V. E. Day displays stamina in Travers work

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In Wicked Strong, trainer Jimmy Jerkens will have one of the favorites for next Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga. In V. E. Day, Jerkens will send out one of the intriguing longshots in the “Mid-Summer Derby.”

On Friday, Jerkens sent out V. E. Day for a stamina-building seven-furlong workout in 1:30.17 over the Saratoga main track. He galloped out a mile in 1:42.62.

The work actually began at the three-eighths pole, which is in the middle of the far turn, and with the gallop-out, it ended at the half-mile pole. It allowed V. E. Day to work around two turns.

The work started out slowly as V. E. Day went from the three-eighths pole to the wire in a pokey 40.31 seconds. He began to pick it up passing the wire, and his three furlongs from the mile pole to the five-furlong pole was 36.68 seconds.

“He turned down the backside, he switched his leads, and he took off,” Jerkens said. “It was good. He wasn’t really blowing at all. It wasn’t a fast time or anything, but it was still a long way to go. When they’re not doing good, they’ll blow no matter how slow they’ll go.”

V. E. Day has won three consecutive races, including a head victory over Charge Now in the Curlin Stakes on July 25. Wicked Strong won the Jim Dandy the day after.

While Jerkens admits that the Travers is a significant step up in company for V. E. Day, he does feel the horse belongs.

“He didn’t run as good a race as Wicked Strong, that’s for sure,” Jerkens said. “Wicked has a lot more seasoning than he has.”

Wicked Strong was scheduled to work Saturday, as was Tonalist, the Belmont Stakes winner and Jim Dandy runner-up.

Others pointing to the Travers include Bayern, Charge Now, Commanding Curve, Kid Cruz, Mr Speaker, Ulanbator, and Viva Majorca.