Unified's Connections Eye King's Bishop

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens has seen enough in the morning and in the afternoon to feel sure that Unified is a 3-year-old with considerable ability. He is less certain about how best to tap into that talent.

While Jerkens wrestles with trying to determine whether the son of Candy Ride   is best served running short or long, he allowed the colt a "mini-vacation" after he abruptly regressed in the June 19 Pegasus (gr. III) at Monmouth Park and absorbed his first defeat in four races.

"I just want to give him a chance to get back together again. I want racing to be fun for him again," Jerkens said. "We asked a lot of him in a short period of time, and it took its toll. So we're just trying to get him back to where he was."

After Unified took his six-furlong debut by three lengths Feb 21 at Gulfstream Park and won by the same margin in the seven-furlong Bay Shore (gr. III) on April 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack, Jerkens noted he pushed hard to have the colt primed for another big effort when he stretched out to 1 1/8 miles in the May 14 Peter Pan (gr. II) at Belmont Park. He got it when Unified held off surging Governor Malibu by three-quarters of a length.

NOVAK: Unified Stays Perfect in Peter Pan

Jerkens thought the Pegasus (gr. III) would offer a logical next step in providing the young runner with his first test around two turns. Whether it was the distance, the track, or simply a very bad day, Unified threw in his first clunker with a fifth-place finish, beaten 13 1/2 lengths by victorious Donegal Moon.  

"I thought he was doing good for Monmouth, but he didn't run good at all as a big, big favorite," Jerkens said. "It looked like he fell away a little bit in the flesh after that."

Jerkens decided to keep Unified in training, albeit with a much lighter touch. He has been jogging him two miles daily, and finally returned him to the worktab at Belmont July 16 with a three-furlong move in :36.85 on the training track there. Now, the colt's connections are keeping an eye toward a possible start in the seven-furlong Ketel One King's Bishop (gr. I) Aug. 27 at Saratoga Race Course. 

"If he comes to hand quick, the King's Bishop is not out of the question," the trainer said. "It's a case of him telling us."

Jerkens admits Unified's small body of work has done little to determine what distance might suit him best.

"He did win going a mile-and-an-eighth in the Peter Pan but, let's face it, it was going around one turn on an ultra-fast racetrack," he said. "I always had in the back of my mind that had to carry him a little bit."

Jerkens hoped the Pegasus would provide him with more insight. It did not.

"It was really unsettling for us because we didn't come out of there knowing anything," he said.

Jerkens is confident Unified is responding to his brief respite, noting a revived appetite and a welcome weight gain. Most importantly, he knows the talent is there once the colt regroups.

"You don't do what he did if you don't have quality," he remarked. "To do what he did in such a short amount of time, only the real good ones do that."