The Chad Brown-trained duo of GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting (Gun Runner) and GI Toyota Blue Grass S. hero Zandon (Upstart) each put in their final breezes Saturday at Saratoga for next week's GII Jim Dandy S. The former breezed in company with GII Amsterdam S.-bound Accretive (Practical Joke) and was credited with five panels in 1:01.05 (12/30), while the latter covered the same distance in 1:01.95 (22/30) by himself.
“Both horses did really well,” said Brown. Zandon went alone. It was a nice easy work for him. I was really pleased in how he was moving. With Early Voting, I did a little bit more with him today with a workmate. He went fabulous. I was very pleased. As long as they come out of the works well, I'll be happy.”
Zandon was last seen finishing third in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7. Early Voting, meanwhile, was last seen at Pimlico and had been working at Belmont Park before Saturday's breeze.
“We wanted to see how he was moving over the track,” Brown said. “He seems to be a pretty good horse in that way. It seems he takes his racetrack with him. I never see him train poorly, but it's always nice to get that out of the way and give him a work over the track to see that he's moving well.”
The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Ethereal Road (Quality Road) also worked Saturday at the Spa (4f in :49.72 {28/48} from the gate over the Oklahoma Training Track) and could go in either the Jim Dandy or the restricted Curlin S. one day earlier on Friday.
“We worked him out of the gate just to sharpen him up a little bit and find out where we're at,” Lukas said. “I was trying to get a little better reading on him. His effort was very good today. He went in 49 and change and he actually could have been better than that. I worked him with a 2-year-old colt (Track Mate {Union Rags}) and he kind of waited. It was a good work.”
Ethereal Road took the Sir Barton S. on Preakness day and most recently finished sixth in the GIII Ohio Derby June 25.
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