SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2015 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here WILL PHAROAH PHENOMENON CONTINUE? FOREIGNER=S FORM IMPOSING IN >DANCER= Zayat Stables=s American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) Juddmonte Farms= $5.3-million earner Flintshire (GB) looks to continue his march into racing immortality by (Dansili {GB}) looms an imposing presence as he makes becoming the second Triple Crown winner to capture his second trip to the States for Saturday=s $1-million Saratoga=s GI Travers S. Saturday. Whirlaway was the GI Sword Dancer S., a AWin and You=re In@ qualifier for first to accomplish the feat in 1941 and only two other the GI Breeders= Cup Turf. Triple Crown winners have tried, but both ended up Second behind Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) in last second--Gallant Fox lost to 100-1 shot Jim Dandy in year=s GI Prix de l=Arc de Triomphe, the Andre Fabre 1930, and Affirmed was disqualified and placed second trainee was a half- for interference with Alydar in 1978. length second to Last year=s champion juvenile has been nothing short eventual champion Main of sensational this season starting with dominating Sequence (Aldebaran) in wins in Oaklawn=s GII Rebel S. and GI Arkansas Derby the 2014 running of the this spring. Beating one of the best crops of 3-year-olds BC Turf. He added more in recent history to become the first Triple Crown frequent flyer miles with winner in 37 years, the bay dazzled a record crowd at a successful trip to Sha Monmouth Park with yet another decisive victory in the Tin for the G1 Hong GI William Hill Haskell Invitational S. Aug. 2, which Flintshire | HKJC.com Kong Vase in provided him with an all expenses paid trip to December, and was Keeneland for the GI Breeders= Cup Classic Oct. 31. Hall second to Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) in both of Famer Bob Baffert kept the racing world on the edge Chantilly=s Prix Darshaan on the all-weather track Mar. of their seats for three weeks after that as he remained 3 and again in Meydan=s G1 Dubai Sheema Classic 25 on the fence about the colt=s next start, despite Ahmed days later. After a freshening, he resurfaced to check in Zayat=s push for the Travers. Baffert finally gave the third in Epsom=s G1 Coronation Cup June 6, and found thumbs up to head to the Spa after American Pharoah only Treve too much to handle in the G1 Grand Prix de won him over with an impressive seven-furlong breeze Saint-Cloud June 28. at Del Mar in 1:23 1/5 last Sunday. "With the very soft ground, we didn't run [in the "We know Pharoah's really good, but it's a pretty July 25 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S.]," solid field," Baffert said. "You can't be afraid to get said Annelie Ackermann, Flintshire's regular exercise beat. That's the way we look at it. We feel confident rider. "So last minute, the boss decided to come here. I that he's going to run a good race, and that's all you didn't know [until] 10 days before we left that I was can do. We'll just lead him over there. I think that's coming here." Cont. p6 what true racing's all about, to witness big performances." Cont. p3 An estimated 15,000 racing fans turned out at Saratoga Friday morning for American Pharoah’s gallop | Mike Kane photo You can also pick up a copy of the TDN today at Saratoga Race Course. IN THIS ISSUE It’s Good to Be the King Saturday’s GI NYRA.com King’s Bishop S. is a potential stallion-making race and a field of 11 sophomore sprinters are set to face the starter for the seven-furlong test. TDN Rising Star Holy Boss President & Co-Publisher: Barry Weisbord [email protected] (Street Boss) has really come to hand during the middle @barryweisbord portion of 2015 and earned favoritism for this with a tidy success in the GII Amsterdam S. over 6 1/2 Sr. V.P. & Co-Publisher: Sue Finley furlongs last time out. But to win the King’s Bishop, [email protected] @suefinley he’ll have to beat a deep field, including fellow Rising V.P., International Operations: Gary King Star Competitive Edge (Super Saver), who cuts back to [email protected] @garykingTDN a sprint after setting a strong pace in the GI William Hill Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park Aug. 2; EDITORIAL Holy Boss | NYRA/Coglianese spectacular Spa maiden winner and Rising Star [email protected] Watershed (Bernardini); and GIII Bay Shore S. hero Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini and trip specialist March (Blame). Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Senior Editor: Steve Sherack Page 9 Racing Editor: Brian DiDonato Associate Editor: Justina Severni Associate Editor: Christie DeBernardis Assistant Editor: Heather Anderson Ballerina Favorites Have Flaws Assistant Editor: Ben Massam ADVERTISING Saturday’s GI Ballerina S. offers the winner a free pass into the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, but [email protected] the challenge is in finding where that winner may come Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Art Director: Lia Kusch from. La Verdad (Yes It’s True) is the clear class of the Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: field, having won 70% of her 20 trips to the post, but Sarah K. Andrew the GII Honorable Miss H. winner has but one win Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin from three tries at this seven-furlong distance and was Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster an excuse-free fifth last year. Merry Meadow (Henny Social Media Strategist: Nichola Henry Hughes) is dangerous on her best and exits a handy CUSTOMER SERVICE score in the GII Princess Rooney S. July 5, but she also La Verdad | Joe Labozzetta has some questions to answer going this trip. [email protected] Dir. of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes Page 9 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Director of IT: Robert Williams [email protected] Director of Internal IT: Ray Villa [email protected] WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor: Kelsey Riley EST Race Click for TV [email protected] 9:00a Prestige S.-G3, GOO (Brisnet.com PPs) Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: 10:45p Celebration Mile S.-G2, GOO (Brisnet.com PPs) Sean Cronin & Tom Frary 11:20a Preis der Sparkassen Finanzgruppe-G3, BAD [email protected] 1:35p Winter Hill S.-G3, WDR (Brisnet.com PPs) 2:35p Personal Ensign S.-GI, SAR (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 3:10p Ballerina S.-GI, SAR (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) 3:47p King’s Bishop S.-GI, SAR (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG www.thoroughbreddailynews.com 4:25p Forego S.-GI, SAR (TJCIS PPs) NBC www.thetdn.com 4:58p Smarty Jones S.-GIII, PRX (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 5:04p Sword Dancer S.-GI, SAR (TJCIS PPs) NBC 5:39p Violet S.-GIII, MTH (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 5:46p Travers S.-GI, SAR (TJCIS PPs) NBC 6:20p Ballston Spa S.-GII, SAR (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG Headline News • PAGE 3 of 16 • thetdn.com Saturday • August 29, 2015 FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI TRAVERS S. Godolphin Racing=s Frosted (Tapit) will take a third crack at the champion Saturday. Winner of the GI TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial S. at the Big A Apr. 4, the Kiaran McLaughlin pupil was the only closer to make up any ground when fourth in the GI Kentucky Derby May 2. A valiant second behind American Pharoah in the GI Belmont S. June 6, the gray finished second behind GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red (Afleet Frosted | Adam Mooshian Alex) when forced to run much closer to the pace than normal in a four-horse renewal of the Spa=s GII Jim Dandy S. Aug. 1. The homebred most Rick Violette originally said that if American Pharoah recently breezed a best-of-20 five panels here in was entered in the Travers that Upstart (Flatter) would :59 2/5 Aug. 20. not be, but after another rail draw, several strong Owned by a partnership that includes trainer Keith breezes and a good-looking gallop Friday morning the Desormeaux, Texas Red has continued to improve since conditioner changed his mind. "He's doing great. We're his romp in the BC Juvenile. Runner-up in his seasonal going to run," Violette bow in Arcadia=s GII San Vicente S., the bay exited the said. "That's the plan. race with a foot abcess that would keep him off the American Pharoah Triple Crown trail. Returning with a valiant second looked fabulous, too. behind undefeated >TDN Rising Star= Speightster He looked great, but (Speightstown) in Belmont=s GII Dwyer S. July 4, the my horse is doing sophomore returned to the winner=s circle last time in good, too, so we're the Jim Dandy, the traditional Travers prep. going to take a shot." Donegal Racing=s Keen Ice (Curlin) put in what is Winner of the GII Holy arguably his best performance thus far when closing Bull S., the Ralph strongly to be second to American Pharoah in the Evans and WinStar Upstart | Susie Raisher Haskell. A respectable Farm runner crossed seventh in the Run for the wire first in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 21, the Roses, the Dale but was disqualified and placed second for interference. Romans trainee came Runner-up in the GI Florida Derby, the New York-bred running late in the was eased in the Kentucky Derby and given some time Belmont to beat out off.