Trainer Steve Asmussen sent out Grade I Belmont S. winner Creator (Tapit) and GI Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) to workouts Monday morning at Saratoga–the duo's final serious prep work ahead of stakes engagements this weekend.
Creator, working ahead of the GII Jim Dandy S. Saturday at the Spa, breezed a half-mile in :49.56 by himself over the Oklahoma training track just before 6 a.m. It was the two-time Grade I-winning gray's third local work since arriving to Saratoga in early July. Campaigned by WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay, Creator will make his first start since the June 11 Belmont in the Jim Dandy, which is expected to be used as a springboard to a likely start in the GI Travers S. Aug. 27.
“He's doing really well,” said Asmussen, who will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame on August 12. “I think he's trained very well over both surfaces. He's gotten a lot out of his gallops here at Oklahoma and I liked his work over the main track last week so I feel really good about him. My only concern with the Jim Dandy, going from a mile and a half to a mile and an eighth, is that it may be a bit short for him, but I feel good about it as a prep for the Travers.”
Meanwhile, Winchell Thoroughbreds, Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables' Gun Runner posted a half-mile breeze of his own in :49.78 over the Oklahoma in preparation for Sunday's GI Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. A three-time graded stakes winner in 2016, including scores in the Mar. 26 GII Louisiana Derby and the June 18 GIII Matt Winn S., the chestnut could use the Haskell as a precursor to joining his stablemate in the Travers starting gate.
“I think the spacing for the Haskell is good for him,” Asmussen noted. “The Matt Winn was six weeks after the Derby and six weeks to the Haskell, and I think he's stayed in a very good rhythm. I'm kind of excited about his chances there. I think that with Gun Runner, our performance in the Haskell would have everything to do with [going to the Travers].”
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