Saratoga fans will have at least one chance to see Kentucky Derby champion Street Sense in action this summer.
Carl Nafzger’s prized 3-year-old will be stabled at the historic course on Union Avenue, and Nafzger has him pointed toward the Jim Dandy July 29. If all goes well, Street Sense will then run in the Travers Aug. 25.
I’d be a little surprised and a little disappointed if he doesn’t run the Jim Dandy and the Travers, said New York Racing Association racing secretary P.J. Campo.
The Travers could feature all three Triple Crown race winners if Preakness champion Curlin and Belmont champ Rags To Riches also enter the field, but Campo said it depends on what their trainers want to do.
`Supposedly, Street Sense is going to run,` said Campo. `As for Rags to Riches, it depends on how much time (trainer Todd Pletcher) wants to give her between races. If he doesn’t want to run her in the Travers, he can always run her in the Alabama one week earlier.`
Other stakes races promise to hold intrigue this summer ` especially the Whitney Handicap, which was moved from the second Saturday to the first Saturday of the six-week meet to bolster the opening weekend. The winner of the Whitney July 28 ` along with the winners of the Go for Wand, Diana Handicap and Alfred G. Vanderbilt ` will get an automatic berth into the Breeder’s Cup Oct. 27 at Monmouth Park.
`This could be a blowout weekend,` said Campo.
The meet itself will once again feature the best thoroughbred racing has to offer ` from top trainers such as Pletcher, D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito and Bobby Frankel to top jockeys including defending riding champion Edgar Prado, John Velazquez and Garrett Gomez.
`It’s a pleasure to put these great trainers together and create the best meet possible,` said Campo.
Where Campo will put all the trainers and their horses is the biggest question the three-year veteran racing secretary has to face. He said that trainers have put in requests to stable nearly 3,000 horses in Saratoga at some point during the 36-day meet, and he has only 1,650 stalls available.
`Hopefully, we’ll get a few can-cellations, but it will still be tight ` a lot tighter than last year,` said Campo.
The one issue with the stables Campo won’t have to deal with this year is the security barns. The primary issues trainers had with the security barns when NYRA started them two years ago ` the size of the stalls and the length of time horses must remain in the barns ` have been long resolved.
`We’ve been through a cycle or two. It’s just a maintainence issue right now,` said Campo. “