Travers Stakes Preview

National Media Teleconference

August 20, 2024

1:00 PM

 

Operator: Welcome to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Travers Stakes Preview National Media Teleconference. Let me introduce our host, Mr. Jim Gluckson. You may begin.

Jim Gluckson: Thank you, Ina, and good afternoon, everyone. And welcome to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Media Teleconference, previewing the 155th DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga racecourse in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Saturday, August 24. Today, we’ll be joined by trainers, Todd Pletcher, Kenny McPeek, Danny Gargan and Chad Brown. As a reminder, a recording of today’s conference and a transcript will be posted on ntra.com within the next 48 hours. Before we begin with our trainers, for opening remarks, I’d like to turn it over to the president and chief executive officer of the NTRA, Mr. Tom Rooney. Tom, please go ahead.

Tom Rooney: Thanks, Jim. Good afternoon, everyone, and thanks to all of our trainers for taking the time to be on today’s call. Once again, this year’s Travers Stakes is living up to its billing as the Mid-summer Derby with an incredible field. This year’s eight horse competition is some of the toughest in the sport, and with the filly running in this race, there’s history on the line at Saratoga. On today’s call, we have the trainers of some of the field’s most exciting stories, like Thorpedo Anna, who will try to become the first filly to win the Travers Stakes since 1915. After winning all four of her starts this year, it will be exciting see her race for the history books. Dornoch, whose back to back victories in the Belmont and the Haskell make him the most accomplished three-year-old male in this field. Sierra Leone, after being nosed out in the Kentucky Derby and coming close in several other races, is seeking to finish first in this field. And Fierceness, last year’s Eclipse award winning two-year-old champion male is looking to secure a win coming off the Jim Dandy in Saratoga just a few weeks ago.

The marquee race of the summer is shaping up to be an exciting one, filled with some great story lines that embody the essence of our great sport. I’d like to wish all of the Travers connections the very best of luck as we move one step closer to the Breeders Cup World Championship this fall at Del Mar. And with that, I’ll turn it back over to you, Jim. Thank you.

Jim Gluckson: Thank you very much. Let’s please start with our first guest, Hall of Fame trainer, Todd Pletcher, who has entered, of course, Fierceness, last year’s two-year-old champion and most recent winner of the Jim Dandy stakes. Todd, good afternoon. How are you today?

Todd Pletcher: Great, Jim. How are you? Thank you.

Jim Gluckson: I’m very good. Thanks so much for joining us. Let’s just get right into this. Just if you could, comment on Fierceness Jim Dandy win, and what impressed you about that performance?

Todd Pletcher: Well, I thought, I thought it was a terrific win. We were hoping to put the Kentucky Derby behind us. We contemplated running in the Belmont but felt like Fierceness was little tired, lost a little weight, wasn’t quite training like he normally does, so decided to freshen him up, and I think it paid dividends with a with a big performance in the Jim Dandy against the quality field, and put the derby experience behind us. And I love the way he’s been training since then, so hopefully continues to move forward in the Travers.

Jim Gluckson: All right. He’s breaking from post eight in the Travers, the outside post. Based on the competition and their talents and such, how does the race set up for him?

Todd Pletcher: Well, I like the outside draw. We were six of six in the Jim Dandy. And we got a little further run to the first turn this time, so I think it gives John Velzsquez the opportunity to kind of survey what’s going on inside, see how the race is developing and unfolding. And good thing about Fierceness, is he’s shown that he can go gate the wire like he did in the Florida Derby, or he can also stalk the pace like he did in the Jim Dandy and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. So I think he’s versatile enough to kind of do whatever John feels like is the right thing.

Jim Gluckson: All right. I think now we should open up our program to the media that’s on the line and see if they have questions. So Ina, can you take us through that portion of the program, please?

Operator: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question and answer session. Should you have a question, please press star followed by the one on your telephone keypad. You will hear a prompt that your hand has been raised, and should you wish to cancel a request, please press star followed by the two. I would like to advise everyone to have a limit of one question and one follow up. Once again, that is star and one to ask your question.

Jim Gluckson: I would like to ask Todd about running against Thorpedo Anna here, and you’ve had great success of fillies on your own against colts. Can you comment on what you’ve seen of her, obviously, four for four this year and her strengths?

Todd Pletcher: I mean, she’s been brilliant, very, very impressive in all of her performances. Last time, she even overcame a poor beginning to run away from a quality field. So she looks very impressive and appears as though she’s training every bit as well as she has been all year. So I think everyone in here certainly respects her chances and ability.

Jim Gluckson: All right. Very good. Do we have any other questions on the line, please, for Todd Pletcher?

Operator: Once again, for everyone on the line, please press star then the number one on your telephone keypad.

Jim Gluckson: Nothing? All right. Well.

Operator: No question at this time. Please proceed.

Jim Gluckson: They have no questions at this time. Well, Todd, I think that will be our call for today, and I appreciate the time here that you gave us for the Travers Stakes and wish you best of luck on Saturday.

Todd Pletcher: All right. Thank you very much.

Jim Gluckson: Thank you, Todd. All right. We’re going to bring in our next guest, Kenny McPeak, in a minute or so here.

(Audio Gap)

Jim Gluckson: We’re now joined by Kenny McPeek, the trainer of Thorpedo Anna. Again, Kenny, thanks for joining us today.

Ken McPeek: My pleasure.

Jim Gluckson: Great. Kenny, let’s just talk about, I mean, her development. You had said that she was as good as ever in her final Travers work over the weekend. If you can just comment on her development here up at Saratoga over the last few weeks.

Ken McPeek: Well, I mean, she’s been ultra-steady all spring. You know, this is a filly that once she got settled in up here, she’s done really well. And the track’s been good to her. She’s in a good routine and a good eating program. And at this point, we’re just trying to keep even-keel and bring her into the race like we have some of these others prior to this.

Jim Gluckson: Well, you’ve had great success here with the filly Swiss Skydiver winning the Preakness. You have the right horse. These things work out for you when you want to make a leap like this, but how much of a decision was this to say this is the right spot for her?

Ken McPeek: Well, she’s been so dominant over the three-year-old fillies up to this point. It didn’t look like there was a whole lot of challenges there. I think if we had run in the Alabama, very good chance we would have won there. But it’s also kind of beaten the point that, OK, she’s great three-year-old filly, but the fact that we get a weight break and she’s here, and she’s doing well, and I’m not overly intimidated by this group of colts. I mean, of course, winning the Derby with Mystick Dan, gave me an idea on where she fit, because she worked with him on a regular basis, and she’s always given him everything he could handle, and maybe more. So at this point, we’re here, and it’s good chance to find out how good or great she could be.

Jim Gluckson: All right. Very good. How does the race set up for her, based on post position here and the other horses in the race?

Ken McPeek: Well, I thought it was interesting that we draw inside and the other speeds on our outside. But we’ll let Brian Hernandez decide how to handle that. And Brian has a great touch on her. He knows her feet, how she feels underneath him. And I think our biggest concern is, is that we get away clean. In her last race, she broke a little awkward. She was anxious in the gate, didn’t stand well, and then jumped a little awkward. And we can’t do that Saturday and expect to win, regardless. So we got a plan to do a little gate schooling with her tomorrow. She’s supposed to do that around 6:30 a.m. at the Oklahoma schooling gate.

And I’m in between right now, whether just stand her or actually gallop or out. I galloped Mystick Dan out of the gate going into the Derby and his gate break Derby Day, I think, contributed to his victory. So sometimes these little things matter.

Jim Gluckson: All right. Very good now. Let’s see. We have some media on the line here with some questions. Ina, please take over this portion of the program, please.

Operator: Thank you. Once again, should you have a question, please press star, followed by the one on your telephone keypad.

(Audio Gap)

Operator: Once again, that is star and one to ask a question. And your first question comes from the line of David Grening from Daily Racing Form. Please go ahead.

David Grening: Kenny, could you just talk a little bit, what gives you confidence in the mile and a quarter for her?

Ken McPeek: Well, she’s a swift galloping filly anyway. I don’t think a mile and a quarter is going to matter at all. I think she’ll handle that even better than the mile and an eighth. She’s huge, long stride, and a filly that just keeps going and going. So I think that is a test of a champion, is, can they handle that at a distance, and I’m really confident she will.

David Grening: Besides, with the gate and standing in there, last time there was only four horses, and she kind of got antsy in there. I think you’re first to load here in an eight horse deal. How much does that play on your mind a little bit?

Ken McPeek: We’ve stood her already a couple of times, so she’s had some schooling already, but that’s just her. She tends to get a little wound up, and that’s normal for her. I think that’s just some good energy coming out of her. But she just needs to stand to be a little more professional, and hopefully that happens. I mean, like I said, our job is just to give her a little schooling practice and typically she’s fine. But look, even the best of horses get left every now and then, so we just got to hope that doesn’t happen.

David Grening: OK. Thank you.

Jim Gluckson: OK. Any other questions on the line, please?

Operator: Once again, that is star and one to ask a question over the phone.

(Audio Gap)

Jim Gluckson: All right. Well, Kenny, looks like we are out of questions for today. We appreciate your time that you’ve taken today to be on the call, and best of luck to you on Saturday, and with all your horses.

Ken McPeek: Thank you so much.

Jim Gluckson: Thank you, Kenny.

Ken McPeek: No problem.

Jim Gluckson: All right. Now, going to try to bring in our next guest here, Danny Garga

n, in a few minutes here. I see Danny is ready for us.

Danny Gargan: Hello?

Jim Gluckson: Danny, good afternoon. Jim Gluckson here. How are you?

(Audio Gap)

Danny Gargan: Good.

Jim Gluckson: Great, great. Danny is joining us here, of course, with a tremendous last two races with his Belmont Stakes and Haskell stakes winner, Dornoch. Five to two morning line favorite. Danny, you’ve shown great confidence in this horse since you first saw him, and he’s risen to the top of the class here as the three-year-old. What would it mean to you to win this race now and then having three grade ones in succession?

Danny Gargan: Well, I mean, it’s like living a dream. It’s hard to win three grade ones in a row. He’s doing really well, but it’s a tough feat. He’s been fighting hard these last couple races. We just hope he shows up and shows that fight again.

Jim Gluckson: All right. Well, he’s breaking from post seven with Fierceness to his outside and Thorpedo Anna, of course, is on the rail. How do you think the race sets up for him, looking at the race and analyzing it for us a little bit?

Danny Gargan: I mean, we’re going to break running, and we’ll figure out who inside us wants to break run him. And I’d like for the race to set up a lot like the Belmont, where we sit off a horse, if we can. If someone goes crazy on the inside, we’ll just sit a half-length off of them, and follow them around there. And at some point, Johnny’s (John Velazquez on Fierceness) going to have to make a decision what he’s going to do outside us. But it’s going to be a really good race. There’s a lot of talented horses. I don’t think Johnny will try to make the lead from the outside. I think we’ll be on the lead or sit second. If that case, Todd and Johnny will sit third, right off of us.

Jim Gluckson: All right. Well, Danny, let’s see if we have some questions from the media on the line. Thank you.

Operator:  Once again for participants on the phone, please press star followed by the one on your telephone keyboard.

Jim Gluckson: We’re going to get some questions here from the media. OK. Yani, Ina, can you check the system again, I’m getting some reports that people are pressing star, one, and they’re not getting through. Can you please check the system, please?

Operator: As of this time, there’s no question over the phone. If anyone should have a question, please press star, one, on your telephone again. And if you’re using a speakerphone, please leave the set before pressing any keys. Once again, that is star and one to ask a question.

Jim Gluckson: All right. We’re going to give them a chance here, but I have a caller who said that there was an issue with trying to get in to make a call, to ask a question. So let’s see if we can just wait here and have an opportunity for a question to be asked.

(Audio Gap)

Jim Gluckson: One second, Danny.

Operator: Once again, for participants over the phone, please press star, one, on your telephone keypad. And if you’re using a speakerphone, please lift the handset before pressing any keys.

Jim Gluckson: OK. Danny, while we’re waiting here, can you just tell us a little about the excitement that Jayson Werth has brought to the horse and his attention and interest in the sport?

Danny Gargan: Well, I mean, I think Jayson’s a great ambassador for the sport. He brings a lot of excitement, just because he brings another dimension to horse racing that we need. We need new, fresh people in the game, and Jayson’s the type of outlet that can bring other athletes. And pro athletes love horse races, they just need to find a way to get involved in it. And he’s a pleasure to be around, and it’s a lot of fun, actually. He’s a lot of fun, and it’s been a great ride just to have him to be a part of it.

Jim Gluckson: Very good. Let’s try for another question from the media, please.

Operator: And your next question comes from the line of Jay Ginsbach from Forbes. Please go ahead.

Jay Ginsbach: Hi, Danny. Just looking back at this year with Dornoch and his racing, he certainly was doing well coming into the Kentucky Derby, and it looked like in that race, he just got shuffled back and how things turned out there. But since then, it looks like coming into this he’s training really well, having come off the two wins. Can you just comment on his mature and his growth and his strength as he’s been really maturing through his three-year-old season here?

Danny Gargan: Yeah. I think this winter, he really made a step forward. I know he won the Fountain youth and then we missed a little training going to bluegrass, and we used that as a training to set up our derby. And even going in the derby, I really thought he’d run big, and just kind of got unlucky with the one post, and he got checked really hard, really fast in the race, and then was checked several other times. It’s just an unfortunate thing. There’s 20 horses. And we just brought him out of that, gave him plenty of time, waited on the Belmont, and it worked out for us. We got to see the real door knock. And if you throw out his derby, where he got all, just a really rough trip from the one hole, he’s done nothing wrong his whole career.

And he just was a little green when he was a two-year-old and took a little while to focus on running straight. But now that he’s getting in gear and running straight and switching his leads, when he switches, he finds another gear, people are focused on him coming back. It’s basically when he gets tired and switches over, then he kicks in again. And hopefully we keep seeing some more of that, and three grade ones in a row is really difficult to do. And you’re talking only one horse has won the Belmont Haskell Travers and that was Point Given.

I think he’s the only horse to ever do it. And he’s in the Hall of Fame, so we’re just hoping that we can win this race. It’d be huge for all the owners, and most importantly, be really big for the horse, because he deserves everything he’s doing, because he’s a fantastic animal.

Jay Ginsbach: Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. Once again, that is star and one to ask a question.

Jim Gluckson: All right, Danny, seeing no further questions coming in.

Danny Gargan: Oh, that’s good.

Jim Gluckson: We want to thank you very much for your time today, and good luck to you and all your horses this weekend. Thank you.

Danny Gargan: Thanks. Bye.

Jim Gluckson: All right. We’re going to reach out now, next to Chad Brown and see if we can get Chad a little earlier.

(Audio Gap)

Jim Gluckson: We are now joined by Chad Brown. Chad, good afternoon. How are you today?

Chad Brown: Good. Thank you.

Jim Gluckson: Great. Chad has, of course, Sierra Leone, and Unmatched Wisdom, entered in the Travers Stakes. Was going to talk first with you about Sierra Leone and final Travers work going for furlongs and 49 and two on the Oklahoma track. How did you evaluate that work?

Chad Brown: More of the same. He’s a very consistent horse working. He galloped out super and I just have him in a nice rhythm, I feel, and he’s very fit from his long campaign this year, and I’m just trying to maintain where we’re at with him.

Jim Gluckson:  Now talking about the race itself, coming back here into the Travers, how does the race set up for him, breaking from post two? And what are you looking for as far as early going in the race and his preparations and getting set for this race?

Chad Brown: Well, his running style is pretty defined. You can see he’s a come from behind horse. So hopefully a good pace develops in front of him, and he can navigate a clean trip without getting stopped and come with his late run. And hopefully at a mile and a mile and a quarter, it’s good enough to get there in time.

Jim Gluckson: OK. Talk a little bit about your undefeated starter Unmatched Wisdom for Klaravich Stables,  who was a good front running winner of the Curlin Stakes. Are you surprised by his development this year, this quickly to make a Travers start?

Chad Brown: Not really. We’ve always thought a lot of this horse. Unfortunately, he got very sick last fall when he’s getting ready to make his debut. But prior to that, I tested him out with my best horses, and he matched up quite well. So we had high expectations for him, and once we got him to the races, he’s developed quickly, but it hasn’t been a surprise that the talent was always there.

Jim Gluckson: OK. All right. Chad, let’s see if we have some questions from the media on the line, please.

Operator: Thank you. Once again for media over the phone, you may press star followed by the one on your telephone keypad, and if you are using a speakerphone, please lift the handset before pressing any keys.

The first question comes from the line of David Grening from Daily Racing Form. Please go ahead.

David Grening: Hey, Chad, I just wanted to ask you your confidence level in Unmatched Wisdom’s ability to hit a mile and a quarter.

Chad Brown: Yeah, I feel very confident this horse can get a mile in a quarter. I’ve always thought of he’s a classic distance horse. He is lightly raced. I thought he handled the mileage well, and he also gives us the feeling he’s better with a target. He ended up on the lead in a placeless Curlin race. And we don’t believe — the jockey, nor myself believe — that that is preferred way, but he can do it if needed. He’s got early speed. If he breaks good, he’s going to go. But if someone goes just ahead of him, and he can track, with a horse in front of him, I think he’ll go as far as you want to go.

David Grening: And do you think, is he at all the type, he’s going to have a new rider. Obviously, he’s an extremely talented rider that you’re getting, but is he one that has any quirks that Irad (Ortiz Jr.) is going to have to be aware of?

Chad Brown: No, he doesn’t. He’s a pretty straightforward horse. I was able to get Irad on the horse in his last workout. He’s quite impressed with the horse.

David Grening: Perfect. Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. Once again, that is star and one to ask a question over the phone.

And your next question comes to the line of Jay Ginsbach from Forbes. Please go ahead.

Jay Ginsbach: Hi, Chad. We’ve seen this horse (Sierra Leone) certainly come from off the pace and you mentioned his running style is defined. Do you look at maybe what transpired in the recent races he’s had at Saratoga in the forward favoring service a little bit, and determine with the jockey how he maybe sets up to start and get moved up a little further and evaluating the other horses in this field, is that something you look at and consider?

Chad Brown: Yeah, certainly, I would hope that he could get a little better position. I don’t believe in any of his races, it’s been for any fault any jockeys that have ridden them. Source (ph) just doesn’t have a lot of early speed. But in a perfect world, yeah, I wish it was a couple lengths closer early, and certainly we’re going to attempt to put him there. I don’t think anyone’s taking them back. It’s the horse sort of settling, kind of where he ends up early. But if we could encourage them to be a little closer, I do think it would be beneficial.

Jay Ginsbach: Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. Once again, that is star and one to ask a question.

Operator: Mr. Ginsbach?

Jay Ginsbach: Quick comment. I know Danny had mentioned–excuse me, Kenny McPeek had mentioned, Chad, that it was intimidated by this field to go ahead and run Thorpedo Anna, the Philly, in here. And just wondering how you make the decision with Unmatched Wisdom, lightly raised, but certainly off a really good performance. I mean, without as much knowledge of the public about this horse, how do you make the decision to go ahead and run him here in this field, and what do you think of the field overall and his chances?

Chad Brown: Yeah, good question. So where I spot my horses, very rarely do I pick the races based on what the field’s going to be. I choose the races that I think the work can fit in from a timing standpoint, distance, class level, overall, meaning what grade the races are, what difficulty they’ve been in the past, the level of difficulty, I should say. So occasionally, when I’m choosing between two races, then I’ll evaluate who’s running. But my only decision here would have been just to run or just sit out and wait another month to race like the Pennsylvania Derby. So I’m not entering the horse because I don’t think the field isn’t intimidating or good.

In recent years, sometimes the Travers has been not quite as full a field. You can see as you go through the Triple Crown, right? It starts with a 20 horse field. Then as you go through, they get a little smaller, because these horses have been training all year a lot. You get some fresh shooters, fresh legs in the race, like an Unmatched Wisdom or something. But a lot of other horses might be ready for a break because they’ve been going a long time. So for me, as long as it’s not too large of a field, who’s in it really doesn’t matter to me, because I just feel like when my horses deserve a chance in a race like this, I give it to them, even if they have to run against my own horses. And I think you see that a lot with my (inaudible) condition. I don’t go for races or avoid races based on the fields.

Jay Ginsbach: Thank you for that insight.

Operator: Thank you. There are no further questions at this time. Please proceed.

Jim Gluckson: Chad, thank you so much for taking the time today to take some questions from the media for the Travers Stakes and good luck with all your horses coming in this weekend.

Chad Brown: Thanks for having me. My pleasure as always. Take care. Bye-bye.

Jim Gluckson: Great. Thanks. Chad Brown, everyone. All right. Well, thanks, everyone, for joining us today. A transcript of this call will be available within the next 48 hours, and of course, an audio recording will be available a little bit sooner than that. But thanks very much for joining us today and everyone have a good day. Thank you and this concludes today’s call. Thank you for participating. You may all disconnect.

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