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BACKSTRETCH NOTES

Leading trainer Todd Pletcher spent Saturday at Arlington Park, but was back in Saratoga Springs by 11 o’clock last night. Although Pletcher went winless in both the Beverly D. with Honey Ryder and the Arlington Million with English Channel, the day wasn’t a total wash. Here at Saratoga, the Pletcher-trained Go Deputy notched the first Grade 1 victory of his career in the Sword Dancer Invitational. Pletcher also sent out the fourth-place finisher in the Sword Dancer, Ramazutti.

“I thought both horses ran great,” said Pletcher, who watched the second half of the Sword Dancer from Chicago. “I’m looking forward to the replay. I was saddling English Channel when the race started and made it over to the TV with a lap to go.”

As for English Channel, he finished fourth after breaking from post 10 in the Million. Rank early on while stalking three wide, English Channel just never fired.

“The pace was real slow, especially when you compare it to the two other stakes,” Pletcher said. “I wasn’t worried about the outside post going into the race with English Channel, but it turned out to be a problem.”

Pletcher said Go Deputy and English Channel would be pointed to Belmont Park’s marquee turf races this fall, the Grade 1, $500,000 Man o’ War on September 9 and the Grade 1, $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational on October 7.

This morning, Pletcher sent out High Cotton, one of two horses he is going to send out in the 137th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers, presented by the New York Lottery on Saturday, August 26. High Cotton breezed five furlongs over the main track in 1:00.60.

“I thought it was his best breeze since we’ve been up here,” Pletcher said. “He finished up well and galloped out strongly. The Travers is why he’s here. It’s an ambitious spot, but he’s earned himself a chance by doing well in some other races.”

High Cotton rattled off stakes wins in the Sir Barton and Northern Dance before finishing second in the Ohio Derby in his last start. He is a son of Dixie Union.

Pletcher added that Bluegrass Cat, the runaway Haskell winner who will be the second wagering choice in the Travers behind Bernardini, “is doing well.”

“He’s a high-energy horse and he’s bounced out of the race good and we’re seeing the things we want to see,” he said. “He ran a big race (in the Haskell) but at least it wasn’t a gut-wrenching, taxing stretch duel.”

The Travers is the “Mid-Summer Derby” for three-year-olds at a mile and a quarter.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott was pleased with the effort Stronach Stables’ Silver Whistle put in with his second-place finish to Go Deputy in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational. In two other starts this season, Silver Whistle went unplaced: fifth in the Grade 1 Manhattan and fourth in the Grade 3 Stars and Stripes Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

“I thought we were good enough to beat the winner, but we weren’t,” Mott said. “Still, we were pleased. He’s still a young horse who’s still developing. He’s improving a little bit at a time. It looks like he can always have a piece of it.”

His race in the Sword Dancer was also his third second-place finish at Saratoga. Last year, Silver Whistle was beaten a nose in both the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes.

Mott hasn’t indicated on the next start for Silver Whistle, but he is considering the Man o’ War and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park’s Fall Championship Meet.

Mott also had undefeated After Market walking around with assistant Will Phipps aboard on the Oklahoma Training Track this morning since winning the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Breeders’ Cup Stakes.

“He was looking good to me,” Mott said. “He came back strong and looking better than ever. But we’re not that ready to get him back to the races, yet.”

As impressive as After Market has been for Mott, he was equally as impressed with Showing Up’s six-length dominance in yesterday’s Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park. Showing Up, a three-year-old, is owned by Lael Stables and trained by Barclay Tagg.

“It looks like Barclay Tagg is holding the hammer,” Mott said. “It seems his horse is the one we have to deal with right now. His horse is very impressive.”

Mott was disappointed with Wend’s race in yesterday’s Grade 1 Beverly D as she finished eighth to Gorella. It was the third consecutive race where Wend, owned by Claiborne Farm, finished off the board since winning back-to-back races in the Grade 3 Honey Fox Handicap and the Grade 2 Jenny Wiley Stakes.

“She had a perfect trip; she didn’t run her best,” Mott said. “She wasn’t fast enough. I don’t know what we are going to do with her next.”

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