Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
STRAIGHT AND TRUE
RELIABLE TWISTED TOM COMES INTO ALBANY IN TOP FORM,
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Those hungry for the Travers program on Saturday will be served an appetizer of sorts Friday at Saratoga when New York Showcase Day is held. The six New York-bred stakes will offer total purses of $1 million.
The Showcase Day stakes consist of a pair of 6 1/2-furlong races for 2-year-olds, two 1 1/8mile races for 3-year-olds, and a couple of 1 1/16-mile turf races for 3-year-olds and up.
Chad Brown and Rudy Rodriguez have the favorites in the 3-year-old stakes, the $250,000 Albany and the $200,000 Fleet Indian, which is restricted to fillies.
In the Albany, which has the largest purse of the day, Brown has Twisted Tom, while Rodriguez will send out Broken Engagement. Twisted Tom defeated Broken Engagement by a half-length in the $160,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes on July 22 after a heated battle of more than a quarter-mile. The outcome was in doubt until deep stretch, when Twisted Tom began to inch away.
Twisted Tom has won four of his last five starts dating back to January. His only loss during that stretch came when he finished sixth of 11 runners in the Belmont Stakes after his heels were clipped from behind on the first turn.
“I’m really proud of how he’s developed,” Brown said. “He’s been super for us for a long time. I’m certainly not saying he would have won the Belmont, but he was eliminated on the first turn and came out of the race cut up.”
Twisted Tom is 5 for 8 in his career. In addition to the New York Derby, he has won two open stakes at Laurel Park, the Federico Tesio and Private Terms.
Brown also has entered Minsky Moment in the Albany, but as of Wednesday afternoon was not sure if he would start. Minsky Moment finished second in a first-level optional-claiming race at Saratoga on July 31 going the same distance as the Albany.
“I’m 50-50 on whether he will run,” Brown said. “He’s lightly raced but we’ve always thought highly of him.”
Broken Engagement may have come up on the short end in the New York Derby, but he certainly held his own at 9-1 against odds-on Twisted Tom.
“He’ll have to step up a little bit to beat that other horse, but he’s ready to run,” Rodriguez said. “The New York Derby could have gone either way.”
Pat On the Back finished third in the New York Derby, beaten 2 3/4 lengths by Twisted Tom. On the lead early, he took back to fourth after Gold for the King, Twisted Tom, and Broken Engagement made their moves. He was unable to come on again in the stretch.
A three-time New Yorkbred stakes winner for trainer Ken McPeek, Pat On the Back figures to finish closer to the top pair with a more conventional trip.
In the five-horse Fleet Indian, undefeated Sunset Ridge will be a short-priced favorite for Brown. She is coming off a 16 3/4-length victory going seven furlongs in a second-level statebred optional claimer. She earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. The second-highest lifetime figure in the Fleet Indian field is a 74.
Sunset Ridge will be stretching out a quarter-mile in distance and going two turns for the first time. She won her debut going 6 1/2 furlongs and an allowance at a mile.
Brown is not concerned about sending her a longer distance.
“She a high-quality filly and I don’t anticipate any problem stretching her out to 1 1/8 miles,” he said. “The distances she’s run are a function of what was available. I would have run her 1 1/8 miles earlier if a race had been there.”
Bonita Bianca, who is conditioned by Rodriguez, rallied to win the $75,000 New York Oaks last time out despite a poor start. Bonita Bianca has won 4 of 6 starts, including three New York-bred stakes.
“She broke slowly and checked a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “I think she was just a little better than what she was in against.”
The Oaks was the second start of the year for Bonita Bianca. She finished a badly beaten fourth at even-money in a Monmouth Park optional claimer in June.
“We sent her to Monmouth to give her a race, but I don’t think she liked the track,” Rodriguez said. “She didn’t run at all.”
Bonita Bianca has closed from far back in the majority of her races. Rodriguez equipped her with blinkers for the New York Oaks.
“We put the blinkers on to get her closer to the pace,” Rodriguez said. “I’m hoping she’ll stay a little closer Friday. You can’t give up too much ground on this track. She’s been doing very good.”