Arcangelo

In many ways, it was a 'good' problem to have. Having added a maiden success in the GI Kentucky Derby to his Hall of Fame resume at long last aboard Mage (Good Magic) in early May, jockey Javier Castellano continued a magical ride when teaming with Jena Antonucci to make history in the GI Belmont S. on the progressive Arcangelo (Arrogate), as the connections of Mage turned their collective attention to the second half of the season. Mage resumed with a very good runner-up effort when reportedly not fully fit...

Jockey Luis Saez, who went down during the running of Wednesday's John's Call S. when his mount Burning Bright suffered a fatal cardiac event, was dignosed with a dislocated collarbone and slight fracture in his left wrist, according to a tweet from former trainer and current agent Kiaran McLaughlin, but was released from Albany Medical Center. He will be out of the saddle for an undetermined period of time. After Javier Castellano committed to GI Belmont S. winner Arcangelo (Arrogate) for Saturday's $1.25-million GI Travers S., Saez was named by...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With the three winners of the Triple Crown races gathered for just the fourth time in the GI Travers S. Saturday, will history repeat itself? Will a horse that did not run in the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Preakness S. or the GI Belmont S. deliver an upset in the 154th Travers? That is how it played out in 1918 with Sun Briar, again in 1982 with Runaway Groom and six years ago when West Coast won the 2017 running of Saratoga's oldest stakes race. If...

As Tuesday's entry time looms, the GI Travers S. is shaping up as a rare showdown of the three winners of this season's Triple Crown races. That's happened only five times since 1978, and on no occasion during the last 45 years when the winners of those spring Classics all graced the starting gate for Saratoga's "Midsummer Derby" has any one of them emerged victorious. That's a fairly daunting stat considering how the match-up of the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S. winners is essentially what...

Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo (Arrogate) posted a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.63 over the Saratoga's main track under Javier Castellano in preparation for the Aug. 26 GI Travers S. Trainer Jena Antonucci said she was pleased with the GI Belmont S. winner's work, which served as a maintenance breeze after he covered the same distance in 1:00.21 on Aug. 6. "It went super. It was everything we were looking for," Antonucci said. "The big heavy lifting was in the prior work, so we'll just keep his feet on the ground for...

OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH's GI Kentucky Derby hero Mage (Good Magic) turned in his penultimate breeze ahead of his anticipated appearance in the Aug. 26, GI Travers S., going six furlongs in 1:12.98 over the Saratoga main track Friday morning under exercise rider J. J. Delgado. According to Daily Racing Form, Mage galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.31 and was up the mile in 1:40.66. It was a stiffer breeze than last week, when he covered five furlongs in 1:01.03 over a track with a high...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- It turned out that a non-decision is precisely what settled who would ride GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) and GI Belmont S. winner Arcangelo (Arrogate) in the GI Travers. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano rode both horses to their victories in the Triple Crown series and had his choice of which one to ride in the Travers on Aug. 26 at Saratoga Race Course. He holds the Travers record of six wins. Mage's trainer, Gustavo Delgado, asked Castellano on Monday to give him...

Luis Saez will ride Mage (Good Magic) in the upcoming GI Travers S., it was announced Tuesday afternoon in a tweet from trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr. He replaces Javier Castellano, who won the GI Kentucky Derby aboard the colt and also guided him to a third-place finish in the GI Preakness S. and a runner-up effort in the GI Haskell S. Saez rode Mage to a second-place finish in the GI Florida Derby. Saez opted to ride Tapit Trice (Tapit) in the Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher. Tapit Trice finished...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - To Mage (Good Magic) or to Arcangelo (Arrogate)? That is the question Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano faces as he decides which colt he will ride in the GI Travers S. on Aug. 26. For Castellano, who has a record six wins in the oldest and most famous stake at Saratoga Race Course, it is a beautiful yet difficult problem. An embarrassment of riches. He must choose between Mage, who carried him to his first victory in the GI Kentucky Derby, or Arcangelo, his first...

Blue Rose Farm's GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate) tuned up for the Aug. 26 GI Travers S. with a five-furlong breeze over the Saratoga main track that was timed in 1:00.21 Sunday morning. The gray colt was accompanied to the track by trainer Jena Antonucci on horseback and was put through his paces by Javier Castellano. Arcangelo galloped out a full half-mile after completing his move and was clocked in 1:26 1/5 for seven furlongs, 1:39 for the mile and out nine panels in 1:53. "It was a little...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- Trainer Jena Antonucci could have easily stepped aside Sunday morning and passed on a question about Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic)'s catastrophic injury in Saturday's GI Test S. That's not how she handled it. After commenting on how pleased she was with the way her GI Belmont S. winner Arcangelo (Arrogate) worked five furlongs in 1:00.21 Sunday morning, Antonucci turned to how trainer Melanie Giddings has to deal with the loss of her star filly. "I get chills," Antonucci said, then paused to compose herself. "Any...

Never off the board in his four prior career starts, Tyson (Tapit) avenged his sole defeat--a third behind Treason (Constitution) in the GII Eclipse S. June 4--with a win last time out over that rival in the GIII Dominion Day S. July 1. Heavily bet down to 2-5 going for his second straight graded-stakes win, the 4-year-old wasted no time going right for the lead and assumed command a path off the rail ahead of Carrothers (Mshawish). Always under a wrap by jockey Rafael Hernandez, Tyson was briefly headed as...