Travers: Longshot Ain't life Grand works fast; top contender Charge It doesn't work at all

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Six prospective starters for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes put in workouts on Saturday morning here, but it was one who didn’t make the worktab that drew the most attention.

Charge It, the 23-length winner of the Grade 3 Dwyer on July 2, was expected to work on Saturday at Saratoga. But the horse didn’t work and trainer Todd Pletcher played it close to the vest when discussing the 3-year-old colt. Pletcher said the horse was dealing with something but he wouldn’t elaborate and that he hoped to work the horse on Sunday.

If Charge It doesn’t work Sunday, it is expected he won’t make the Travers. Depending on the issue, Charge It could then be pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept. 24.

Meanwhile, the action was fast - literally - and furious Saturday morning over a Saratoga main track that may have been the fastest it’s been all meet.

Evidence of that was the move turned in by Travers longshot Ain’t Life Grand, who blazed four furlongs in 45.53 seconds over the main track. Tammy Fox, an exercise rider for Dale Romans, worked Ain’t Life Grand for trainer Kelly Von Hemel.

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Ain’t Life Grand galloped out five furlongs in in 57.86 seconds and six furlongs in 1:10.31.

“It was a very comfortable fast,” Fox said.

Von Hemel seemed fine with the final time, even if it was about two to three seconds faster than he was seeking.

“It is a little faster than what we wanted, but watching him do it, I’m very comfortable the way he was doing it, he wasn’t running off,” Von Hemel said. “He did everything very easily.”

Ain’t Life Grand, an Iowa-bred son of Not This Time, is coming off victories in the Iowa Derby on July 9 and the Iowa Stallion Stakes on July 23, both at Prairie Meadows. He figures to be the longest shot on the board in the Travers.

Still, Von Hemel said Saturday’s work “might help solidify that we’re here and he’s doing really good. Hopefully, that helps out.”

The first Travers horse to work Saturday was Cyberknife, the only 3-year-old this year to have won two Grade 1 route races on dirt. Shortly after 5:30 a.m., Cyberknife went five furlongs in 1:00.13, going in company with Angitude.

Cyberknife, under exercise rider E.J. Bower, started about two lengths behind Angitude, joined up on even terms inside the eighth pole and finished about a length in front at the wire. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.69 and seven furlongs in 1:27.83.

“I liked the move,” trainer Brad Cox said. “It seems like the track’s tight, but he got over it real well. Good move. Good gallop-out. I couldn’t ask for him to go any better.”

It was Cyberknife’s third work since he won the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 23.

“He seems like he’s moved forward, he’s enjoyed Saratoga,” Cox said. “He’s had three good moves up here, he’s handling himself well mentally. We’ll see how things go next Saturday.”

Trainer Chad Brown sent out his trio of Travers starters - Early Voting, Zandon, and Artorius for workouts on Saturday.

Early Voting, the Preakness winner who finished last in the Jim Dandy, went five furlongs in 1:01.05 in company with Accretive, a recent maiden winner who is pointing to the H. Allen Jerkens on the same card. The team got their last quarter in 24.14 seconds and went out in 1:13.84 and 1:27.33, per Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch.

Brown has liked what he’s seen in both of Early Voting’s works and will give him a shot at the Travers.

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“He worked super, I was really pleased with him, I plan on running,” Brown said. “He did get a race off a 10-week layoff, he bounced out of it and worked well twice. These horses only get one crack at it to run in the Mid-Summer Derby. After what I saw today, if he comes out of the work sound, he’s a go.”

Zandon, who finished second in the Jim Dandy after his third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, worked five furlongs by himself in 1:00.65.

“It reminded me of the work before the Derby, he worked that good,” Brown said. “We’ll see if he can get a little bit of a different trip.”

Artorius, the Curlin Stakes winner, was credited with a half-mile move in 47 seconds in company with the filly Search Results, who is pointing to the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on the same card.

“He’s come along quick, he always had a lot of ability, he just keeps improving,” Brown said. “If he takes another step forward, he’s going to potentially be right there.”

Gilded Age, who finished second in the Curlin, worked five furlongs in 1:00.31 in company. He got his final three furlongs in 35.87 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.26 and seven furlongs in 1:26.56.

On Saturday, Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike walked the shed row after his fast half-mile work Friday in 46.38 seconds.

Epicenter, the expected Travers favorite, is expected to have his final work on Monday.

The Travers field will be finalized on Tuesday with position positions drawn that evening at downtown Saratoga venue.