‘Gadot’ on target for Travers
Filly has final work before taking on boys in meet’s biggest race
It was still dark on Friday morning when Wonder Gadot stepped out of her stall at trainer Mark Casse’s barn on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course.
Casse stood nearby and instructed his help to wait a few minutes before taking the 3-year-old filly to the track for her final workout before next Saturday’s $1.25 million Grade I Travers Stakes.
Once there was light, it still took some doing to pick up the fast moving Wonder Gadot as she zipped through a four-furlong work in a fast 47.60 seconds. Exercise rider Chris Gallaway was on board for the work, which began just after 5:30 a.m.
Her time was the best of 67 at the distance. According to clockers from the New York Racing Association, she went the first quarter mile in a time of 23.81 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.66.
“She is a push-button horse,” Galloway said. “Anything you ask her to do, she does.”
Casse was beaming like a proud father after he found out the time. He stood in front of Wonder Gadot, who is named for “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot, while she was bathed and talked to a small group of writers.
“She goes in 47.60 like most horses go in 51 (seconds),” Casse said. “She’s truly amazing. She’s sharp. She has a high level of energy all the time.”
Wonder Gadot will be the first filly to run in the Travers since Davona Dale finished fourth as the favorite in 1979. The last time a filly won the Midsummer Derby was 1915. She has won two of eight starts this year — against males in the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown — and has four seconds and two thirds.
Casse says the heavy lifting is done and all that is left is to count the days.
“You get them to a point where you are ready and now you are sitting here and you are waiting,” he said.
The only major business left is to find a jockey to ride Wonder Gadot. John Velazquez, who rode her in the past two starts — the Queen’s Plate and the Prince of Wales — is going to ride Vino Rosso for his main trainer, Todd Pletcher, in the Travers.
Casse said he expects to have a rider in place by Monday and said the final decision will come from owner Gary Barber. Casse said there are three riders on the “small list of possibilities.” They are Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who has won the past two Travers (West Coast and Arrogate), Tyler Gaffalione and Florent Geroux.
Good Magic good
Probable Travers favorite Good Magic worked five furlongs in a time of 1:00.44 on the main track. He worked by himself but did have some unexpected company when an unraced 2-year-old from trainer Eric Guillot’s barn — Lucid Dream — came up alongside Good Magic, who was being ridden by Walter Malasquez. But there was no harm, no foul.
“He wasn’t really affected, (Lucid Dream) was only there for a small portion of the work,” trainer Chad Brown said. “It was fine. It didn’t bother me.”