LAOBAN TRIES FOR TRAVERS GLORY
Jim Dandy winner shocked many, not his trainer
SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Loud. Brash. Confident. With the way he talks, trainer Eric Guillot doesn’t sneak up on many people.
His horses have, at times, the last few years at Saratoga Race Course.
Guillot entered Laoban into the field of 14 for Saturday’s 147th running of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The Uncle Mo colt is coming off a win in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy in which he went off at 27-1 odds.
The surprising victory mirrored the success Moreno, another Guillot-trained horse, had as an underdog at the Spa.
Moreno nearly wired the field in the 2013 Travers at 33-1 but finished second by a nose to Will Take Charge. A year later, Moreno won the $1.5 million Whitney as the fourth-choice at 10-1.
Laoban, and by extension Guillot, was similarly questioned during this 3-year-old season. The Uncle Mo colt, out of Chattertown (by Speightstown) went off at 21-1 in the Grade 1 Blue Grass and 66-1 in the Preakness, in part because he was still a maiden. After finishes of fourth and sixth in those races, Guillot ran him in the Grade 3 Dwyer, where he went off at 9-1 and finished fifth.
Instead of stepping down, he was stepped up for his Saratoga debut in the traditional Travers prep. Guess what? It worked.
Guillot said Laoban was still
improving, and credited his prolonged stay at the Spa with his maiden win in the Jim Dandy July 30.
“I would ship him across the country and get there on Wednesday,” Guillot said. “He wasn’t a good doer and I couldn’t school him. Here, I can school him.”
Laoban ran fractions of 49.07-1:12.46 in the Jim Dandy to wire the field that included fellow Travers entrants Governor Malibu (second) and Destin (third).
His final time was 1:48.39 for a mile-andan-eighth.
Laoban has showed early speed in five of his eight career races but Guillot has hinted at a different strategy for the Travers.
“I’m not sending him,” Guillot said at the post position draw. “He don’t have to have the lead. This isn’t Moreno, it’s Laoban. This horse don’t have to have the lead.”
Laoban drew an outside post of 13 and given 15-1 morning line odds. Multiple Grade 1 winner Exaggerator is the morning line favorite followed by Connect, American Freedom, Destin, Gun Runner, Arrogate, Gift Box and Governor Malibu.
Guillot will have specific instructions as to how fast he wants jockey Jose Ortiz going early on in the 1 ¼-mile Travers.
“I’m not going to go 46 and change because if he does he won’t finish,” Guillot said. (He’s) a big horse ... a 17-hand monster. If they go 47 and change I want the lead.”
Ortiz, who lost the 2013 Travers by the length of Moreno’s nose, still thinks about that race.
“I just got nailed. I’m still sour,” Ortiz said.
The native Puerto Rican is confident in Laoban’s talent to give him another shot at the Man o’ War Cup — Guillot’s as well.
“You’ve got love him because he’s a nice guy,” Ortiz said of Guillot. “His horses run good. Sometime people think he (puts them over their head), like Laoban was running in the Preakness as a maiden but (Guillot) knew the horse has the talent. He finally got it done in the Jim Dandy. Now we’re looking forward (for Laoban) to improve.”