Moreno Looks to Defend Title in Whitney
The 88th running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course drew an exceptionally tough field of older dirt runners, leaving last year's winner, Moreno, somewhat of an outsider at 12-1 on the morning line.
Trained by Eric Guillot for Southern Equine Stable, Moreno has been fairly consistent in 2015, hitting the board in four of five starts, but is coming off a distant eighth-place finish in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
"In California, there seems to be a lot of sheep and dreamers, so they like to take 99 and 50-1's and go 45 [seconds] and change [for four furlongs] going a mile and a quarter. There seems to be a little better class of racing on the East Coast in my opinion," said Guillot.
Last year, Moreno blossomed at the Spa. The son of Ghostzapper won the Whitney by 1 ¼ lengths over Itsmyluckyday, for which he earned a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure, and then butted heads with his nemesis again in the Woodward, this time finishing second by a half-length to Itsmyluckyday after a tempestuous stretch run.
In two subsequent starts in 2014, Moreno failed to recapture his Spa form, fizzling out in a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park and then finishing last of 14 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic to close out the year.
Moreno was ambitiously placed in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap to kick off his 5-year-old season and acquitted himself well, finishing second to early Horse of the Year favorite Shared Belief. The two met again a little over a month later in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, and this time Moreno came out on top, though Shared Belief was pulled up on the backstretch.
In the Whitney, there is little doubt where fans and bettors will find Moreno early.
"He doesn't rate. He gets beat when he rates," said Guillot. "That's why I was never more confident than going to West Virginia in the Charles Town Classic. I went in with so much confidence knowing he would be so confused by the three turns and the short stretch. And I couldn't have been more right; he broke the track record.
"He's a 5-year-old [who's had] four years in training with 29 days off. So far, we haven't missed any big dances," Guillot added. "[Liam's Map] looks like he's an up-and-coming, nice horse by Unbridled's Song. But there's going to be one problem: If you're in front of me, you went too fast."
Set to send out V. E. Day and Wicked Strong for the Whitney, trainer Jimmy Jerkens will hope lightning strikes twice on Saturday. Last year, Jerkens saddled the pair to a 1-2 finish in the centerpiece of the Saratoga meet, the Grade 1 Travers.
"I don't look at it as much as a lot of people do," said Jerkens of his duo's success at Saratoga. "I think a lot of that is coincidence. They were rounding into form anyway. I think they would have ran as good if we were still racing down at Belmont. I don't get wrapped up in that stuff, but at the same time I'm happy with how they've done here."
Getting in some last minute preparations for the 1 1/8-mile race, Jerkens worked the tandem the week of the race. On Wednesday, Wicked Strong blew out three furlongs in 35.63 seconds over the Oklahoma training track. A day later, V. E. Day cruised three furlongs in 37.22 on the Oklahoma.
"Their main workouts last week were good and their blowouts were spot on, so we're confident," said Jerkens. "It's a very tough race, but I think they're going to run their race."
Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, trainer of Met Mile winner Honor Code, was pleased with his colt drawing the rail and earning morning-line-favorite status for the Whitney.
"I think the post is fine; he's used to eating dirt, so that won't be a problem," said McGaughey. "It might help. We'll be able to save some ground and I'm sure [jockey Javier Castellano] will try to get him out at some point, but if he doesn't get out, he's fine inside of horses.
"I wish every horse I ran was the favorite," McGaughey added. "Some people don't like that, but if they're the favorite, they have something on their PP's to make them the favorite. Favorites only win a third of the time, but that doesn't bother me either. You can't be afraid to lose."
Source: NYRA Communications