Wildcat Red ‘floats on the track’ in King’s Bishop work at the Spa

Wildcat Red ‘floats on the track’ in King’s Bishop work at
the Spa

Wildcat Red, seen here working at Monmouth prior to the Haskell, is cutting back to seven furlongs for the King’s Bishop (Bill Denver/Equi-Photo) Grade 2 hero Wildcat Red, working toward the Grade 1, $500,000 King’s Bishop on August 23, had his first breeze over Saratoga‘s main track on Saturday morning. Going out at 6:30 a.m. (EDT) under jockey Luis Saez, who left later in the morning to ride at Arlington near Chicago, Wildcat Red went a half-mile on the fast dirt in :49 2/5 for trainer Jose Garoffalo. “He was very good. He worked very easily. He floats on the track,” Garoffalo said. “He went nice and easy, exactly what we needed. (Saez) was very happy with the workout when he came back, and everything seems good for the race. He doesn’t need much. He’s a very fit horse.” Garoffalo arrived from his Gulfstream Park base on Friday. A native of Venezuela who graduated from both law school and the trainer’s academy in his home country, Garoffalo has never had a starter at Saratoga. “There is always a concern when you move from track to track, but my first concern is if the horse is going to like the track,” he said. “He’s very versatile and he gets adapted very well to any track.

“I had a
little concern about this track because this is a deeper track than Gulfstream.
It’s slower, and I thought it could be an issue, but he obviously doesn’t pay
too much attention to that. He’s galloping very good and he worked very good
today, so I think he’s ready for the race.”

The Florida-bred son of D’wildcat made the first seven starts of his career at Gulfstream, including
wins in the Hutcheson — run at the King’s Bishop distance of seven furlongs —
and Fountain of Youth as well as a runner-up finish in the Florida Derby.

Most recently, Wildcat Red stumbled at the start but
pressed winner Bayern into deep stretch before winding up third in the Haskell Invitational on July 27
at Monmouth Park. Garoffalo also nominated the Honors Stable
Corp. colorbearer to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers going 1 1/4 miles over
the dirt on the same day as the King’s Bishop.

“I think the King’s Bishop is the best spot to put him. The
Travers is going to be tough, and I want to refresh him a little bit,” Garoffalo
stated. “The mile and a quarter is too long for him now. In this race, if we run
good we still have a chance to go to Pennsylvania or somewhere else. It all
depends on the result and how the horse comes back.”

The King’s Bishop would be the first Grade 1 win for both
the horse and trainer. Garoffalo, 50, has won 343 races from 2,496 starters
since moving to the United States full-time in 1999.

“I think he deserves to have a Grade 1 title, because he’s
been trying very hard in all his races,” Garoffalo remarked. “He deserves to have
the privilege of being a Grade 1 horse. I think the distance is good for him;
actually, I think it’s going to be better for him.”

Also working for the King’s Bishop on Saturday at the Spa was the unbeaten but lightly raced Fast Anna,
who clocked five furlongs
in a bullet :58 3/5 on the main track in preparation for
his stakes bow in the race.

Trainer Kathy Ritvo sent the three-year-old Medaglia d’Oro colt
out just after the renovation break under regular exercise rider Nick Petro. It
was Fast Anna’s second work at Saratoga since arriving from South Florida,
having gone seven furlongs in 1:28 2/5 on August 9.

“He worked great today,” Ritvo said. “He worked good last
week for his first work over the track. We were happy with him today. We just
kind of let him do his own thing. He works quick most of the time, which is
fine. You’ve got to get something out of it. He’s a good, sound horse, a strong
horse, and he needs to work.”

Unraced as a juvenile, Fast Anna won his debut going six furlongs in
1:09 4/5 on April 12. Owned by Frank Calabrese, he followed up with a 13-length
romp in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance on July 6, both races coming at Gulfstream.

Each of Fast Anna’s wins have come in front-running
fashion, but Ritvo isn’t convinced the horse needs to have the lead.

“I don’t think it matters,” she said. “When we’ve worked
him, we’ve worked him in front of horses and behind horses, and he’s just a
runner. I’m very satisfied with the way he’s coming into the race. He can’t be
doing any better.”

Other possible King’s Bishop horses on Saturday’s worktab
were recent Amsterdam runner-up C. Zee, who sped a bullet half-mile in :46 2/5 for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, the fastest of 104 horses; and Mike
Lee Stakes winner Captain Serious, second in the Dwyer and third in the
Amsterdam, who went five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 for trainer Mike Hushion.

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