Youngsters find sweeter spots in pair of stakes
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Trainers John Salzman Jr. and Michael Trombetta both said they have had to compromise with many juveniles this summer, targeting less-than-ideal spots to keep them on the track. Call Me Micky J. and Fission will return to more comfortable ground in the $100,000 Hickory Tree Stakes on Sunday at Colonial Downs.
Call Me Micky J. was a favorite of Salzman’s well before his Laurel Park debut in May, an easy gate-to-wire victory. But without a clear follow-up, the trainer was forced to take his chances in the $225,000 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs in late June. Call Me Micky J. struggled to advance and faded to lose by 13 3/4 lengths.
“You don’t have any choices,” Salzman said. “You had to go there or Saratoga” for the Sanford “and both races came up monster races. I didn’t do it with the intention of winning. I did it hoping I could get a piece of it.”
Because Fission came up just short in his debut on dirt in June, Trombetta did not have to force the gelding into a stakes race next time out. He eventually decided to take his chances on the turf, which the Maryland-bred handled well in a 2 1/4-length victory.
“You’ve gotta get what you can when you can with these guys,” Trombetta said. “Before you know it, we’re going to get into a more difficult time of year and there might not be quite as many opportunities.”
Fission will switch back to dirt and drew the far outside post in the field of nine. Both 5 1/2-furlong stakes at Colonial on Sunday are restricted to juveniles bred, sired, or certified in Virginia.
Keswick Stakes
Trainer Jerry Robb entered three juvenile fillies in the $100,000 Keswick Stakes, giving Costa Linda and The Stork Club chances to get back on track. The stablemates have suffered setbacks of a different kind but remain live contenders at Colonial.
Before Costa Linda’s debut in Laurel Park’s first juvenile race of the season on May 1, Robb was extremely high on the filly, who delivered with a commanding 7 3/4-length score. She has not run since.
“We were all very high on her at that point, but she really hasn’t trained up to that since,” Robb said. “She’s starting to come back around now. We had some tying-up issues with her.”
Robb offered a brighter outlook for The Stork Club, who won her Laurel debut on May 22. Robb took a chance next time out in the $225,000 Debutante at Churchill Downs, where his filly went off at 53-1 and finished sixth by 14 3/4 lengths.
“You break your maiden, and the only thing available is a stakes,” Robb said. “Everybody won their first race wire to wire, and only one is not going to get dirt in their face next time. The ones that get dirt get it for the first time, and that’s part of the process we have to go through.”
Robb said Pelican Pier will scratch, and she is not the only one bowing out of the original field of 11. Trainer Gary Capuano said Whitten Way, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, will instead run at Delaware next weekend, while Mark Casse said he was not sure if Cyber Spy would run on nine days’ rest.
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