Strong work puts Early Voting back into Travers mix
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Early Voting, the Preakness winner who finished last in the Jim Dandy Stakes here July 30, put himself back in the mix for a start in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 27 with a solid workout over Saratoga’s main track Saturday.
Early Voting was one of six potential Travers starters to put in workouts here Saturday, two weeks out from the Mid-Summer Derby. A field of nine is likely for the 1 1/4-mile race.
Early Voting, with Jose Ortiz up, worked four furlongs in 49.78 seconds outside of Accretive, the runner-up in the Grade 2 Amsterdam here July 31 who is pointing to the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on the Travers undercard.
“He was on a good part of the track today with a target, he breezed super and galloped out strong,” Brown said of Early Voting. “I was very pleased. The Travers is very much under consideration for this horse after today.”
Early Voting appeared to have things his own way in the Jim Dandy, setting moderate fractions while maintaining a clear advantage. But he was passed before the eighth pole by Epicenter and then gave way to both Zandon and Tawny Port, who finished second and third, respectively.
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“He might have needed the race, he may have been on the tiring part of the track, 10-week layoff maybe I didn’t do enough with him,” Brown said. “The result was disappointing, but I have to keep an open mind and watch the horse train. It’s the only bad day the horse has had.”
Early Voting, who will have another work next weekend, was one of three Brown-trained runners who worked Saturday morning toward the Travers. Zandon, the Blue Grass winner and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher, went a half-mile by himself in 49.78.
“He’s a good work horse by himself, and he galloped out super strong,” Brown said.
In the Jim Dandy, Brown felt Zandon may have been closer to the pace than he prefers.
“If he can get in a race with some more pace in it where he’s a little further back and tucked in, I think he prefers to run that way,” Brown said.
Artorius, the Curlin Stakes winner who is 2 for 3 in his career, went an easy half-mile by himself in 50.09.
“A little maintenance work, he was moving really well, he’ll do something a bit more next weekend,” Brown said. “He recovered from his race well, he looks fine.”
Cyberknife, who rebounded from his 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby to win the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park, worked five furlongs in 1:01.07 shortly after the track opened at 5:30 a.m. He went in company with Supremacy, starting 1 1/2 lengths behind that one and finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40.
“Very good move, he left his workmate probably at the eighth pole, you could tell he had more horse,” said Blake Cox, assistant to his father Brad. “That was a very solid move this morning. We’ll do something very similar with him next week.”
Charge It, who won the Grade 3 Dwyer by 23 lengths, worked five furlongs in 1:01, getting his final quarter in 24.60 and going out seven furlongs in 1:27, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Donald Harris.
“Awesome. Super work. Loved the way he did it, moving great, galloped out really strongly on a track that’s not real fast,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.
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Pletcher said he’s continued to see Charge It make strides mentally since his runner-up finish in the Florida Derby in April and his 17th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, where he was found to have displaced his palate.
“He’s very confident, he’s doing well, you could see mentally he’s made big strides,” Pletcher said. “He’s a horse that I think has continued to develop and get better and better, and this morning’s work was an indication of that.”
Pletcher confirmed that John Velazquez would ride Charge It in the Travers. Velazquez rode him to victory in the Dwyer, subbing for regular rider Luis Saez who had ridden Charge It in his first four starts but was out of town the day of the Dwyer.
Lastly, Ain’t Life Grand, the Iowa Derby winner, worked a half-mile in 48.25 over the main track. Ain’t Life Grand found himself breaking off second in a trio of solo work horses and was in between the other two at the wire.
Trainer Kelly Von Hemel said he shipped the horse from Prairie Meadows well out from the Travers to get the horse acclimated to the track.
Von Hemel, who Saturday was at Prairie Meadows where he is based at this time of year, said all reports from his people at Saratoga were positive.
“On that track, 48-and-one is pretty solid,” Von Hemel said. “All my guys were very happy with the work, so obviously I’m tickled too.”
Ain’t Life Grand is based in the barn of Dale Romans, who in 2015 famously upset Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Travers with Keen Ice.
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Von Hemel knows Ain’t Life Grand, like Keen Ice, will be a longshot in the Travers.
“We know we’re taking a shot here, my horse we really believe can run that far,” Von Hemel said.
Von Hemel said Tyler Gaffalione will ride Ain’t Life Grand.
The prospective Travers field, with riders, is: Ain’t Life Grand (Gaffalione), Artorius (Irad Ortiz Jr.) Charge It (Velazquez), Cyberknife (Florent Geroux), Early Voting (Jose Ortiz), Epicenter (Joel Rosario), Gilded Age (Junior Alvarado), Rich Strike (Sonny Leon), and Zandon (Flavien Prat).
Skippylongstocking, recent winner of the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby, is possible for the Travers.