The Lead:
Travers Day at Saratoga includes a stacked undercard of stakes, none more appealing than the big field of 3-year-old sprinters in the Race 12 Jerkens Memorial. Strong options abound and that's what horseplayers are looking for in a great betting race. The supporting races also include the Grade 1 Ballerina, Sword Dancer and Forego.
Field Depth:
BOOK 'EM DANNO (pictured above) is a Grade 1 winner this year, while PRINCE OF MONACO and TIMBERLAKE reached Grade 1-winning status a season ago. WORLD RECORD is a Grade 2 winner, while DOMESTIC PRODUCT is a multiple Grade 3 winner. The class edge lies with these among the 11, but there's not a wide gap between any of them listed.
Pace:
For a Grade 1 sprint at 7 furlongs, there's a surprisingly light amount of committed front-running speed. WORLD RECORD should go from the rail with OTTO THE CONQUEROR and LITTLE NI perhaps in closest pursuit. There's some edge to being forwardly placed the way this sets up on paper.
Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.
#1-WORLD RECORD: Rail speedster exits a career-best effort in winning the local prep, the Grade 2 Amsterdam, with the addition of blinkers. Threat to do it again with Luis Saez taking over for Flavien Prat, who rode 4 of these contenders last out and opts for Domestic Product. Rail draw has been a positive for this one whose handled it before multiple times.
#2-SPEAK EASY: Unbeaten Constitution colt looks for 3 in a row and could give Irad Ortiz Jr. back-to-back wins in the Jerkens, piloting upset winner One In Vermillion a year ago as the longest shot on the board at 19-1. Ortiz teamed with Todd Pletcher to win the 2013 Jerkens with Capo Bastone. Solid win over the track helps, but several in here have shown positive local form.
#3-DOMESTIC PRODUCT: Son of 2017 Jerkens winner Practical Joke exits easily the best race of his career in a blowout Grade 3 Dwyer win at Aqueduct. That was his first 1-turn race since a dull debut at the Spa last summer over 6 furlongs. The Chad Brown trainee has something to prove in local form, but Flavien Prat has ridden an amazing 11 stakes winners at the current meet and opts for this horse over 3 others he rode last time out.
#4-VETTRIANO: New York-bred makes huge class leap after maiden and allowance scores vs. state-breds for trainer Brad Cox. Both wins came at Aqueduct and this one was beaten favorite in his only Saratoga try last summer in a maiden debut. Tough task.
#5-PRINCE OF MONACO: Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity winner and Grade 1 Woody Stephens runner-up looks to have carried his juvenile form over to age 3 based on that lone sophomore start. Disastrous start in the Woody Stephens over this track and distance before a furious rally came up a half-length short to Book 'Em Danno. Favored that day and likely will be again for 4-time Jerkens winner John Velazquez (tied with Mike Smith for most wins all-time in this race). This is another last-out Prat mount looking for a new partner. Bob Baffert won the 2016 Jerkens with Drefong, while sire Speightstown was responsible for 2020 winner Echo Town.
#6-TIMBERLAKE: Last year's Grade 1 Champagne winner has gone 1-for-4 since, winning Oaklawn's Grade 2 Rebel. Tried to make him a 2-turn horse for the Triple Crown, but turns back in trip after a Haskell third-place finish routing. Brad Cox returns to jockey Florent Geroux, who rode Timberlake to a pair of wins last year, after recent rider Flavien Prat jumped saddles to Domestic Product. Son of Into Mischief, who similarly sired Jerkens winner Practical Joke to a score here in 2017 after unsuccessfully trying to become a Triple Crown horse.
#7-OTTO THE CONQUEROR: Trainer Steve Asmussen won this race in 2020 (Echo Town) and 2021 (Jackie's Warrior), but this listed Springboard Mile winner has struggled to keep up in a pair of graded stakes bids so far. Should be up on the pace as far as he can press the issue.
#8-BOOK 'EM DANNO: Grade 1 Woody Stephens winner has an unimpeachable 8: 6-2-0 record and wants to beat you with a relentless stretch run. Trainer Derek Ryan was bold traveling to Saudi Arabia this year for its Derby and that head defeat looked even better after Forever Young later finished 2 noses short of winning the Kentucky Derby. Monmouth-based colt has a win over the track and distance, but loses jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to Speak Easy and winds up with Javier Castellano for the first time.
#9-REYNOLDS CHANNEL: Sixth-start maiden breaker takes a massive leap in class for trainer Bill Mott, who won the Jerkens back in 1991 with Take Me Out when the race was called the King's Bishop. Difficult to see this one contesting for the big prize. Jockey Joel Rosario is a 2-time Jerkens winner in 2017 and 2021.
#10-JEFFERSON STREET: More fancied of the Bill Mott uncoupled entrants, this Grade 2 Amsterdam runner-up was an eye-catching Saratoga allowance winner during the Belmont Stakes Festival. Regular pilot Junior Alvarado returns on the son of Travers winner Street Sense.
#11-LITTLE NI: Had his perfect record narrowly thwarted by Book 'Em Danno in the Jersey Shore Stakes last time after 3 daylight wins. Expect early pace from this one on the outside under Jose Ortiz, who piloted Jack Christopher to victory in the '22 Jerkens. Mark Casse barn has taken over the training with a couple of local works.
Most Certain Exotics Contender:
Hard to argue against 8-8 in the exacta for BOOK 'EM DANNO.
Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
Give me WORLD RECORD at 8-1 morning line all day.
Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$76 win WORLD RECORD. $2 trifecta part-wheel WORLD RECORD with DOMESTIC PRODUCT, TIMBERLAKE with DOMESTIC PRODUCT, TIMBERLAKE, BOOK 'EM DANNO, SPEAK EASY, PRINCE OF MONACO, JEFFERSON STREET, LITTLE NI ($24).
.svg){kind=logo}
