Triple Crown Trio Work

All three winners of this year's Triple Crown worked at Saratoga Saturday morning, led by May 6 GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), who breezed five-furlongs in 1:01.71 over the Oklahoma training track in advance of the nine-furlong GII Jim Dandy S. July 29. With jockey John Velazquez aboard, the colt reeled off fractions of :25.86, and three furlongs in :37.52 before rounding out six panels in 1:14.79.
“I thought Always Dreaming went real well, a good, steady five-eighths,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “It's the first time John Velazquez breezed him since the Derby. I thought he went well, he was relaxed. He started off easy, went :13 3/5 for the first eighth and gradually picked up from there. [He] went 1:01 and [change] [five furlongs] and galloped out in 1:27 4/5, so it was what we wanted to do with him. We felt like he needed a good, solid breeze with a solid gallop out, and I'm happy with the way he did it.”
In regards to a last minute adjustment to the colt's work plan, Pletcher added, “Originally, we were going to go at 8:45 a.m. on the main track. As everyone can see, yesterday the track seemed to change a little bit. It was pretty slow yesterday morning, and it was slow during yesterday's races. I worked a few horses on the main track early and was scheduled to go back over there. I guess there was a breakdown and the track was closed for a little while, so I took a set to the Oklahoma track while the main track was closed, and I thought those horses worked well. That surface was a little bit tighter. That's why I made the adjustment. I worked some other horses on the main track, and for whatever reason it's on the slow side, but I wanted to get an accurate line on where I was with Always Dreaming, especially from a fitness standpoint. I wanted to do it on a track where I felt like I knew how it was playing, which I felt a little more comfortable on the Oklahoma track.”
Prior to Saturday's move, Always Dreaming's posted his first work at the Spa July 16, his third breeze since an eighth-place finish in the GI Preakness S.
“It's always a delicate balance when you're trying to freshen a horse up, and have him ready for a race like the Jim Dandy,” Pletcher explained. “You know you have to be fit and prepared for it, but you also want to, hopefully, have something to build on, and something left in the tank for the [GI] Travers [S. Aug. 26]. I think we've been able to accomplish that in the time off after the Preakness.”
Also working for Pletcher at the Spa Saturday, Tapwrit (Tapit) worked four furlongs in :48.88 over the Oklahoma track with jockey Jose Ortiz in the irons. The winner of the GI Belmont S. worked in company with GI Maker's 46 Mile winner American Patriot (War Front).
“I was really pleased with Tapwrit,” Pletcher confirmed. “I thought for his first work since the Belmont, he was very good. I was surprised how easily he worked, and how strong he galloped out. He really maintained his fitness level well which makes me feel good about the Travers.”
Ortiz, who was aboard for the colt's 1 1/2-mile Classic victory June 10, was enthused about his reunion with the grey.
“He went very easy and comfortable,” commented Ortiz. “He was very happy all the way around. He always works well, but today I felt [he was] happier. He wanted to do it today. I didn't even have to tap him on the shoulder. He just picked up really nicely. I was happy with the way he did it today.”

Preakness Champ Marches on toward Dandy…
Also readying for his next start in the Jim Dandy, Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) put in his final work ahead of the nine-furlong test. Accompanied by regular rider Peter Roman, the colt breezed four furlongs in :49.09 over Saratoga's main track. Shipped North from his Belmont based on Monday, Cloud Computing was recording his first move at the venue since shipping upstate.
“He looked really good today,” affirmed trainer Chad Brown. “I thought the horse breezed great and, coming off this work, remains on target for the Jim Dandy.”
Since his Preakness score, Cloud Computing has now had six works, including a pair of bullet, five-furlong works at Belmont in July, the most recent completing the task in :59.01 July 9.