 50 moves at the distance.

Six to take on Winter Memories

Winter Memories, impressive winner of the Lake George Stakes on July 27, will have six challengers in Sunday’s Grade 2 , $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes at 1 1/8 miles over outer turf course.

Dynamic Holiday, a winner of three consecutive stakes from Jan. 1 to March 13, leads the way. Dynamic Holiday finished fifth as the favorite in the Virginia Oaks but may have been compromised by a slow pace that day, according to trainer Graham Motion.

Hungry Island has won three straight and was third to Winter Memories when both made their debuts here last September. Tran N Jam has also won three straight on turf, including the Indiana Distaff. Kathmanblu is a stakes winner on turf and dirt. Bellamy Star was second to Winter Memories in the Lake George. Wyomia was third in the Virginia Oaks.

The Lake Placid will be run as race 4 (2:39 p.m. post) on the 10-race program and will not be part of the pick six.