Wired Bryan readies for Hopeful; Pletcher fillies gear up for Spinaway

Wired Bryan readies for Hopeful; Pletcher fillies gear up

for Spinaway

Anstu Stables' Wired Bryan returned to the worktab Monday morning, his first

breeze since finishing second by a nose in the Saratoga Special on

August 11.

Trained by Michael Dilger, Wired Bryan was clocked in a bullet 1:00 4/5 for five furlongs

over the fast Oklahoma training track, the fastest of nine horses at the distance.

Given the work, and the way he has trained since his last race, Dilger is

pointing the Stormy Atlantic colt to the Grade 1 Hopeful on September 2 and a

rematch with Saratoga Special winner Corfu.

"We wanted a good work this morning, (and) good horses work fast," Dilger

said.

"I'm very pleased with the way he worked. As long as he's fine tomorrow, we'll

go ahead an enter him for Monday."

Should Wired Bryan run in the Hopeful, he would be the first horse to compete in

all three of Saratoga's graded juvenile stakes since City Zip swept the Sanford,

Saratoga Special and Hopeful in 2000.

Afleet Alex won the Sanford and Hopeful in 2004, a year in which the Saratoga

Special was not run.

A debut winner at Belmont Park on June 19, Wired Bryan came back to romp by 5

1/4

lengths in the Sanford on July 21, running six furlongs in 1:11. In the

Saratoga Special, he chased Corfu around the track, coming up a

nose short at the wire.

"It was a tough race for both horses," Dilger said, "but I'm very happy with his

weight and his overall condition since that race, and I'm very pleased with the

way he worked this morning. I'm looking forward to the race."

The $300,000 Hopeful tops the Labor Day card, the meet's final day. According

to NYRA Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes, others expected for the seven-furlong race

are All in

Blue, Big Sugar Soda, Casiguapo, Long On Value, Lunarwarfare, and Southern

Blessing. 

King Cyrus, a stablemate of Corfu and All in Blue from the Todd Pletcher

barn, is possible. The status of the WinStar Farm colt will be determined after

he breezes Tuesday morning.

Among Pletcher's workers on Monday were two-year-old fillies Sweet Whiskey and Stopchargingmaria,

who are both headed to Sunday's Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway. Working in

company with Elena Strikes, Stopchargingmaria was clocked in 1:00 4/5 for five

furlongs on the fast main track.

Working by herself, Sweet Whiskey blazed through a half-mile in a bullet :47.69,

also on the main track, the fastest of 48 horses at the distance.

"(Sweet Whiskey) was impressive. I wasn't surprised she did that," Pletcher

said.

"She's a pretty forward-training filly that's pretty fast. She wasn't being

asked to do it; she was doing it because she was happy."

Sweet Whiskey won her debut by 5 1/4 lengths on August 11 in 1:02.81 for 5

1/2

furlongs, nearly two seconds faster than Stopchargingmaria ran winning her

unveiling on July 19 by 5 1/2 lengths, covering the same distance in 1:04.69.

"I thought that both fillies were very, very good," Pletcher said. "I'm really

pleased with the way they went, and we're optimistic."

The seven-furlong Spinaway will serve up a rematch between

Bahnah and Brazen Persuasion, who dead-heated for the win in the

Schuylerville on opening day. Designer Legs, awarded the victory in the August

11 Adirondack via disqualification, is likewise probable, along with Dancing

House, Sweet Reason and True

Blue Nation.

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