SARATOGA SPRINGS — As the sun rose over the Saratoga Race Course, renowned trainer Todd Pletcher made his way back from the main track in a golf cart, following the final set of workouts on Tuesday morning. He secured the vehicle with a metal loop through the steering wheel, a precaution against the recent spate of golf cart thefts.
“It seems joyriding has become a popular pastime around here,” he quipped.
While the golf carts may be locked up, the 3-year-old male divisional championship is wide open as we approach the 156th Saratoga Race Course meet this Thursday.
This sets the stage for the Travers on Aug. 24 to be a defining moment in the race for the 2024 Eclipse Award.
Unlike previous years, where one or two horses typically lead the pack by the time the Saratoga meet rolls around, this year the championship is anyone’s game. A large group of horses, each with one or two impressive races under their belts, are vying for the title. Additionally, a new crop of promising contenders could potentially upset the race if they hit a winning streak.
“The field is incredibly competitive this year,” noted trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who recently celebrated a victory with Seize the Grey at the Preakness on May 18. “Choosing a frontrunner at this point would be a tough call. It might come down to who puts on the most impressive performance on the day.”
The next challenge for these contenders is either the Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 20 or the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 27, both at a mile and an eighth. Saratoga also hosts the ungraded $135,000 Curlin restricted to 3-year-olds on July 19, which is attracting at least one of the promising newcomers.
For many of the top 3-year-old males, the Haskell is the preferred choice due to its Grade I status and $1 million purse, compared to the Grade II Jim Dandy’s $500,000.
The schedule also plays a role in the decision-making process. Lukas, for instance, is leaning towards the Haskell for Seize the Grey, as it allows an extra week of preparation for the Travers.
Other notable winners of the Triple Crown legs include Mystik Dan (Kentucky Derby) and Dornoch (Belmont Stakes).
Trainer Kenny McPeek is giving Mystik Dan a well-deserved break after competing in all three legs. He plans to train him up to the Travers, although running a mile and a quarter off a layoff would be a formidable challenge.
Like Seize the Grey, who breezed five furlongs in :59.22 on the Oklahoma Training Track on Tuesday, Dornoch is stabled at Saratoga and is setting his sights on the Haskell.
Trainer Danny Gargan also has Matt Winn winner Society Man in the mix.
Pletcher, on the other hand, already has a champion among his three Haskell contenders. Fierceness, who clinched the Eclipse Award for 2-year-old male after a stunning 11 1/4 lengths victory at Saratoga on Travers Day and a win at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, has had a mixed 3-year-old season.
Pletcher’s other contenders include the lightly raced Mindframe, who was second to Dornoch in the Belmont, and Tuscan Sky, who won the Pegasus at Monmouth Park on June 15.
Fierceness, despite a commanding win at the Grade I Florida Derby, delivered a disappointing performance in the Kentucky Derby and hasn’t raced since.
“His recent workouts have been exceptional,” Pletcher said. “He seems to be back in top form.”
While Fierceness was earning his championship last year, neither Mindframe nor Tuscan Sky raced as 2-year-olds. Pletcher explained that Tuscan Sky was close to racing in December, but a minor physical setback delayed his debut until January.
“Mindframe, being a May 15 foal, is a pretty big colt and just needed some extra time to mature,” Pletcher added.
After winning a maiden race and an allowance by a combined 21 1/4 lengths, Mindframe nearly clinched a victory in the Belmont, but drifted several paths out in the stretch and fell a half-length short after straightening out.
“Our concern going into the Belmont off only two races was his lack of experience compared to the rest of the field,” Pletcher said. “I believe that ultimately cost him the race. He wandered a bit down the stretch. But considering everything, it was a tremendous effort, and hopefully, that type of race will help him improve further.”
Pletcher believes the mile-and-a-quarter distance of the Travers should suit both Mindframe and Tuscan Sky.
Tuscan Sky had flirted with the Triple Crown trail, but finished seventh in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and did not race again until the Pegasus last month.
“It was a strong performance on the track,” Pletcher said. “That’s what we were expecting from him after his first two starts. He didn’t fire in the Wood for whatever reason, but we regrouped, and he’s back on track. That’s the kind of race we thought he had in him.”
In the Pegasus, Tuscan Sky finished 6 3/4 lengths ahead of Domestic Product, who was making his first start since finishing 13th in the Kentucky Derby. The Chad Brown-trained Domestic Product remains a contender in the 3-year-old division, but it likely will be at shorter distances, after he rolled to victory in the one-mile Dwyer at Aqueduct on Saturday.
The Mechanicville native Brown still has Grade I Blue Grass winner Sierra Leone as a prospect to give Brown his first Travers win at his hometown track. Sierra Leone was second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont.
Brown said that he’s also looking forward to Unmatched Wisdom running in the Curlin.
He’s an up-and-comer off impressive wins in a maiden race at Aqueduct on May 10 and in an allowance on June 22.
Also lurking out there are the Bob Baffert-trained Muth and the Brad Cox-trained Timberlake.
The Grade I Arkansas Derby winner Muth breezed four furlongs in :48.00 at Santa Anita last Thursday, and Timberlake, who was in contention for the Eclipse Award last year before finishing fourth to Fierceness at the Breeders’ Cup, breezed five furlongs out of the gate in 1:00.00 at Churchill Downs on Friday.
Trainer Bill Mott had considered running Batten Down in the Belmont, but opted for the Ohio Derby at a shorter distance, and he won by 1 3/4 lengths on June 22.
Now it’s time for somebody in the 3-year-old male division to add some depth to the resume.
“Well, we’ve got two good ones in a row. That Pat Day Mile was pretty salty,” Lukas said, referring to Seize the Grey’s win on Derby Day prior to winning the Preakness.
“I think it’ll get to the fall. [Hall of Fame trainer] John Nerud used to always say, ‘Don’t worry about it. All championships are decided in the fall.’”
Lukas should know.
He trained Will Take Charge to an Eclipse Award in 2013 despite the fact that the horse finished well off the board in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
Will Take Charge closed out the season with wins in the Travers, Pennsylvania Derby and the Clark, against older horses.
“I think everyone’s taken a turn beating each other,” Pletcher said. “Whoever wins the next one is probably going to take the divisional lead for the time being, but it’s probably one of those things that won’t be settled until the fall, like usual.”
Agree – Exciting to see the competition heat up at Saratoga 2021!
Can’t wait to see who emerges as the top 3-year-old male this season! 🏇🔥
Exciting competition heating up for the 3-year-old male championship at Saratoga this season #racingseason #competition
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