The one-two finishers from Saturday’s Travers S. (G1) at Saratoga may face
Travers winner Flower Alley came out of his 2 1/2-length win in good order
“Everything is good and he came back in good shape,” Pletcher said. “He was
It turned out the third times was the charm for Pletcher. The conditioner sent Flower
“It’s hard to describe, but it is very satisfying,” he said. “I always find
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“It’s just one of those rare situations where, at least on paper, everything
seemed very clear cut. There was one horse who looked like he was going to be on
the lead. You had another horse who was going to lay second, then ROMAN RULER
(Fusaichi Pegasus) and REVERBERATE (Thunder Gulch) behind them. The others were
one-run closers. It turned out to unfold that way. You know how often that
happens?”
With the Travers win, Flower Alley moved into the top echelon among the
three-year-old division, but would take over the top spot from divisional leader Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet) if he wins the Gold Cup and October 29 Breeders’
Cup Classic (G1).
“I think Flower Alley is second,” Pletcher added about where his charge
ranked in the sophomore division. “I think Afleet Alex has accomplished so much
up to this point that it would be hard to unseat him. But if Flower Alley was
able to step up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Breeders’ Cup Classic, and go
out on a four-race win streak, then he can maybe make a case for himself.”
Flower Alley is likely to face Bellamy Road, who led for much of the Travers,
in the Gold Cup. Trained by Nick Zito, the dark bay colt was ran second in the
Mid-Summer Derby off a near four-month layoff, making his previous start in the
May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1). Bellamy Road popped a splint in that classic race and
was sidelined until he returned to the worktab on July 16.
“It was an amazing thing that horse did yesterday,” Zito said. “When you put
everything in perspective with the four-month layoff and the injury, going the
mile and a quarter, and Flower Alley already having run two races going into the
Travers, it was an unbelievable achievement.”
The recent Hall of Fame inductee wasn’t as happy with his other charge’s
performance in the Travers. ANDROMEDA’S HERO (Fusaichi Pegasus) finished back in
fifth while wearing blinkers for the first time.
“It was a disappointment,” Zito added. “It’s my fault — I took a shot and it
didn’t work. If the horse is consistent, I’d rather not do it (add blinkers).
But I had to take a shot.”
The conditioner said he has no immediate plans for Andromeda’s Hero.
Roman Ruler was the 2-1 favorite in the Travers off his 1 1/4-length victory
in the Haskell Invitational H. (G1) and finished as he ran, in third. Trainer
John Terranova, who oversees Bob Baffert’s horses in New York, said the dark bay
colt came out of the race “no worse for the wear,” but doesn’t know if Baffert
is keeping the sophomore in New York or plans to ship him back to California.
Both DON’T GET MAD (Stephen Got Even) and Reverberate — fourth and sixth,
respectively, in the Travers — exited the race in good condition. While plans
have not yet been made for the Ron Ellis-trained Don’t Get Mad, conditioner Sal
Russo said Reverberate might try the grass in his next start.
“I’d like to breeze him on the turf,” Russo said. “If he breezes well, maybe
we’d try a race like the (October 8) Jamaica (G2). He’s got a lot of grass
pedigree on the female side. He’s a nice colt with a good future.”