What we learned: Arcangelo wins Travers with great ride

Before the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Arcangelo stood as the only 3-year-old to defeat Forte this year. But the son of Arrogate had to prove himself again against the same colt in order to push himself to the top of the division, especially since he won the Belmont with a better trip than Forte.

Arcangelo defeated Forte again in the Travers on Saturday with another good trip. He received a great ride from jockey Javier Castellano, allowing him to take control at the top of the stretch and hold on late.

Castellano made a key move with Arcangelo on the first turn that changed the flow of the race in his favor and reduced the chances of Forte instantly.

Forte under Irad Ortiz Jr. broke well from the gate and gave the impression he might tuck in behind the eager Scotland, who crossed over a few paths left while clear of his opponents in order to secure the lead. Instead of traveling on the rail behind Scotland though, Forte somehow left the inside position open and Arcangelo took it quickly. 

After Arcangelo took the inside stalking position, Forte lost position and suddenly found himself in the trailing group. Shortly after the half-mile point, Forte then found himself in last despite initially breaking well from the rail.

Castellano not only took Forte’s position on the first turn with Arcangelo, but he also started a sequence that led to his main rival Forte getting shuffled back to last after the half-mile. In addition, Forte’s failure to secure the rail gave Disarm an opening when he made his sneaky rail move on the far turn.

On the far turn, Castellano guided Arcangelo wide to put him in position for the stretch. This move contrasts with Arcangelo’s tactics on the far turn in the Belmont, where he waited on the inside before an opening let him move.

As Arcangelo made his move, Disarm rallied on the inside of Scotland on the far turn after steadily moving forward on the approach. While Arcangelo secured the lead and opened up in the early part of the stretch, Disarm barely squeezed through an opening next to Scotland.

Arcangelo took command of the lead under some urging with the crop. Disarm went outside of him in the last moments and tried to close the gap, but he ran out of time. He did make the final margin just one length and finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Tapit Trice in third.

Meanwhile, Forte went even wider than Arcangelo on the far turn and flattened out in the stretch to complete his bizarre trip. Tapit Trice beat Forte for third by 4 1/2 lengths after keeping Scotland company in the early stages.   

By taking Arcangelo wide on the far turn, Castellano avoided a situation where he would need to squeeze through in the same way as Disarm. At that point, Castellano rode Arcangelo as though he knew he sat on the best horse.

Arcangelo completed the 10 furlongs in 2:02.23, which resulted in a 105 Beyer Speed Figure and 126 TimeformUS Speed Figure. He has clearly established himself as the leader in the 3-year-old dirt router division and deserves to become the Breeders’ Cup Classic favorite as well, or at least the second or third choice in wagering.

With that said, Disarm was closing the gap on Arcangelo despite needing to squeeze through the rail. If Disarm can get a clean trip in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he can seriously contend at a longer price. Disarm loves longer routes, as proven by the fact that all his best races this year came in nine-furlong or longer races.

What happened to Forte? Ortiz certainly gave him a strange ride. After losing the rail position, Forte was content with continuing to lose position until he trailed the field before making a mild move on the far turn.

Forte threw in a clunker in this race. But at the moment, it is too soon to say he cannot run better than he did, especially after the odd trip.

As for the Kentucky Derby champion Mage, he seemed to lose interest after Flavien Prat held him back around the first turn. From there, Mage lost position and found himself second to last. He never tried to rally back.

Perhaps Mage just received a strange trip as well. Many horses stop responding if they are eager out of the gate and get wrangled back.

Watch for Arcangelo and Disarm in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Arcangelo is now the leading 3-year-old Classic contender, and Disarm will offer value since he lost again despite working through traffic trouble and closing late. These two runners should make noise at Santa Anita.