Saratoga Springs -- The dust has not settled in the wake of Sunday's upsets of Empire Maker in the Jim Dandy Stakes here and Funny Cide in the Haskell Invitational in New Jersey. It is unlikely to settle at any point prior to the Travers Stakes at the Spa on Aug. 23, but it is clear that the 3-year-olds who dominated the spring may have difficulty maintaining their positions in the season's second half.
Empire Maker, trainer Bobby Frankel said, lost his focus at the business end of the Jim Dandy and at times the Belmont Stakes winner appeared less than interested in extending himself. Barclay Tagg, who trains Funny Cide, said the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner's dull effort at Monmouth Park may have stemmed from illness. The New York-bred gelding was found to have an elevated temperature Monday morning.
"He's got a fever and he's tired," Tagg said. "His temperature is 102. Usually, they're 99 in the morning and 101 late in the afternoon."
In light of his condition, Tagg said the gelding is no longer a certain starter in the Travers. His absence would clearly lower the level of anticipation that surrounded the rematch with Empire Maker, whose effort in defeat did nothing to discourage trainer Bobby Frankel.
"I learned something from that race," Frankel said. "I think he wants to be in a fight all the way. He runs better when he's right there. He can keep up with the fast fractions. I think we learned that he doesn't like to be hit that much."
Strong Hope established himself as a force in the Jim Dandy and left two impressions: He is a colt of substantial quality and his frontrunning effort on Sunday might take its toll in the Travers.
Peace Rules, frontrunning winner of the Haskell, is bound for Del Mar and the Pacific Classic but the suggestion that the central figures from the Triple Crown are below top form will attract horses to the Travers whose connections may have otherwise sought alternatives to the $1-million "Midsummer Derby."
Todd Pletcher, Strong Hope's trainer, said the Jim Dandy winner should not be viewed in Empire Maker's shadow. "Hopefully," Pletcher said, "the story here is that here's a horse that's won five in a row and keeps getting better, not that Empire Maker lost. Strong Hope ran a huge race."
Strong Hope is easily the most exciting of the season's late-developing 3-year-olds, but will be seen as having distance limitations.
"When we ran him a mile, it looked like he was just holding on," Pletcher said. "When we ran him a mile and a sixteenth, it looked like he was just holding on. At a mile and an eighth [the Jim Dandy], it looked like he was just holding on. The next step is a mile and a quarter."
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Empire Maker, trainer Bobby Frankel said, lost his focus at the business end of the Jim Dandy and at times the Belmont Stakes winner appeared less than interested in extending himself. Barclay Tagg, who trains Funny Cide, said the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner's dull effort at Monmouth Park may have stemmed from illness. The New York-bred gelding was found to have an elevated temperature Monday morning.
"He's got a fever and he's tired," Tagg said. "His temperature is 102. Usually, they're 99 in the morning and 101 late in the afternoon."
In light of his condition, Tagg said the gelding is no longer a certain starter in the Travers. His absence would clearly lower the level of anticipation that surrounded the rematch with Empire Maker, whose effort in defeat did nothing to discourage trainer Bobby Frankel.
"I learned something from that race," Frankel said. "I think he wants to be in a fight all the way. He runs better when he's right there. He can keep up with the fast fractions. I think we learned that he doesn't like to be hit that much."
Strong Hope established himself as a force in the Jim Dandy and left two impressions: He is a colt of substantial quality and his frontrunning effort on Sunday might take its toll in the Travers.
Peace Rules, frontrunning winner of the Haskell, is bound for Del Mar and the Pacific Classic but the suggestion that the central figures from the Triple Crown are below top form will attract horses to the Travers whose connections may have otherwise sought alternatives to the $1-million "Midsummer Derby."
Todd Pletcher, Strong Hope's trainer, said the Jim Dandy winner should not be viewed in Empire Maker's shadow. "Hopefully," Pletcher said, "the story here is that here's a horse that's won five in a row and keeps getting better, not that Empire Maker lost. Strong Hope ran a huge race."
Strong Hope is easily the most exciting of the season's late-developing 3-year-olds, but will be seen as having distance limitations.
"When we ran him a mile, it looked like he was just holding on," Pletcher said. "When we ran him a mile and a sixteenth, it looked like he was just holding on. At a mile and an eighth [the Jim Dandy], it looked like he was just holding on. The next step is a mile and a quarter."
http://www.nynewsday.com/sports/horseracing/ny-spa0805,0,7858584.story?coll=nyc-sports-short-navigation
