Antonucci says Arcangelo’s versatility is key for Travers

During a media teleconference Monday, trainer Jena Antonucci said versatility will be key for Arcangelo in Saturday’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

It was a trait she referred to three times during the call, which was arranged by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The first case came when she was asked about how the race shapes up in terms of positioning or tactics for Arcangelo, winner of the Belmont Stakes.

“We are so blessed to have such a versatile colt that we can really back into any kind of scenario,” Antonucci said, “which is such a blessing to have that we're not tied to having to have one setup to be able to find success.”

It came up again when Antonucci was asked about cutting back to 1 1/4 miles after winning by 1 1/2 lengths in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.

“We won at a mile, we won at a mile and an eighth and we won at a mile and a half,” she said. “So again, just so blessed to have a colt that is so versatile and has what I would call some DNA seed in there from from his dad, where it just makes him so dynamic in that regard. So it's not often you can say it's a cutback to the mile and a quarter and what does that look like? So, excited to see it, and I'm just excited for him to have the opportunity against this kind of group.”

Arcangelo is an Arrogate colt out of the Tapit mare Modeling. Before the Belmont, he won the Peter Pan (G3) at 1 1/8 miles, and he broke his maiden at a mile in March.

The third mention was when she was asked about the pace, which could be let by Scotland.

“Again, we've been so lucky to have that versatility,” she said. “Definitely not tied on to one business plan in that race. I would expect National Treasure isn't going to dawdle as well. So I would be surprised if there wasn't an honest pace on the front end, and we've been able to sit close to a slower pace and sit off of a little quicker pace. And we're going to let Javier do what Javier does and ride a smart race.”

Javier Castellano was aboard Arcangelo for all three of his wins. He also rode Mage in the Kentucky Derby, and Antonucci was asked about speculation regarding which colt he would ride in the Travers.

“I'm a big believer that things just work out,” she said. “And you just got to stay in your space and do what you do. And the nice part is this colt has gotten so professional in his job that whoever ended up on him was going to know what to do and how they needed to do it. Thrilled that we do have him, obviously, and thankful for that. And they've had a lot of success together. So hopefully, we can add some more to that.”

Another subject of speculation was Antonucci’s decision against giving Arcangelo a start between the Belmont and the Travers, which is 11 weeks later.

“It really wasn't a heavy debate, to be honest, the tightest races he had run back to back were the Peter Pan and the Belmont. And so continuing to let him come out of a big effort in the Belmont and put himself where he needed to for this race was kind of an easy conversation.”

She said that since the Belmont, Arcangelo has gained more maturity and strength.

“And so I don't have any doubts with where we are with our decision, how he's progressed through each work. Javier has been extremely pleased with his feedback on every breeze, and it has kind of been the plan of what we were looking for and how we ramped up each work. (Exercise rider Robert Mallari), who obviously rides him every day, is just very pleased with how the horse is coming into himself. And I can usually gauge where we are by how hard Robert is blowing when he gets him pulled up after training.”

Arcangelo's most recent work was Wednesday at Saratoga, where he breezed five furlongs in 1:01.63.