Texas Red Heads Busy Travers Worktab

Texas Red led a busy slate of workers bound for the Aug. 29 Travers Stakes (gr. I) the morning of Aug. 22, when he breezed four furlongs in :46.66 over the main track at Saratoga Race Course.

The winner of the Aug. 1 Jim Dandy (gr. II) went to the track shortly after the renovation break, and worked solo with jockey Corey Lanerie aboard for the second week in a row. While track clockers credited the Afleet Alex   colt with the half-mile move, trainer Keith Desormeaux clocked him at six furlongs.

"Six-furlong works are not that typical for the last work before a race, but we're not running in a typical race," said Desormeaux. "It's a historic race and, not only that, it's the classic distance. It's a mile and a quarter, so I wanted to add a little bit more fuel to the fire.

"The craziest thing of all is I had him right on—pole-to-pole—from the three-quarter pole to the three-quarter pole and I caught him in 1:56 3/5 (for 1 1/8 miles). He won the Jim Dandy in 1:48 and he galloped out that same distance in 1:56. That's cool. That's true fitness. That's a very nice work. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Desormeaux arrived from his Southern California base the evening of Aug. 20 to check in with his star pupil, who he hadn't seen since opening weekend at the Spa. In his absence, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner has been under the care of assistant trainer Julie Clark.

"That puts it right at four weeks then," the trainer said. "It looks like, to me, he's put on a little size, a little bulk, and his attitude has mellowed out since he's been here. I can see it in the demeanor of the horse. He's mellowed out, put on a little weight, but he still looks very fit. The girls have done a great job with him."

Another on the worktab Aug. 22 was Donegal Racing's Keen Ice, who turned in a sharp five-furlong drill ahead of his bid in the Travers for trainer Dale Romans. With jockey Mike Luzzi along for the ride, the Curlin   colt went in 1:00 4/5, sixth-fastest of 13 at the distance.

"(It was as) good as he's ever worked by himself," Romans said of his come-from-behind runner. "He doesn't have to do much. He's been in every dance (and) he's plenty fit. He's not usually a good workhorse by himself, but he looked good to me today. Someone told me they had :47 on him (for four furlongs), which is something new for him."

While Keen Ice has finished behind American Pharoah in his last three starts, most recently running second to the Triple Crown winner in the William Hill Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park, Romans remains undeterred about the possibility of facing Hall of Famer's Bob Baffert's champion for the fourth time in less than four months.

"We'll go no matter what," Romans said. "I haven't ducked many horses in my career, but if he shows up, he'll be at his best. Bob won't bring him if he's not. As a sportsman, you want to take him on again and try to beat him."

Trainer Dallas Stewart could also take another run at American Pharoah should the Triple Crown winner enter the Travers. His Charles Fipke homebred Tale of Verve was out early Saturday morning in his final work for the Midsummer Derby.

Under exercise rider Cortez Walker, the bay Tale of Ekati   colt hit the main track at 6 a.m. and cruised through a half-mile in :48.48.

"He went nice and even, solid, and came back great," Stewart said. "He's in good shape. He's healthy, he's feeling good, and he's fit, so we'll take him over there and let him compete."

It was the second work at Saratoga for Tale of Verve, runner-up to American Pharoah in the May 16 Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I). On Aug. 16, he went a half in :48.09.

"He's picked up his game a little bit on the work part of it," Stewart said. "He's had some very good gallops, strong gallops, and finishes up good. I definitely think he's fit enough. We've just got to get in there and compete."

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who rode Tale of Verve to a seventh-place finish in the June 6 Belmont Stakes Presented by DraftKings (gr. I), will be back aboard in the Travers. Stevens hasn't had a Travers mount since 2005, but is 2-for-4 lifetime, winning with Thunder Gulch in 1995 and Point Given   in 2001.

"He didn't run any good in the Belmont, but Gary rode him hard and I thought he did a great job," Stewart said. "I'm glad to have him back. He knows how to win the Travers. He's just got to have the right horse underneath him."

Trainer Rick VIolette may also take on American Pharoah again, but while he continues to prep Upstart as if he will run in the Travers, he has yet to finalize plans with owners Ralph Evans and WinStar Farm. 

"We'll probably have to enter because (American Pharoah's connections) plan on getting on a plane Wednesday morning," said Violette.  "Entry day is Tuesday night, so I'll talk with the owners and see."

Having already faced American Pharoah twice, first in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) where Upstart finished 18th, and most recently in the Haskell where he placed third, Violette is anxious to see how his Flatter   colt will run next.

"He came out of the Haskell great," Violette said. "He needed that race big time. You throw out the (Kentucky) Derby and he hasn't had a real race since March, and he ran like it. He ran to the eighth pole and then he grinded home. So we'll be a better horse Saturday if he runs, and he's showing it." 

Working Aug. 22 on the Saratoga main track, Upstart completed five furlongs in :59.05, leaving Violette extremely encouraged. 

"He breezed freakishly this morning. Started fast and finished fast," Violette said. "He breezed as good as he or many other horses could breeze."

Should Upstart race in the Travers, he will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., who entered Saturday as the meet's leading rider with 40 wins, including a five-win day last Sunday.

"He's the hottest rider in the country," Violette said. "He hasn't done many things wrong so we're happy to use him back."

Trainer Todd Pletcher worked a litany of talented runners Saturday morning, including Madefromlucky, who is possible for the Travers or the Sept. 19 Pennsylvania Derby (gr. I) at Parx Racing. The chestnut son of Lookin At Lucky   breezed four furlongs in :48.68 over the Saratoga main track in his second work since winning the Aug. 1 West Virginia Derby (gr. I).

"I thought he worked well, consistent with the way he normally breezes," said Pletcher, who trains Madefromlucky for Cheyenne Stables and Mac Nichol. "We'll see how he comes out of it and continue to assess the (Travers) field. I don't think it's any secret that the Pennsylvania Derby is going to be an easier race. We're assessing how he's doing, how this field is shaping up.

"He's the kind of horse that would benefit from a lively pace. I'm not sure the Travers is going to be a real hot pace, but I do think the mile and a quarter would suit him well."

Over on the Oklahoma training track, Mossarosa's grade II-placed Frammento returned from last week's blazing half mile on the main track to put in his final pre-Travers move.

The chestnut son of Midshipman   went four furlongs in :49.11 under exercise rider and assistant trainer Maxine Correa, fifth-fastest of 48 at the distance. On Aug. 15, Frammento went a half in :46 4/5.

"I thought he was pretty good," Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito said. "The clockers thought he went well. He had that fast work last week and we wanted to kind of get that stamina, so we worked him on the training track. He was blowing a little bit. The track was heavy. It worked out OK. We're happy about it. If he hangs in there, we'll see what happens."

Frammento has done most of his work at Oklahoma, and Zito said he would likely bring him back to the main track leading up to the Travers.

"I think if I took him over to the main track, he would have done the same thing (as last week), but he already showed us that," he said. "I'll probably train a few days over the main track and let him fool around just because he liked it over there. Fitness-wise, I think we've got him right. We know he'll like the distance, so we'll see what happens."

Zito is still waiting to firm up a rider for the Travers. Most recently, Jose Lezcano was aboard for a fourth-place finish in the Jim Dandy, the colt's seventh rider in 10 starts.

"I think Monday we'll find out," Zito said. "There's a few riders that have expressed they want to ride him, so that's always good. I know it's a big race, so I'll talk to the owners about it and kick it around, and see what happens."

This will be the 19th Travers for Zito, but first since running third with Fast Falcon in 2012. He ran multiple horses in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010, winning with Birdstone   in 2004.

"(The owners) feel sometimes you have to take a shot," Zito said of running Frammento. "They believe in what we do. As long as the horse is good—knock wood—I'm sure he'll be entered."