Gronkowski ‘stronger and fitter’ heading into Travers
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Phoenix Thoroughbred’s Gronkowski put in his final breeze before the Grade 1 Travers, officially working five furlongs in 1:00.02 in company with Instilled Regard on Sunday morning on Saratoga Race Course’s main track.
The work was the fifth at the Spa since Gronkowski made his North American debut, running second to Triple Crown-winning Justify in the Belmont Stakes on June 9.
Gronkowski worked inside of Instilled Regard, finishing a half-length in front of his stablemate. NYRA clockers caught the duo going the last four furlongs in 47 3/5 seconds.
“He breezed super,” Brown said from his barn. “The horse has gotten stronger and fitter. He couldn’t be coming into the race any better.”
Named for the New England Patriots All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, the equine Gronkowski made his first six career starts in Great Britain, notching four consecutive wins - all at a mile - before being shipped to New York to run in the “Test of the Champion,” where he rallied from last of 10 to finish 1 ¾ lengths behind Justify in the 1 ½-mile Belmont.
“I think it did him a lot of good, the time to recover from that has [helped] as well,” Brown said. “The horse is fresh. He’s a lot sharper than he was then. Hopefully, that will give him a little better position leaving the gate.”
Brown’s other expected entrant in the Travers, Good Magic, put in his final work before the Mid-Summer Derby on Friday when he went five furlongs in 1:00.44 on the main track. The Curlin colt is coming off a win in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 29 at Monmouth Park that marked his first start since a fourth-place effort in the Preakness on May 19 at Pimlico.
The 2017 champion juvenile male is 3-3-1 in eight starts, including a secondplace finish to Justify in the Kentucky Derby on May 5. He is owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables.
“He came out of the work really well,” Brown said.
Brown said Engage continues to ready for the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy on Travers Day. The 3-year-old Into Mischief colt has never finished worse than second in seven career starts, posting wins in the 2017 Grade 3 Futurity and the Gold Fever on May 13 at Belmont.
Engage is coming off back-to-back runner-up efforts in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes Day and the Grade 3 Amsterdam on July 28 at the Spa. He breezed Friday on Saratoga’s main track, going four furlongs in 48.02 seconds.
“He had a nice work, I was real happy with the way he’s coming in,” Brown said. “It’s a tough race, it’s coming up pretty tough, but he’s doing well.”
Rushing Fall came out of her 2 ¾-length win in Saturday’s Grade 2 Lake Placid in good order, Brown said.
Sitting just off pacesetter Go Noni Go, Rushing Fall took command out of the final turn and was geared down by Javier Castellano to give Brown his first career Lake Placid victory.
After notching her fourth graded stakes win in six starts overall, adding to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Grade 2 Appalachian, Brown said Rushing Fall could target the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October at Keeneland.
“She came out of it real well, I’ll probably just train her up to the Queen Elizabeth,” Brown said.