Arlington-based trainer Chris Block won Saturday’s Washington Park H. (G3) at
Arlington with MISTER MARTI GRAS (Belong to Me), but Block was at Saratoga to
saddle GIANT OAK (Giant’s Causeway) in the Woodward S. (G1), where that horse
finished fifth.
Newmarket-based conditioner Gerard Butler was at Arlington Saturday to saddle
MARISTAR (Giant’s Causeway) and BURJ ALZAIN (Ire) (Marju) to third and
fourth-place finishes, respectively, in the Washington Park. That race came less
than an hour after PACHATTACK (Pulpit), also trained by Butler, finished second
in Saratoga’s Personal Ensign Invitational (G1).
So while Butler had a comfortable amount of time to watch the simulcast of
the Personal Ensign while at Arlington and then saddle Maristar and Burj Alzain
in the Washington Park, Block was hard-pressed to saddle Giant Oak at Saratoga
and then get to a television monitor to watch the simulcast of the Washington
Park.
Butler’s Pachattack was well-placed early in the Personal Ensign, lost some
position on the first turn and was then forced wide the rest of the way. She
made up some ground on the winning, weaving front-runner in the lane to be
clearly second but could not catch that one despite her own meandering ways.
Shortly thereafter, while observing the Washington Park from the Arlington
Park stands, Butler watched Maristar trail the field early, make a bold late run
when set down for the drive but then get pinched back in the last strides behind
the first two horses under the wire. E. T. Baird, the jockey aboard Maristar,
lodged an objection against both Mister Marti Gras and Workin for Hops (City
Zip), second under the wire by a neck.
The objection against Workin for Hops was allowed but the one against Mister
Marti Gras was not, so Maristar was subsequently placed second in the Washington
Park.
“Certainly, this last hour or so has been an eventful one for me,” said the
dry, understated Butler as he walked through the tunnel after the Washington
Park.
Meanwhile, back at Saratoga, Block was budgeting his time as best he could.
“I saddled Giant Oak, and then when all the (Woodward) horses were going out
on the track, I ducked back through the tunnel to watch the Washington Park,”
Block said Sunday morning while speaking from the apron at Arlington during
training hours. “I saw that we won the race at Arlington and then I watched the
Woodward.
“But after I watched the Woodward, I came back glanced up at one of the
Arlington monitors and saw our number flashing along with the others. I wondered
what we could have done wrong, but after I watched the head-on replay, I got
fairly confident that we would not be involved in any changes in the order of
finish. Nevertheless, I had to keep watching the Arlington monitors until the
numbers stopped flashing and they made the race official.
“I haven’t been to my barn yet,” Block concluded. “I just got back to town
from Saratoga but understand Mister Marti Gras came back really good, ate up
everything last night and was in good shape this morning.”