Saratoga Race Course: Derby winner Mage settles in, while preparing for Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mage’s trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr. grinned Saturday morning and refused to divulge how he cooks his Wagyu steaks.

“You can’t give away too many secrets in the kitchen,” he said.

“Puma-style,” Mage co–owner Ramiro Restrepo said with a laugh, referring to the trainer’s nickname.

Delgado’s grill technique may be a secret, but his “Puma System” of training is not: He likes to work his horses slower, but at longer distances, than is commonly practiced in North America. The native Venezuelan has won his country’s version of the Triple Crown three times and broke through with a win in the American Triple Crown series on May 6 when Mage won the Kentucky Derby. He is now being pointed toward the Aug. 26 Travers at Saratoga Race Course.

The subject of Wagyu steaks came up on Saturday because Delgado had his old friend and countryman Javier Castellano over for dinner recently, and if the Hall of Fame jockey rides Mage in the Travers instead of his Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo, perhaps the secret steak recipe will have played some role.

In the meantime, Team Mage will be firing up the Puma System soon enough. Mage, who arrived in Saratoga last Monday, galloped on the Oklahoma Training Track on Saturday morning and will be introduced to the main track surface on Monday.

He’ll stick to the main track for the rest of his Travers prep work and is scheduled to breeze on Friday.

“He’s very happy,” Delgado said. “He loves being in Saratoga. And me, too, We’re the same.”

“We love it when a plan is moving accordingly, and he’s taken to the surroundings well,” Restrepo said.

Mage is coming off a close second to Geaux Rocket Ride in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 22, his first start since a third to National Treasure in the Preakness.

Delgado said he expects Mage to have a smoother lead-up to the Travers than he did to the Haskell, especially since he’s on the grounds early and likely will breeze three times on the same surface he’ll be racing on.

“I loved the Haskell,” he said. “There were a lot of last-minute things that prevented him from having full preparation, but everything came together well.

“We got to the Haskell on Wednesday, and it’s a long trip from Kentucky. We didn’t have a lot of time to ship earlier because we decided late. It was hot. The change in the weather from Lexington to New Jersey, it 10-15 degrees hotter.”

No matter what happens the rest of the season, Mage’s connections are still basking in the afterglow of the Derby.

Restrepo, who served as bloodstock agent in Mage’s acquisition, said it was also gratifying to score big with a horse who fit the profile of what the ownership group looks for, well-regarded offspring of first-time sires.

In this case, the stallion was Good Magic, whose first crop includes Preakness runner-up Blazing Sevens; Los Alamitos Derby and Grade III Sham winner Reincarnate; and Scotland, who won the Curlin at Saratoga on July 21 and is being pointed toward the Travers.

With assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. on the phone, Restrepo was the bidder at the 2022 Timonium sales for 2-year-olds in training. They purchased Mage for $290,000.

“His breeze show was phenomenal at Timonium,” Restrepo said. “Then you saw him in person, he looked just like his daddy. Carbon copy. He’s become a little bigger now, but a lot of the same markings and conformation struck us a lot as his sire.

“When we started bidding, I had Junior in my earpiece on the phone, and when we got to our pseudo-, quasi-threshold, Junior jumped right into the bit and said, ‘Look, we can’t lose this one. Keep going.’

“For us, the fact that he turned out to be a talented horse is amazing. The fact that he’s a Derby winner now goes to another level of satisfaction.”

His Wagyu steak-cooking influence notwithstanding, Delgado Sr. said he wasn’t concerned about the fact that his Derby winner doesn’t have a jockey committed to ride the Travers.

“It’s possible Ramiro will ride,” he joked, bringing a laugh from the co-owner. “All the best riders in Saratoga are available. And the Travers field is going to be short, I think.”

ORTIZ BROTHERS SUSPENDED

The New York State Gaming Commission has suspended jockeys Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Jose Ortiz each for three days, Aug. 9-11, for careless riding in separate races. 

Jose’s suspension stems from the 10th race on last Wednesday’s card, when he was leading in the stretch on Indian Mischief and veered out to impede the progress of He’s a Lucky Guy, ridden by Manny Franco. They hit the wire 1-2, respectively, and after a stewards’ inquiry, the result stood.

Irad, the meet-leading rider, finished first the seventh race on last Thursday’s card on Eyes On Target, but was disqualified after a jockey’s objection from Dylan Davis for cutting off Tartini in midstretch while angling away from the rail. Irad subsequently was suspended on Sunday for that ride.

WHITNEY WORKS

Cody’s Wish, the likely favorite for Saturday’s Grade I $1 million Whitney, breezed four furlongs with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky in the irons in 48.28 on the Oklahoma Sunday morning, a work that trainer Bill Mott called “perfect.”

“If there is such a thing as a perfect work,” he said. “Neil did a perfect job. The warm up was good, the breeze went well, he went off easily enough. He came home well. He let him off the bridle a little bit at the eighth pole and he finished up his last quarter very nicely. We didn’t make him gallop out too much today, obviously. We’re right on top of the race.”

Cody’s Wish, who is riding a six-race winning streak that includes last year’s Forego at Saratoga, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and most recently the Met Mile, is expected to face West Will Power, Smile Happy, Charge It and Zandon in the Whitney.

Stephen Foster winner West Will Power breezed five furlongs in 1:02.24 in company with Tapit Shoes over the Oklahoma on Saturday.

“They broke off a little slow, but finished up and galloped out great,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He always gallops out well. That’s the best part of his works each week.”

Suburban winner Charge It also breezed on Saturday, working four furlongs on the main track in 48.77.

“He did it well in hand and looked good doing it,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I’ve been very pleased with the way he’s trained since the Suburban.”

Smile Happy arrived from Churchill Downs last week, and trainer Kenny McPeek said he probably won’t breeze again before the Whitney.

MAGE’S BROTHER

The 2-year-old Dornoch (by Good Magic, out of Puca), a full brother to Mage from Good Magic’s second crop, made his career debut in the seventh race on Saturday.

He was second by 1 3-4 lengths as the 5-2 second choice in the betting.

EARLY STAKES ACTION

Whitney Week kicks off on Wednesday with the De La Rose, followed by the Grade III Glens Falls on Thursday and the Grade III Saratoga Oaks Invitational and Grade II National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Friday.

War Like Goddess is attempting to win the mile-and-a-half Glens Falls for the third year in a row.

After running against males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and finishing third by three lengths behind Rebel’s Romance in November, War Like Goddess opened 2023 with a win in the Grade III Bewitch at Keeneland in April, then was sixth to Marketsegmentation in the Grade I New York at Belmont.

“We’re coming off a race that wasn’t her best. It was a mile and a quarter, which is a little short for her and there wasn’t a lot of pace,” Mott said. “I went in knowing it wasn’t her favorite distance, but it’s the only Grade I for fillies on the grass going that distance, so we gave it a try. It didn’t work out, but she’s doing really well.”