Shorter races in Mr. Z’s future

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mr. Z, who has competed in 13 consecutive two-turn stakes, will be turned back in distance and be pointed to the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga at seven furlongs Aug. 29, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Tuesday.

Mr. Z hasn’t raced around one turn since last summer at Saratoga, where he finished second in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special at 6 1/2 furlongs, which followed a second-place finish in the Sanford Stakes at six furlongs. He won his career debut at six furlongs at Churchill Downs.

“I think that’s going to be his strong suit,” said Lukas, who added that Mr. Z was expected to ship to his Saratoga headquarters Wednesday. “Toward the fall, I’m going to try to make a real good miler out of him.”

Lukas said the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 30 is an objective, although Mr. Z could have plenty of company in that race.

“That might not be a great idea,” Lukas said. “With American Pharoah, if he continues to be as dominant as he is, everybody in America will go in the Dirt Mile. The Classic might be a four-horse field.”

Mr. Z won the Ohio Derby at 1 1/16 miles two starts back before finishing second to Tiz Shea D in the Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand last Saturday. Mr. Z tried to get out a bit turning for home, which may have cost him the race. Lukas took part of the blame for that.

Lukas said he told jockey Joe Bravo he thought the rail was bad at Indiana Grand and to try to “rally down the middle of the racetrack.” Lukas said Mr. Z reacted to Bravo trying to get him to the middle of the track.

“In hindsight, we may have over-coached it,” Lukas said. “If we left him where he was, he’d have won the race.”