By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Brad Cox said he was listening to a radio show a few days ago and his ears perked up when the chat got to the upcoming GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November.
“They were talking about Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) being a good matchup, and I was like, 'wow, she is completely forgotten,” trainer Brad Cox said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning.
'She' is Idiomatic (Curlin), and if anyone has put her out of mind, they'd better rethink that.
Idiomatic is indeed very much still in the discussion for best filly or mare in the country. At least around the Cox barn she is. The 5-year-old mare will be one of the marquee names in Friday's $500,000 GI Personal Ensign at Saratoga Race Course.
Last year's Eclipse Award winner for Older Dirt Female is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Personal Ensign, a race she won last year.
That was part of her six-race win streak, which ended at Saratoga on June 8 when the Chad Brown-trained Randomized (Nyquist) beat her by a head in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes at Saratoga. Randomized is in the Personal Ensign field, too, and is the 8-5 second choice in the field of five.
Idiomatic, who finished third in the 2023 Horse of the Year voting after a campaign that saw her win eight of nine races–three of them Grade Is–has won two of three starts this year. As she heads into the Personal Ensign, Cox said Idiomatic could not be doing any better.
“I think she is as good as she as ever been,” Cox said as Idiomatic was walked outside the barn. “I really do believe that, and she was damn good last year. We will let her determine whether she wants to be in the mix and people start talking about her again.”
In her last start, Idiomatic and jockey Florent Geroux won the GIII Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park by a head over Soul of an Angel (Atreides), trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. Soul of an Angel (5-1) is also running in the Personal Ensign.
Idiomatic has 11 wins in 15 career starts with two seconds and two thirds. Her loss in the Ogden Phipps was her first since May 6, 2023.
“I don't know that I take (losses with her) personal,” Cox said. “I can't be really upset. Randomized is very good and it took a lot for us to get by her in last year's Breeders' Cup (Distaff). (Idiomatic) ran a great race (in the Phipps). It was not like she got beat by three or four lengths. We did not get the good bob. We are looking forward to giving her another run.”
Mott Looking Forward to See What Improving Batten Down Can Do in Travers
Mid-morning Thursday, jockey Junior Alvarado paid a visit to the stall of Batten Down (Tapit) at Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's barn at the Oklahoma Training Track.
“His jockey is going to have a talk with him,” Mott said with a chuckle as he watched the exchange.
Batten Down schooling Wednesday | Sarah Andrew
Juddmonte's Kentucky homebred Batten Down put his name in the 3-year-old ring when he finished third in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga last month. He was not going to beat Fierceness (City of Light), who won the race by a length over Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who was 5 3/4 quarters clear of Batten Down.
But Mott saw enough in that race to give Batten Down a chance in the Midsummer Derby.
“He needs to improve, but he is not far off,” Mott said. “There are horses in here that are more proven–Fierceness and Sierra Leone–but I think we fit with the rest of them. I don't know if he has to run the race of his life because, hopefully, he has a long career ahead of him. But he has to move forward off his last one.”
Alvarado said he thinks the best formula for Travers success is for Batten Down to be on the lead. When he won the GIII Ohio Derby at Thistledown, he went gate-to-wire; he did the same thing when he broke his maiden on his fourth try on Apr. 30 at Churchill Downs.
He won that race by 8 3/4 lengths.
In the Jim Dandy, Batten Down was third pretty much the whole way around the 1 1/8 miles.
“He gave 70 percent in that race,” Alvarado said. “It was a beautiful spot we were sitting on but I don't think that is what he wanted. He likes to be on the lead. When he is behind, he is not releasing his power. If he is on the lead, he'll keep going.”
“He has early speed if we want to use it,” Mott said.
Alvarado has ridden Batten Down in his last four starts. The Travers will be his seventh career start. Batten Down is out of the 2014 champion older mare Close Hatches and is a full-brother to Tacitus, who finished second in the 2019 GI Belmont Stakes for Mott. Batten Down is also a full-brother to Mott trainee Scylla, who is running in the GI Ballerina Stakes Saturday.
“He has such a good pedigree that we were always optimistic about him,” Mott said. “At this time last year, he had not shown it yet. I am going into (the Travers) with a wait and see attitude.”
Batten Down is 20-1 on the Travers morning line, sharing those longest odds with Honor Marie (Honor Code).
“We're just very fortunate to have a horse good enough to able to compete,” Mott said. “He has earned his way in there.
It's No Easy Spot for Speak Easy in Allen Jerkens
In two career starts, Speak Easy (Constitution) has sparkled.
Now comes the hard part.
Speak Easy Wednesday | Sarah Andrew
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has chosen a tough assignment for the third career start for the colt, who is owned by Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC. Speak Easy is running in Saturday's $500,000 GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, one of five Grade I races on the 14-race Travers Day card.
“This is a tall order,” Pletcher said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. “We are short on experience.”
Speak Easy will be facing seasoned graded stakes runners like Book'em Danno (Bucchero), winner of the GI Woody Stephens Stakes in June, Prince of Monaco (Speightstown), who was second in the Stephens, World Record (Gun Runner), winner of the GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga earlier in the meet and Domestic Product (Practical Joke), winner of the GII Dwyer at Aqueduct last month.
Siena Farm and WinStar Farm also own World Record and Timberlake (Into Mischief), who is also in the Jerkens.
Speak Easy is easily the 3-year-old in the field of 11 with the least experience. Vettriano (Liam's Map) is closest to him with three starts and Little Ni (Mohaymen) has four.
This is not a unique move for Pletcher. In the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga in June, he ran Mindframe (Constitution), who also had just two career starts. He finished second in the Belmont behind Dornoch (Good Magic) and then was second in the GI Haskell Stakes, also behind Dornoch, last month.
Speak Easy, who will be ridden by Saratoga leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., broke his maiden by 1 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park in January and Pletcher entered him in the GII Fountain of Youth. He scratched after getting loose in the post parade and resurfaced in an allowance at Saratoga on July 27 and he won that by 2 1/4 lengths.
“I like the way he ran in the six-furlong comeback,” Pletcher said. “He showed versatility where he can come off it a little bit. This race should have enough pace where it can set up for his style. This is an ambitious move, but there is a lot of upside.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
