Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Vekoma points toward Forego
ELMONT, N.Y. – When George Weaver first came to New York in 1991 to work for D. Wayne Lukas, one race he made sure to witness in person was the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Regardless of whether he had a horse in the race, Weaver said he would watch the Met Mile from the platform just outside the Belmont Park winner’s circle.
“That’s one of my favorite races,” Weaver said. “It’s crazy cool that I had a horse good enough to win it.”
Weaver trains Vekoma, who was crazy good Saturday in recording a front-running 1 1/4-length victory in the Runhappy Met Mile. His final time of 1:32.88 was the fourthfastest Met Mile in 127 runnings. The third-fastest time belongs to Honour and Glory, whom Weaver saddled to victory for Lukas in the 1996 Met Mile.
Weaver said he watched a replay of that race last week and marveled at how John Velazquez sat quiet aboard Honour and Glory, who dueled on the lead with Afternoon Deelites. He surrendered the lead to Lite the Fuse before re-rallying to win.
Weaver felt Javier Castellano rode Vekoma similarly in that he sat quiet on the horse while being able to dictate the pace and then had something left with which to finish to record the victory.
“I don’t think Javier went all in until he needed to,” Weaver said.
The victory in the Met Mile earned Vekoma entrance into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. Vekoma’s victory in the Grade 1 Carter on June 6 at Belmont earned him a guaranteed spot in the $2 million BC Sprint at six furlongs on the same card.
Weaver said Sunday that he is leaning toward pointing Vekoma to the Dirt Mile, with Vekoma’s next start most likely coming in the Grade 1 Forego going seven furlongs on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.
“Based on the fact that his asset is his ability to carry his speed over some distance, I’d have to say we’d be leaning that way,” Weaver said. “If we wanted to try the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, I’d likely try to fit in a six or 6 1/2-furlong race. I’m confident he can do anything six to seven to a mile to a mile and an eighth.”
Since this year’s Breeders’ Cup is at Keeneland, the Dirt Mile would be run around two turns. Fortunately, Vekoma’s lone win around two turns came in last year’s Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland.
Vekoma, who earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for the Met Mile, vanned from Belmont to Saratoga on Sunday morning.
“He got off the van pretty happy with himself,” Weaver said. “He looked good in the flesh. He’s a happy horse. He knows how good he is.”
Network Effect finished second to Vekoma in both the Carter and the Met Mile, and is likely to try him again in the Forego, trainer Chad Brown said after the race. Brown also could point Complexity to the Forego. Complexity won a Friday allowance race.
“I’d rather point more than one horse to the race, and if they both end up there that’s great,” Brown said.
Code of Honor, who was third in the Met Mile, could be a candidate for the Grade 1 Whitney going 1 1/8 miles on Aug. 1 at Saratoga.
Instilled Regard eyes Churchill
With the Arlington Million shelved this year, trainer Chad Brown will most likely have to wait a while before being able to run Instilled Regard and Rockemperor, the 1-2 finishers in Saturday’s Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes.
Brown will likely wait until the $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.
“That’s what we’re going to have to do,” Brown said. “I don’t see anything between now and then. I’ll freshen these horses up and go for it.”
Brown had some concerns about Instilled Regard’s ability to get 1 1/4 miles over ground that was less than firm. Though the turf courses were labeled firm on Saturday, they had taken significant rain Friday night.
“We continue to learn new things about him,” Brown said. “He won his last two with a little bit of moisture in the ground, which has been a pleasant surprise. He’s a horse that’s continued to come around and improve, and he’s even done a couple of things beyond my expectations.”
In two starts this year, Rockemperor lost the Grade 2 Charlie Whittingham by a nose and the Grade 1 Manhattan by a neck.
“He’s a hard-luck horse,” Brown said. “He’s got a big race with his name on it somewhere.”
Brown said he would point Rockemperor to the Old Forester, adding, “I reserve the right to change my mind.”
Instilled Regard and Rockemperor each earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for the Manhattan.
Tacitus may go to Woodward
Tacitus did enough in winning Saturday’s Grade 2 Suburban by 8 3/4 lengths to convince trainer Bill Mott that he deserves to be pointed to the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Keeneland.
Now, Mott just needs to plot a path to get there.
At Saratoga, the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney is run at 1 1/8 miles on Aug. 1, while the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward is run at 1 1/4 miles on Sept. 5. The added distance of the Woodward makes that race more intriguing to Mott.
“I think the distance is an important factor for this horse, particularly with what we saw yesterday,” said Mott, who thought that Tacitus’s winning time of 1:59.51 for 1 1/4 miles in the Suburban was “a pretty good time.”
Tacitus ended a seven-race losing streak in the Suburban. Equipped with blinkers, he seemed more focused and polished his race off more professionally than he was doing last year.
The blinkers, Mott said, “seemed to make him level off a little more and stay in the bridle
a little more.”
Tacitus earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the Suburban, his third Grade 2 stakes win to go with the Tampa Bay Derby and Wood Memorial.
Also Saturday, Mott won the Grade 3 Victory Ride for 3-yearold fillies with Frank’s Rockette, who will now be pointed to the Grade 1 Test at seven furlongs on Aug. 8 at Saratoga.
“We’ll try it,” Mott said. “Why not give her a shot in there? She’s Grade 1-placed twice, and if she doesn’t win but at least hits the board we could say at least we tried.”
Frank’s Rockette did show some grit in the Victory Ride, fending off Reagan’s Edge to win by a head.
Social Paranoia to Fourstardave
Social Paranoia, winner of Saturday’s Grade 3 Poker Stakes at Belmont, will most likely make his next start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave Handicap on Aug. 22 at Saratoga, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday morning.
Though he was talented enough to finish second in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby at 1 1/4 miles last year, Social Paranoia seems to have found his niche as a come-from-behind miler. He won the Grade 3 Appleton at Gulfstream from last and was last on the far turn behind a slow pace in the Poker.
“He seems to appreciate settling and making one run,” Pletcher said. “I was a little concerned he was perhaps a little farther back than I was thinking would be okay, considering the soft fractions, but it worked out.”
Social Paranoia, a son of Street Boss owned by Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group, earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the Poker, equaling the number he earned for winning the Appleton.