Travers showdown looms for Verrazano, Palace Malice

Last updated: 7/29/13 6:52 PM

Verrazano garnered a 111 BRIS Speed rating in the Haskell
(Mark Wyville/Equi-Photo)

After sweeping both major preps for the $1 million Travers over the weekend,
trainer Todd Pletcher looks to have a pretty strong hand for the 144th
“Mid-Summer Derby” on August 24, the centerpiece of Saratoga’s 150th anniversary
season.

Pletcher was back in Saratoga on Monday morning after saddling Verrazano to a
record-setting 9 3/4-length victory in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell at Monmouth
Park. On Saturday, Palace Malice followed up his impressive Belmont Stakes
victory in June with an emphatic triumph in the $600,000 Jim Dandy.

“We’re fortunate to have two such outstanding colts,” Pletcher said. “You
hate to run horses against each other from the same barn, but in this case I
think it’s the logical case for both horses and both owners. We’ll see how they
both come back and both train, but right now it certainly looks like they’re
likely to show up in the Travers.”

Pletcher won the Travers with Flower Alley in 2005 and Stay Thirsty in 2011.
Verrazano returned to Pletcher’s Saratoga barn Monday morning.

“He shipped back great and looks really good this morning,” Pletcher said.
“It was a powerful performance. The Pegasus, with the misfortune of
Itsmyluckyday getting hurt, kind of left everyone not knowing how well he ran. I
think he put any questions about that to rest yesterday.”

Before Palace Malice won the Jim Dandy and Verrazano took the Haskell,
Kentucky Derby winner Orb took another step toward the Travers when he worked a
half-mile on Saturday at the training center in Fair Hill, Maryland, in :48 1/5.

The work was Orb’s fourth since his third-place finish behind winner Palace
Malice in the Belmont, and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said he is
pleased with the way the Malibu Moon colt is coming up to the Travers

“It was foggy, so I didn’t see too much, but I liked what I did see,” he
said. “It was very good, and he seemed to come out of it good.”

McGaughey said he was impressed by the performances of the Todd
Pletcher-trained Palace Malice and Verrazano.

“I thought Verrazano ran great,” he said. “The races were good.”

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