Zivo gets season going in Evan Shipman
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Friday’s $100,000 Evan Shipman Stakes probably looked like a pretty good spot when trainer Gary Sciacca circled the race in the condition book for his outstanding New York-bred Saratoga Snacks. That is, until he picked up the overnight and saw that the competition would include the Grade 2 winner Zivo, who’ll finally launch his 2015 campaign in the 1 1/8-mile fixture for New York-breds ages 3 and up at Saratoga.
Zivo won the Grade 2 Suburban and finished second behind Tonalist in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup during his 2014 campaign. Trainer Chad Brown said a throat issue that required surgery is what has kept him out of action since his eighth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“He seems to be training very well,” said Brown. “This race is further in distance than I had planned on bringing him back off this kind of break. Being he’s won so many races in his career, there weren’t a lot of options, and I thought this race was the best of the options available. The distance is the biggest obstacle, but hopefully his class will carry him.”
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Saratoga Snacks is coming off a three-quarter-length decision over Empire Dreams in the Saginaw Stakes at Belmont Park on July 18. He was beaten a head by Zivo when the pair met in a New York-bred stakes at Aqueduct during the winter of 2014.
“I never expected we’d catch a horse like Zivo in the race, but he has been away nearly a year, so that’s probably to our advantage,” said Sciacca. “My horse is doing great, and hopefully he’ll be able to go easy early and finish up late. He’s won at the distance before, and frankly, we’re probably better off going a mile and one-eighth hooking Zivo right now.”
Empire Dreams, a three-time statebred stakes winner, followed his effort in the Saginaw with an eighth as a 40-1 outsider against open company four weeks ago in the Alydar.
Key contenders
Zivo (Last 3 Beyers: 97-103-103)
◗ Has not faced statebreds since completing a four-race win streak with a last-to-first triumph in the one-mile Commentator Handicap in May 2014.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Zivo. Trainer Chad Brown is 25-11-3-3 with a $2.18 ROI over the past five years in dirt routes following a layoff of 180 days or more; 11-8-2-0 with the post-time favorite. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Saratoga Snacks (Last 3 Beyers: 96-93-89)
◗ Must concede six pounds to Zivo while also taking the worst of a six-pound shift in weights with Empire Dreams since their meeting in the Saginaw.
Empire Dreams (Last 3 Beyers: 87-95-95)
◗ Has never won a race at Saratoga or hit the board in three career starts going 1 1/8 miles.