Quality Road works toward Travers

Quality Road will go for his fourth straight graded win in the Travers (Z. Laskowski/EquiSport Photos) QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality), expected to be among the favorites for the $1 million Travers S. (G1) on August 29, turned in his first work since his record-setting victory in the Amsterdam S. (G2) Sunday morning at Saratoga, covering six furlongs over the fast main track in 1:13. Under jockey John Velazquez, the colt went to the main track shortly after the morning break and breezed in tandem with stablemate Unbridled Belle (Broken Vow), the Grade 1-winning six-year-old mare also trained by Pletcher, who finished in 1:13 1/5. “I thought it was super,” said Pletcher of the move, Quality Road’s first since setting a Saratoga track record of 1:13 3/5 for 6 1/2 furlongs in the August 3 Amsterdam. “He came out of the race well, and had a good work this morning, a nice, stamina-building breeze. He was into the bridle the whole way and he finished up with something left. Johnny asked him to gallop out, and he responded well. When he came back he was not blowing that hard.” Quality Road, who was among the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby (G1) before being sidelined with foot problems, also set a track record of 1:47 3/5 for nine furlongs at Gulfstream Park when he won the Florida Derby (G1) in March while under the care of trainer Jimmy Jerkens. In June, owner Edward P. Evans moved Quality Road, along with several other horses, from Jerkens’ barn to Pletcher’s, with the 1 1/4-mile Travers a primary objective. “Any time you have a high profile horse like this pointing toward a race like the Travers, you want everything to go exactly right,” Pletcher said. “I don’t know if there’s more pressure but obviously the stakes are higher.”

Pletcher elected to bring Quality Road back in the shorter Amsterdam rather
than in a more traditional prep for the Travers, such as the Jim Dandy S. (G2)
over nine furlongs. In the Amsterdam, Quality Road broke the 30-year-old mark
for the distance by nearly a second in his first start since the Florida Derby.

“After the Amsterdam, the surprising thing to me was not only that he ran so
fast, but he came back and wasn’t even blowing that hard,” Pletcher said. “His
energy level was good, his appetite was good. He took the race really well. He’s
a very special horse that can do brilliant things and sometimes do it easily.

“He’s got a good foundation from earlier in the year when he ran those races
at Gulfstream,” said Pletcher when asked about the challenges of getting a horse
from a 6 1/2-furlong sprint to a 10-furlong race in the space of 26 days. “In a
perfect world, this race would maybe be a mile and an eighth, but it’s not and
we’re going to have to call on his class a little bit.

“We’re asking what I think is a special horse to do something you normally
wouldn’t ask a lot of them to do. But we’re doing it because of who he is.”

Quality Road, bred in Virginia by Evans, has won four of his five starts,
with his only loss a second to Theregoesjojo (Brahms) in a seven-furlong
allowance at Gulfstream Park on January 10. He will have his final tune-up for
the Travers next Sunday, Pletcher said.

Meanwhile, Steve Asmussen confirmed Sunday that both RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia
d’Oro) and KENSEI (Mr. Greeley) would work early Monday morning in preparation
for their next starts, which are still undetermined.

Kensei will be sent out to the Oklahoma training track at 5:30 a.m. (EDT),
while Rachel Alexandra will follow her stablemate at 5:50 a.m.

“We definitely won’t make a decision until we see how they’re doing on
Tuesday,” Asmussen said. “It will be at least until Tuesday afternoon or
Wednesday.”

Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten in seven starts this year and Asmussen has
nominated her to four upcoming Grade 1 contests at Saratoga: the $600,000
Alabama S. on August 22, the Travers, the $400,000 Personal Ensign S. against
older fillies and mares on August 30, and the $500,000 Woodward S. against older
males on September 5. The other race under consideration is the $1 million
Pennsylvania Derby (G2) on September 7 at Philadelphia Park.

Kensei, winner of the Jim Dandy on August 1, is also possible for the
Travers.

Belmont S. (G1) winner SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone) will walk for two days and
resume regular training on Tuesday, trainer Tim Ice said Sunday morning.

On Saturday, Summer Bird breezed five furlongs in 1:01 4/5, his first timed
work since a second-place finish in the Haskell Invitational (G1) behind Rachel
Alexandra.

“He came out of (the workout) good and he looks good,” Ice said. “He’ll walk
today and tomorrow and go back to the track Tuesday.”