SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Ice Box has shown enough in his last two workouts to convince his trainer, Nick Zito, to give the Kentucky Derby runner-up another shot at the big-time in next Saturday’s $1 million Travers Stakes.
On Friday, Ice Box worked five furlongs in 1:00.09 over Saratoga’s main track, a move he did in company with the older graded stakes winner Cool Coal Man. With jockey Julien Leparoux in the irons, Ice Box broke off at the half-mile pole about three-quarters of a length behind Cool Coal Man, and tracked that one through a quarter in 23.62 seconds. With Leparoux urging Ice Box down the lane he came to the finish line in 47.49 seconds and worked an additional furlong in 12.60 seconds.
“Looked super, did everything right,” Zito said. “I’m happy the way he looked.”
Zito is hoping that Ice Box’s sixth-place finish in the Haskell Invitational was simply a result of the colt not having fully recovered from his efforts in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Ice Box’s chestnut coat certainly looked healthy enough in the bright sunshine Friday and the way he ran to his company in the work may have been a positive sign.
“It looks like he’s got a little more strength, I guess – I hope,” Zito said. “Sometimes it takes them a while to recover from those [Triple Crown] races. Hopefully, he comes with a great run next weekend and he’ll get to run the way he’s been running this winter and spring.”
Zito also plans to run Fly Down, the runner-up in the Belmont Stakes, in the Travers. Fly Down was scheduled to work on Saturday.
Zito has yet to commit to running Jim Dandy runner-up Miner’s Reserve in the Travers. On Friday, Miner’s Reserve worked four furlongs in 48.39 seconds in company with the 3-year-old maiden winner Gallant Fields. Calvin Borel worked Miner’s Reserve, who went his first quarter in 24.00 seconds and his final quarter in 24.39. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.21.
Zito said he would prefer if Borel were able to ride Miner’s Reserve in the Travers, but the rider is committed to Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. Zito also said he wants to see who else is running in the race before committing to starting the front-running Miner’s Reserve.
“It’ll be a late decision that’s for sure. We’re not going to jump right in and say we’re definitely running,” Zito said. “But I loved the way he worked, so I was happy about that.”
Admiral Alex, a debut winner here on July 31, worked six furlongs in 1:14 over the main track in preparation for a start in the Travers. Saratoga clockers caught him in 24.40, 36.80, 1:01.40, and had him galloping out seven furlongs in 1:26.60 under jockey Kent Desormeaux.
Warrior’s Reward works bullet for Forego
Trainer Ian Wilkes said he needed to see a strong workout from his Carter Handicap winner Warrior’s Reward in order to run him in the Grade 1 Forego here on Sept. 4. And a strong work is exactly what Warrior’s Reward delivered Friday morning, going five furlongs in 58.23 seconds over the main track. It was the fastest of 26 moves at the distance.
With Leparoux in the irons, Warrior’s Reward went a quarter in 23.00 seconds, and three furlongs in 34.40. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.59.
Wilkes put the horse Versailles Road an eighth of a mile in front of Warrior’s Reward, and while Warrior’s Reward did not catch his stablemate, he was enough of a target to make him finish his work sharply.
“I needed a good work,” Wilkes said. “I got everything I wanted. I’m very content where I’m at. If I didn’t get my work I’d be really behind the eight-ball to make the race.”
Warrior’s Reward has not run since finishing a well-beaten sixth to Quality Road in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont on Memorial Day.
Wilkes said that Bearpath, runner-up in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational, will make his next start in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont on Oct. 2.
La Cloche headed to Pucker Up
La Cloche, who has won her last two starts on the turf for trainer Jimmy Toner, will make her next start in the Grade 3, $100,000 Pucker Up Stakes at Arlington Park on Sept. 6.
Toner said the timing of that race works out better than Sunday’s Lake Placid, which would have come just two weeks after her first-level allowance win here going 1 3/16 miles.
Toner said he hopes to use the Pucker Up as a prep for the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland. Pucker Up is a daughter of Ghostzapper out of the Grade 1-winning mare Memories of Silver, who in 1997 won the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington.
On Friday, La Cloche worked four furlongs in 48 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course.
Whatsthescript gets rematch in Bernard Baruch
Whatsthescript, who finished 2 1/4 lengths behind Get Stormy when fourth in the Grade 2 Fourstardave, will try that rival again in Friday’s $200,000 Bernard Baruch.
Trainer Gary Contessa felt Whatsthescript was farther back than he needed to be behind slow fractions set by Get Stormy in the Fourstardave.
“He has speed, he wasn’t asked for it,” said Contessa, who added that a 47-second half-mile “was a walk in the park for Get Stormy. We gave him a win, even though he his usually admirable race.”
Contessa said Rajiv Maragh would replace Garrett Gomez on Whatsthescript for the Fourstardave, which is run at 1 1/8 miles.
On Friday, Whatsthescript worked five furlongs in 1:02.66 over Saratoga’s main track.
Malibu Prayer possible for Ballerina
Malibu Prayer, who successfully stretched out to 1 1/8 miles around two turns when she took the Grade 1 Ruffian here on Aug. 1, could cut back in distance for the Grade 1 Ballerina next week, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Pletcher said he and owner Ed Evans are discussing the seven-furlong Ballerina on Saturday and the Molly Pitcher, a 1 1/16-mile race at Monmouth Park the following day, for Malibu Prayer’s next start.
“She won there going a mile and a sixteenth,” Pletcher said, referring to Malibu Prayer’s victory in the Lighthouse Stakes at Monmouth in June, “and she’s been really good going a one-turn mile. She’s doing really, really well at the moment. We’ll survey all our options.”
All six of Malibu Prayer’s career victories have come at a mile or longer.
