Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Keen Ice targeting Whitney
ELMONT, N.Y. – Keen Ice, the winner of Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Suburban Stakes, most likely will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 5, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday.
It was at Saratoga two years ago that Keen Ice upset Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes.
In the Whitney, Keen Ice will have to take on Gun Runner, who on Sunday worked five furlongs in 1:01.67 over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. Gun Runner got his final quarter in 24.21 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40 and pulled up seven furlongs in 1:27.60.
“The horse is doing really well,” trainer Steve Asmussen said of Gun Runner. “I really like how he’s training over the racetrack at Saratoga. We gave him a gallop over the main track, and we breezed him on the Oklahoma.”
Asmussen said Gun Runner likely will work this week on the Oklahoma but will get one breeze over the main track before the Whitney.
Before Saturday, Keen Ice had gone winless in 10 starts since taking the Travers. In the Suburban, he stayed close to a relatively slow pace before running past the heavily favored Shaman Ghost just outside the eighth pole.
“The one thing he did yesterday is he broke really well, and right away he was into it a little more,” Pletcher said. “It’s counterintuitive that a closer would benefit from a slow pace, but it kind of kept him in the race a little bit, and he was able to secure a good spot and keep himself in striking range. He came home in [23.80 seconds], which is a pretty solid closing quarter going that far, even if the fractions are that slow.”
Keen Ice ran the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.02 and earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure, equaling the career-best number he got in the 2015 Travers. Despite having won only three races from 22 starts, Keen Ice has earned $3,037,245.
Shaman Ghost, the runnerup in the Suburban, likely will make his next start at Saratoga, but he could possibly wait for the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward on Sept. 2. Shaman Ghost won the Woodward last year.
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Shaman Ghost came out of the Suburban in good order and didn’t have any real excuse for Saturday’s loss.
Mind Your Biscuits dominant
Mind Your Biscuits solidified his position atop the nation’s sprint division with yet another electrifying performance Saturday at Belmont Park, an easy 3 1/2-length victory over Awesome Slew in the Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Championship at seven furlongs. For the effort, Mind Your Biscuits received a 106 Beyer Speed Figure and an expenses-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
But if there was any good news for the rest of the division Sunday morning, it’s that trainer Chad Summers has not ruled out the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, rather than the Sprint, for Mind Your Biscuits.
“We’re probably looking at 90-10” – for the Sprint – “since he’s so good at what he does, but it’s something to consider, especially when looking down the road at the bigger picture next January,” Summers said. “Right now, seven furlongs is perfect for him. It’s probably his strongest distance, but for the Breeders’ Cup, we’ve either got to cut him back to six or stretch him out to a mile, and to be honest, I think this horse could be even better going farther.”
Mind Your Biscuits finished fourth, beaten 6 1/4 lengths by Governor Malibu, in his only try at a mile in a maiden race during the fall of his 2-year-old campaign.
“That was my fault,” Summers said. “I told the rider to move him early, trying to get a jump on Governor Malibu, [whom] he wouldn’t have beaten anyway that day, although we could have been second,” Summers said. “But obviously my horse is a lot more mature and a lot better now than he was back then.”
Summers said Mind Your Biscuits came out of the Belmont Sprint in good order, didn’t leave an oat in his feed tub after the race, and was bouncing around the shed row Sunday.
“I just thought he was so impressive the way he ran away so easily from a really good horse like Awesome Slew like he did,” Summers said. “[Jockey Joel Rosario] never hits this horse, but he did tap him once yesterday, and when he did, it was all over. He just pulled away so quickly. I’m not sure this was his absolute best race – he wasn’t cranked up quite 100 percent like he was for Dubai – but it was close and certainly a great race to come back with and build on down the road. And I think it should put us at the top of the division, at least until Drefong runs again.”
Summers said the sevenfurlong, Grade 1 Forego is likely next for Mind Your Biscuits.
“One thing about winning the race yesterday and guaranteeing a spot in the Breeders’ Cup, it gives us options,” Summers said. “A lot of people thought we were crazy writing that $45,000 check to run him in the Sprint last year. It will be nice not having to write that check again this year. And oddly, while the seven-furlong Belmont Sprint was a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the Forego, which is run at the same distance, is actually a Win and You’re In for the Dirt Mile.”
Summers said Mind Your Biscuits will not go back to the track to train until shipping to Saratoga later this week.