Hurricane Irene forced trainer Larry Jones to cancel a planned workout for
Grade 1 star HAVRE DE GRACE (Saint Liam), the four-year-old filly sensation who
will be taking on males in the 1 1/8-mile Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga on
Saturday.
“We’ll just gallop into it,” Jones said early Monday afternoon. “We normally
would have breezed today and of course there was no training today at Delaware
Park.”
Asked if he would consider trying to squeeze in another work, Jones said, “I
doubt it. Hopefully, we’ll get on the track tomorrow. If we don’t get it going,
we may ship up tomorrow to Saratoga. I really don’t know.”
Havre de Grace, owned by Fox Hill Farms, opened her racing season with three
straight victories, in the March 19 Azeri (G3) and April 15 Apple Blossom H.
(G1) at Oaklawn Park and then in the June 11 Obeah S. (G3) at Delaware Park. In
her next start out, she finished a nose behind her archrival Blind Luck
(Pollard’s Vision) in a sensational running of the July 16 Delaware H. (G2).
With winning Horse of the Year the goal, Havre de Grace has been pointed
toward the Woodward, where she is facing a strong line-up tentatively featuring
multiple Grade 2 hero MISSION IMPAZIBLE (Unbridled’s Song) and recent Birdstone
S. winner RULE (Roman Ruler) for trainer Todd Pletcher; Suburban H. (G2) winner
and Whitney H. (G1) runner-up FLAT OUT (Flatter) for trainer Charles Dickey;
multiple Grade 1 winner GIANT OAK (Giant’s Causeway) for trainer Chris Block;
multiple Grade 3 scorer MAMBO MEISTER (King Cugat) for Phil Gleaves; multiple
Grade 2-placed CONVOCATION (Pulpit), a recent allowance winner at the Spa at the
Woodward distance for Jimmy Jerkens; and last year’s Florida Derby (G1) victor
and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up ICE BOX (Pulpit) for Hall of Fame trainer Nick
Zito.
“It is what it is,” Jones said of the assembling field. “We’ve got to go out
and see what we’ve got. It’s too early (to discuss strategy). We’ll fly by the
seat of our pants.”