Sadler’s Joy can put DQ in past with Sword Dancer win

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The 7-year-old Sadler’s Joy appeared to get his first win of the year when he crossed the finish line first in the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes here on Aug. 1. But the horse veered in a path on two occasions in the stretch, and the stewards deemed he caused enough interference to warrant a disqualification from first to third.

Saturday, Sadler’s Joy will try again to get his first win of 2020 when he seeks his second victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Stakes going 1 1/2 miles at Saratoga. This will be the fourth straight year Sadler’s Joy has run in the Sword Dancer, having won it in 2017 and getting beat a neck by Annals of Time when second last year.

Tom Albertrani, trainer of Sadler’s Joy, pointed out that in the 2019 Sword Dancer Annals of Time pushed Sadler’s Joy out a couple of paths “and there was no inquiry.”

Albertrani felt the incident in the Bowling Green could have gone either way.

“He was the best horse in the race,” Albertrani said. “It was a shame.”

Albertrani said he likes how Sadler’s Joy has trained since the Sword Dancer.

“He’s been really sharp,” Albertrani said.

Albertrani doesn’t like seeing a forecast that calls for an 80 percent chance of rain, which could soften up the turf course.

“He’s run on all different surfaces on grass between heavy and firm,” Albertrani said. “Ideally, we don’t want it to be a bog. If it got to be like that, we may not want to run.”

Javier Castellano, who was aboard in the Bowling Green, will be back on Sadler’s Joy again Saturday.

Sadler’s Joy drew the outside post in the eight-horse field. Inside of Sadler’s Joy, from the rail out, are Highland Sky, Aquaphobia, Marzo, Channel Maker, Corelli, Cross Border, and Pedro Cara.

The forecast for rain prompted New York racing officials to card the Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac Stakes for 3-year-olds as race 3.

Vanzzy, Bye Bye Melvin, and Irish Mias, the top three finishers from Monmouth Park’s Jersey Derby, are among the 11 entered in the Saranac, carded for one mile.

– David Grening

Rain would extinguish ‘Fire’

The path of Hurricane Laura as it turns toward the East Coast over the weekend could be the deciding factor as to whether Firenze Fire is in the starting gate here for Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego.

Trainer Kelly Breen said Wednesday he’ll be tracking the storm closely as he and owner Ron Lombardi are reluctant to run Firenze Fire on anything other than a fast track. Firenze Fire finished a distant fourth over a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap earlier this season. The local forecast called for an 80 percent chance of rain Saturday when entries were drawn for the Forego on Wednesday.

“What’s going on with the weather is key for me now,” Breen said. “Last time we ran on a wet, dull, tiring track, and he ran last in a four-horse field, although he didn’t get tired, they just ran a slow first quarter and an extremely fast final quarter.”

Breen was referring to Firenze Fire’s fourth-place finish when beaten two lengths by the pacesetting favorite Volatile in the 6 1/2-furlong Alfred Vanderbilt on July 25.

“He’s doing well, training good, I just wish we had the ideal situation of a nice, fast track on Saturday, and at the moment it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen,” Breen lamented. “But we’ll enter and see.”

Breen also had to find a new rider for Firenze Fire. Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode him both in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt and to a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 True North four weeks earlier, opted to take the call on Fortin Hill for trainer Chad Brown instead. Junior Alvarado will replace Ortiz aboard Firenze Fire if Mother Nature cooperates.

Along with Firenze Fire and Fortin Hill, others entered for what figures to be a very competitive Forego include Complexity, Everfast, Funny Guy, Lexitonian, Majestic Dunhill, Mind Control, True Timber, Whitmore, and Win Win Win.

– Mike Welsch

Dr Post likely out of Derby

Dr Post, runner-up to Tiz the Law in the Belmont Stakes and third to Authentic in the Haskell, is likely to bypass the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 and could run either in the Jim Dandy that same day at Saratoga or perhaps wait for the Preakness on Oct. 3.

Todd Pletcher trains Dr Post for Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable. Pletcher said Viola seems to be leaning more toward Dr Post taking his next shot against Tiz the Law in the Preakness.

“We haven’t made a final decision yet,” Pletcher said Wednesday. “Wait and see how things go this week. I would say it’s leaning more towards not going than going.”

Dr Post is scheduled to have his next workout Friday morning.

If Dr Post does not run in the Derby, this would mark the first time since 2003 that Pletcher has not had a starter in the Kentucky Derby. That year, trainer Barclay Tagg and Sackatoga Stable won the Derby with Funny Cide. This year, that same trainer-owner combination will send out the Derby favorite in Tiz the Law.

Basin returns to sprinting

After several unsuccessful attempts to go two turns, Basin will cut back to six furlongs in Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam Stakes for 3-yearolds. It will be his first start since he was transferred from Steve Asmussen to Todd Pletcher by Jackpot Farm.

Last summer, Basin went 2 for 2 at Saratoga, winning a six-furlong maiden race and the Grade 1 Hopeful at seven furlongs. In May, he finished second in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, beaten six lengths by Charlatan. He was later awarded first-place prize money for that race after Charlatan was disqualified due to the finding of a prohibited substance in a post-race test.

Pletcher said he and the owners thought the Amsterdam “was the best option of what’s here.”

“The horse has trained really well,” Pletcher said. “He’s probably a horse that’s effective at multiple distances. Just felt like talking to the ownership group. They’d like to shorten him up and see how he does.”

A forecast that calls for an 80 percent chance of rain shouldn’t hamper Basin, who won the Grade 1 Hopeful here over a sloppy track.

Basin will be ridden by Jose Ortiz from the rail.

Outside of Basin, in post order, are Yaupon, Long Weekend, Premier Star, Wondrwherecraigis, and Liam’s Pride.

Tap It to Win was not entered as he is now being pointed to the Pat Day Mile on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.

– David Grening