SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2018 >MAGIC=, >WONDER= AND SARATOGA: GRAVEYARD OF CHAMPIONS OR BIRTHPLACE? By Christie DeBernardis A WHOLE LOT MORE IN SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Saratoga is arguably the most highly regarded racing venue in the country. Its prestige, history and THIS TRAVERS level of competition are just about unmatched. Part of that history, however, is a reputation as AThe Graveyard of Champions.@ One of the most famous examples of that is the mighty Secretariat=s loss to Onion in the 1973 Whitney S., which was a Grade II at the time. More recently, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile)=s perfect sophomore season came to a halt at the Spa when Keen Ice (Curlin) surged past the champion late in the 2015 GI Travers S. However, an argument can be made that Saratoga has made as many champions as it has claimed, if not more. Cont. p4 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Leading trainer Chad Brown talks Saratoga and STARS ALIGN FOR NUNTHORPE LONGSHOT his two Travers contenders in this TDN video Alpha Delphini provided trainer Bryan Smart with a career by Joe Bianca highlight in Friday’s G1 Nunthorpe S. while favoured Battaash checked in fourth. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN It may not have the box-office appeal that it would have had Europe. Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) shown up, but there remains plenty of intrigue and an array of storylines in Saturday=s 11-horse GI Travers S. at Saratoga. And whoever leaves with their colors being painted on that famous canoe will have wholly earned it. Leading the charge in the 149th running of the Midsummer Derby is a champion, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables= Good Magic (Curlin). Breaking his maiden in the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile last fall to earn Champion 2-Year- Old Male honors at the Eclipse Awards, the $1-million Keeneland September buy started his sophomore campaign slowly with a well-beaten third in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 3 at Gulfstream. Rebounding with a score in the GII Blue Grass S. Apr. 7 at Keeneland, he chased his fellow chestnut Justify when second in the GI Kentucky Derby and fourth in the GI Preakness S. With that colt out of the picture, Good Magic stamped himself as the 3-year-old to beat in the second half of the season with a comfortable three-length tally in the GI Haskell Invitational last out July 29 at Monmouth. Good Magic will try to give trainer Chad Brown, who has won just about everything but the Travers and the Classics, his first victory in the Saratoga meet centerpiece. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Saturday, August 25, 2018 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Caption headline font is Racing Editor Ubuntu 10 bold. Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Caption content is Ubuntu Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Light 10 and italics. Please try Associate Editors to write about this much for Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN each photo. Too little and it will look weird; too much and it ADVERTISING [email protected] also will be weird. Director of Advertising Photo credit: 8pt Alycia Borer Story page 2 Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photo Editor ‘TDN Rising Star’ Elate (Medaglia d’Oro) enjoys a bath at the Spa. | Sarah K. Andrew Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Social Media Strategist Justina Severni EDT Race Click for TV 8:50a Sky Bet And Symphony Group Strensall S.-G3, YOR -------------- TVG Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes 9:05a Ladbrokes Celebration Mile S.-G2, GOO -------------- TVG [email protected] 9:40a Ladbrokes Prestige S.-G3, GOO -------------- TVG Marketing Manager 10:00a Sky Bet City Of York S.-G3, YOR -------------- TVG Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen 10:25a Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial S.-G3, CUR ---------------- TVG 10:50a Ladbrokes March S.-G3, GOO ---------------- TVG Director of Information Technology Ray Villa 2:23p H. Allen Jerkens S., presented by Runhappy-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 2:59p Personal Ensign S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs TVG Bookkeeper 3:35p Ketel One Ballerina S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs TVG Terry May 4:12p Forego S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs NBCSN [email protected] 4:18p Smarty Jones S.-GIII, PRX TJCIS PPs TVG WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 4:49p Sword Dancer S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs NBCSN International Editor 5:00p Play the King S.-GII, WO TJCIS PPs TVG Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 5:44p Runhappy Travers S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs NBCSN European Editor 6:20p Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa S.-GII, SAR TJCIS PPs TVG Emma Berry 8:05p Pat O’Brien S.-GII, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] Associate International Editor 8:55p Canadian Derby-GIII, NP TJCIS PPs ------- Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 25, 2018 Good Magic | Sarah Andrew The native of nearby Mechanicsville will also start the second choice on the morning line, Phoenix Thoroughbreds= Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}). Unbeaten in four synthetic starts after starting his career 0-for-2 on turf last fall, the dark bay finished full of run to be second at 24-1 in the GI Belmont S. in his Stateside and conventional-dirt bow June 9. AThey've been training terrific, thankfully,@ Brown said of his dynamic duo. ABoth horses have trained over this track particularly well. They are coming off strong works heading into the Travers. I=ve been trying to win this race for a while now. To have the top two choices in the race, you can 't be in a better position than that, but it's a strong field and either of these horses will have the run their >A= race to win, for sure.@ Plenty of eyes will be on Gary Barber=s Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d=Oro) as she bids to become the first filly to win the Travers since Lady Rotha in 1915. The last one to even contest the race was Hall of Famer Davona Dale, who finished fourth in 1979. A two-time graded stakes winner as a juvenile, the >TDN Rising Star= spent most of this season running second and third, including a close runner-up finish to likely champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Adding blinkers facing males for the first time in the Queen=s Plate at Woodbine June 30, the dark bay responded with a 4 3/4-length romp, and she scored a similarly easy victory in the Prince of Wales S. July 24 at Fort Erie. Her connections passed on an easier spot against her peers in last Saturday=s GI Alabama S. to take a shot in the Travers. AThere were a few reasons,@ trainer Mark Casse said of that decision. AOne, Gary Barber is never afraid to step out of the box. She gets five pounds. We got an extra week off the Prince of Wales, and, voila. We're all right with trying to make history.@ Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 25, 2018 and fifth in the Belmont, got back on track with a win in the local GII Jim Dandy S. July 28 despite drifting out badly in the stretch. Third that day was Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable=s Vino Rosso (Curlin), who, after finishing ninth in the Derby, took a bold run at Justify on the far turn of the Belmont before flattening to finish fourth. Calumet Farm=s Bravazo (Awesome Again) also hopes for his moment in the sun after finishing sixth in the Derby, second in the Preakness, sixth in the Belmont and second in the Haskell. Graveyard of Champions or Birthplace cont. from p1 Catholic Boy | Sarah K. Andrew Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith=s Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) will hope the third time is the charm on American dirt. Coming to the U.S. to take the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Turf last November, the $3-million KEESEP buy punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby with an 18 1/2-length tour de force in the G2 UAE Derby Mar. 31 at Meydan. Never involved in Louisville, he was eased to finish last, and faded to be a well-beaten third as the favorite in the GIII Dwyer S. last out July 7 at Belmont. Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables= Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) looks to build on his impressive and diverse resume. Victor of the GIII With Anticipation S. over the local turf last summer, the bay dominated the GII Remsen S. on the Aqueduct Champion Arrogate threw his hat into the ring for year end-honors main in December. Unable to find the mark in two dirt outings with a record-setting victory in the GI Travers S. | Horsephotos early this season, he returned to grass and knocked off division This has been especially true in the last five years with three of leader Analyze It (Point of Entry) twice after appearing beaten the last five Travers winners going on to be named champion 3- by that foe in both the GIII Pennine Ridge S.