Hopeful features Corfu, Wired Bryan rematch

Corfu just held Wired Bryan by a nose when wiring the Saratoga Special on

August 11 and, on Labor Day Monday, the two juveniles will face-off for a second

straight time in the Grade 1, $300,000

Hopeful

going seven furlongs over Saratoga's main track.

Corfu entered the Saratoga Special off a maiden debut win in late July for

trainer Todd Pletcher. He followed the same tactics in both races, taking

command from the onset and holding gamely on the wire with jockey John Velazquez

aboard. The bay son of Malibu Moon will likely continue in the same vein on

Monday as he seeks a perfect three-for-three career mark at the Spa.

"He's pretty fast, and speed is his weapon, so we'll look to continue to take

advantage of that," Pletcher said. "In both of his races he's shown he's got

some fight to him, so we hope that he'll be able to carry his speed a little

further."

Trainer Michael Dilger saddled Wired Bryan to a 7 1/4-length maiden debut

score at Belmont on June 19, and off that sent his charge to face graded rivals

in the Sanford one month later at the Spa. The Stormy Atlantic chestnut was 5

1/4 lengths the best on that day despite an erratic stretch run after jockey

Shaun Bridgmohan went to the whip.

Wired Bryan tracked Corfu throughout the Saratoga Special but just was not

able to catch his rival despite a game run in the 6 1/2-furlong contest. The

extra half-furlong could come in handy on Monday as Bridgmohan takes up the

reins once more.

"He's got a lot of try," Dilger said. "I think his biggest asset is his

attitude. He's a very laid-back horse, borderline lazy. That helps when you're

trying to put together three races in quick succession. We're running him in

these races because that's the way he's presented himself. He shows that he's

able to handle it. Hopefully, he'll be able to handle the next one.

"He has presented himself as a very straightforward horse," Dilger added.

"He's had no hiccups along the way and, touch wood, he's been a very, very sound

horse. The fact that he's talented, we can't train that."

The top two are part of a 10-juvenile field entered in the Hopeful, which

also includes the unbeaten Long On Value.

Purchased privately by Wachtel Stable earlier this month,

the Virginia-bred son of Value Plus will make his graded bow in the Hopeful. He

brought $3,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale last

September, and has won each of his three starts.

Long On Value broke his maiden on a

wet-fast track in June at Delaware Park, won a 5 1/2-furlong state-bred stakes on

July 6 at Colonial Downs and most recently took an overnight stake on July 29

at Delaware going 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt. Trainer Bill Mott said Long On Value

was purchased with the seven-furlong Hopeful in mind.

"He had a good record going for him, and (my owners) liked

him and decided to buy him," Mott explained. "He's been doing very

well. He might be a bit of a sleeper in there.

"He's a nice, smooth-going horse," the Hall of Fame trainer added. "He works

along very nicely. We like him."

Long On Value will be ridden by another Hall of Famer in Edgar Prado.

Also looking to make some noise in the Hopeful are Sanford runner-up Southern

Blessing and Lunarwarfare, who was just 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth in the

Saratoga Special. Casiguapo and King Cyrus each broke their maidens by 11

lengths last out, while Big Sugar Soda and Strong Mandate also recorded easy

maiden scores in their most recent outings and could move up in a big way on

Monday.

All in Blue, fourth in the Sanford for Pletcher, completes the Hopeful field.

"Running back on short rest and stumbling at the start I think compromised

his chances in the Sanford," the trainer stated of All in Blue. "He's trained

well since then, and we feel like he deserves another chance.

"His one start was impressive," Pletcher added about his third horse in the

race, King Cyrus. "He's a horse that is going to appreciate more distance down

the road, but in a race that looks like it's going to have a lot of pace, it

could set up well for him.

"You're always concerned going from one start to a Grade 1, but that's sort

of where today's racing is. You're forced to jump into the deep end of the pool

right off the bat."

One race before the juveniles hit the track, a field of 15 distaffers,

including six main-track only runners, has been entered to go 1 3/8 miles on

Saratoga's inner turf in the Grade 3, $150,000

Glens Falls.

Tannery is the top draw in the group, having taken on the boys most recently

in the Sword Dancer Invitational. The Irish-bred daughter of Dylan Thomas

reputed herself well, rallying for a nice fourth-place finish for trainer Alan

Goldberg. Two races before that, the bay four-year-old scored her first U.S. win

when taking the Sheepshead Bay over the Glens Falls distance at Belmont Park.

Jockey Javier Castellano has the call on Monday for the first time.

Luis Saez did pilot Tannery in her previous four starts, but will be aboard

Minakshi in the Glens Falls. That Michael Matz-trained mare led in the early

going of the Sheepshead Bay before being overtaken in the stretch to finish

third. The Footstepsinthesand five-year-old followed up with a close fourth in

the New York Stakes and a third most recently in the Matchmaker at Monmouth

Park.

Anjaz was second in the Sheepshead Bay but faded to seventh in the New York

two back while Mystical Star filled the fifth position in both of those races.

The duo next lined up in the Waya, with Anjaz running second, a length in front

of Mystical Star's third-place effort. The latter will be looking to turn the

tables on her rival Monday.

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