Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Time Test experiments at one mile
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Time Test was sent from Europe to the U.S. by Juddmonte Farms with the hope that he would have a campaign similar to Flintshire’s in 2016. It has not quite worked out that way.
After two runner-up finishes in graded stakes at distances of 1 1/8 miles and 1 1/4 miles, Time Test will shorten up to a mile in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga.
Time Test will face five rivals in the Fourstardave, including the filly Sassy Little Lila. Weekend Hideaway was entered for the main track only, but he is also entered in Friday’s $100,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes going six furlongs on dirt.
Time Test, a 5-year-old son of Dubawi, has not run at a mile since finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland in October 2015. Prior to that, he won a Group 2 stakes at Newmarket in a four-horse field.
In two starts this year, Time Test was beaten a nose by Smooth Daddy in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy going 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park and second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Ascend, in the Grade 1 Manhattan going 1 1/4 miles.
Trainer Chad Brown was disappointed with the way Time Test could not polish off those two races.
“Just the way he’s hung a little bit in his races, perhaps I’m running him a little too far,” Brown said. “We’ll cut him back to a mile and see what he does.”
Last year, Juddmonte sent Flintshire to Brown, and what he did was win the Manhattan, Bowling Green, and Sword Dancer en route to being named champion male turf horse.
Time Test drew post 3 in the Fourstardave and will be ridden by Javier Castellano.
Inside of Time Test are Poker winner Ballagh Rocks and Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile winner American Patriot. Outside of Time Test will be Sassy Little Lila, Disco Partner, and World Approval.
Sagamore strong with juveniles
Sagamore Farm and trainer Horacio DePaz have won five 2-year-old races from 10 starters this year, including the Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park with He Hate Me. This weekend, they will look for more success with runners in Saturday’s Adirondack and Sunday’s Saratoga Special – Grade 2, $200,000 stakes for juvenile females and juveniles, respectively.
In the Adirondack, Sagamore and DePaz will send out Proportionality and Southampton Way in the eight-horse field.
Proportionality, a daughter of Discreet Cat, was outside in a three-horse speed duel at Laurel Park in her debut. She put her two pace rivals away and then fended off Carson City Coin to win by 1 1/4 lengths.
“She can definitely improve off that conditioning-wise,” DePaz said. “She did a lot of that on her own. She came out of it well, and she should be set up for this race pretty good.”
Southampton Way finished fifth in her debut in the mud at Pimlico in May. DePaz added blinkers to her equipment after that, and Southampton Way responded with a pace-pressing one-length victory at 9-1 here on opening day.
“She was always forward, so we never thought she would need [blinkers],” DePaz said. “Just trying to get her more on her game. We put them on her, and she was working very well with them.”
Proportionality drew post 5 and Southampton Way the outside in an eight-horse field that includes Pure Silver, Stainless, Sly Roxy, Di Maria, Limited View, and Wall of Compassion.
On Wednesday, Stainless worked four furlongs in 48.58 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course in company with Sugar Queen. Stainless is also being considered for next Wednesday’s $100,000 Bolton Landing, a 5 1/2-length turf sprint, according to trainer Todd Pletcher.
In the Saratoga Special, Sagamore and DePaz will be represented by Barry Lee, a 6 1/2length debut winner at Laurel Park on July 14. He was the workmate of He Hate Me, who has gone 2 for 2 but is getting some time off after getting sick following his victory in the Tremont.
Others expected for the Saratoga Special include Bal Harbour, Copper Bullet, Diamond Oops, Hollywood Star, Mo Diddley, and Vino.
Entries for the Saratoga Special were to be taken on Thursday.
Lockdown works for Alabama
Lockdown, the third-place finisher in the Kentucky Oaks, worked a sharp five furlongs in 1:00.21 on Tuesday over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for the Grade 1 Alabama here on Aug. 19.
Lockdown went in company with Length, who was credited with a half-mile in 47.47 seconds. The two were head and head for most of the drill, with Lockdown going out an extra eighth of a mile.
“She was a little anxious, putting her right beside the other horse, and I told him to do that, but she probably locked on a little too much,” trainer Bill Mott said. “I should have maybe put her in behind and get her switched off the first part of the work, but it was okay.”
Lockdown, who finished second in the Grade 1 Mother Goose in her most recent start, appears to have improved since the winter, when she won the Busanda over Aqueduct’s inner track and finished second in the Grade 2 Gazelle over Aqueduct’s main track.
“Seems like it,” Mott said. “Maybe she’s changed and is one that develops a little later.”
Mott will also run Elate, the runner-up to Abel Tasman in the Coaching Club American Oaks, in the Alabama. Also pointing to the $600,000 Alabama are Actress, Holy Helena, It Tiz Well, New Money Honey, Salty, and Unchained Melody.
◗ Ramon Dominguez, the Hall of Fame jockey whose career was cut short by a head injury suffered in a spill at Aqueduct in 2013, will be inducted into the New York Racing Association’s Walk of Fame in a ceremony ontrack Aug. 25.