It has been stated about 2-year-old champ Fierceness that he can’t put collectively two good performances in a row.
That’s stated. The previous tense of say.
As a result of on a picture-perfect day for racing at historic Saratoga Race Course, Fierceness lastly put his persistently inconsistent methods behind him.
In an electrifying stretch battle with the sensational filly Thorpedo Anna, Fierceness held her off within the closing strides to win the $1.25 million DraftKings Travers Stakes by a head Aug. 24 on the Spa.
Owned and bred by Mike Repole and educated by Todd Pletcher, the son of Metropolis of Mild posted back-to-back wins for the primary time in eight profession begins and couldn’t have picked a greater time to show his critics mistaken than the massive “Mid-Summer time Derby” showdown for 3-year-olds.
“That is the very best 3-year-old within the nation proper now. I don’t suppose anybody can deny it,” Repole stated. “He’s fairly particular and he’s going to be fairly powerful within the Breeders’ Cup Traditional.”
The betting favourite within the Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve, when he adopted up a 13 1/2-length win within the Curlin Florida Derby Offered by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa with a Fifteenth-place end, Fierceness got here into the Travers off a size win within the Jim Dandy Stakes Offered by Mohegan Solar and folks stated this could be his “bounce” race.
So prevalent was that mindset that Fierceness, the 3-1 co-second alternative on the morning line, was a written off 7-1 whereas the horses had been within the paddock.
“That was silly,” Repole stated in regards to the early odds, which dropped to three.90-1 by submit time as Fierceness paid $9.80. “I hear every part and see every part individuals say about Fierceness and that type of speak is motivational.”
Whereas there was initially doubt after the July 27 Jim Dandy about operating within the Travers on 4 weeks relaxation, Pletcher, who posted his 2 hundredth Grade 1 win within the race, stated he couldn’t discover a cause to maintain Fierceness in his stall and bypass the mile-and-a-quarter take a look at.
“Truthfully, I used to be amazed the day after the Jim Dandy. When he got here out, he was stuffed with himself,” stated Pletcher, who added Fierceness will prepare as much as the Nov. 2 Longines Traditional at Del Mar. “And you already know, everybody was asking me why he was operating nicely each different time, and does he provide you with any indicators or indicators that he’s not going to run nicely. The reply has all the time been no. He all the time trains exceptionally nicely. He doesn’t provide you with damaging indicators, however he had by no means given me so many constructive indicators [as] main into this race. The best way he was consuming, his vitality stage, the best way he was galloping, his breezes had been tremendous. He did them simply. All the pieces was giving me confidence to run him again in 4 weeks.”
Previous to that, what set in movement the 2 victories on the Spa was a choice to skip the June 8 Belmont Stakes and provides the homebred what turned out to be 12 weeks off earlier than operating within the Jim Dandy.
“I actually suppose the important thing to the success within the Jim Dandy and Travers was skipping the Belmont,” stated Pletcher, now a three-time Travers winner. “For no matter cause, the Derby was actually exhausting on him. We shipped him from Churchill to Saratoga a couple of days after and by the point I obtained up right here, I hadn’t seen him in 5 or 6 days and my first thought was, ‘Man, this horse doesn’t seem like he did earlier than the Derby. He had misplaced weight.’ We labored him one time and he was not himself.”
Whereas Fierceness could have moved to the highest of the 3-year-old male division together with his win, the gallant effort by Thorpedo Anna solely enhanced ideas that she charges as the very best 3-year-old filly in 2024 and probably the greatest lately.
For a couple of strides in deep stretch, it appeared that jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and the daughter of Quick Anna had been going to catch Fierceness and John Velazquez however the Repole runner’s head crossed the end line first in 2:01.79.
“We simply obtained nosed out. She ran a implausible race. She galloped out in entrance, however they don’t pay for that,” coach Ken McPeek stated in regards to the 3.40-1 second alternative owned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing. “She ran a successful race. I’m very happy with her. She confirmed she belonged within the race.”
McPeek stated operating Sept. 21 within the $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing was a “no-brainer.” If all goes nicely, the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff could be subsequent after that.
The early tempo figured to be full of life with Thorpedo Anna, Fierceness, and Belmont and Haskell Stakes winner Dornoch within the combine. But it was 29-1 shot Batten Down who set the early quarter-mile fractions of :23:53, :48.10, and 1:11.62 with Dornoch second and Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna vying for third.
Sierra Leone, the 1.75-1 favourite, was sixth within the discipline of eight, ready to launch his normal late kick.
On the ultimate flip, Batten Down and Dornoch, the 4.60-1 fourth alternative, drained. Fierceness swept previous them on the surface and led by a size on the quarter pole with Thorpedo Anna the one one making a menacing transfer.
Although Fierceness led by two lengths on the eighth pole, Thorpedo Anna made it thrilling with a closing cost that fell simply brief.
“He type of waited on the eighth pole,” Velazquez stated of Fierceness after the jockey’s third Travers win. “I needed to get after him when the filly began coming. I went left-handed and he responded straight away. I used to be very happy with him, as a result of when it was time to battle, he put in a very good battle.”
Thorpedo Anna, who noticed her string of three straight Grade 1 wins — beginning with the Longines Kentucky Oaks — snapped, was 1 3/4 lengths forward of Sierra Leone, who lacked a powerful sufficient late kick. Dornoch was one other 6 1/2 lengths again in fourth.
