Zito hoping Spot likes stretch out in Curlin

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito will give Grade 2-winning

sprinter Spot another chance to stretch out in Friday's $100,000 Curlin for

three-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga.

Purchased by Joseph Moss following a fifth-place effort in the seven-furlong 3 Hutcheson at

Gulfstream Park in February, the gelded sophomore son of Pulpit came from off

the pace to beat previously undefeated No Nay Never in the seven-furlong Swale

next out.

A disappointing seventh in the Florida Derby at 1 1/8 miles four weeks later, Spot was off the board in both the Derby

Trial and Woody Stephens before running fourth in the

July 5 Dwyer at 1 1/16 miles.

"Horses change," Zito said. "Right now, the way he's been

training these last two months, we've thought for sure that he wanted to go

long. The miles he's logged have indicated that he's changed. If you look at it,

the Florida Derby wasn't bad. The Dwyer was a good indication that he will go

long."

A longtime assistant and exercise rider for Zito, Maxine

Correa echoed her boss' sentiments.

"When he gallops and breezes, he gallops out after the

breeze as if he's still breezing," she said. "Never mind the breeze, at the end

of the gallop he pulls even harder than at the beginning of the gallop."

Based for most of the year with Zito's string in Saratoga,

Spot has worked steadily for the Curlin, including a bullet half-mile breeze in

:48 on June 28. Most recently the gray Kentucky-bred went four furlongs in :49

2/5 on July 17; both moves were over the Spa's fast main track.

"He's doing good here. He likes the main track," Zito said.

"I wish, like everybody else, it was five weeks from the Dwyer but what are you

going to do? It was a good race, and he did win a graded race. He won the Swale.

We'll see what happens."

Jockey Jose Ortiz will ride Spot for the first time in the

Curlin; they drew post eight in a field of 10 at 117 pounds, six less than

co-highweights Tiz'naz and Joint Custody.

"I always like the inside because you always get position

right off the bat, but from the outside he'll do what he's got to do," Zito

said. "He's really strong right now. I talked to the jock; he's a bright kid. He

looks like he's got a future. He was here the other day and we went over the

race with him. Hopefully, he gets a good place and a good trip."

Zito picked up his first two wins of the Saratoga meet on Monday in

back-to-back, seven-furlong dirt sprints with three-year-olds, filly Another Incident

in a $55,000 allowance and colt Tony B in a $20,000 maiden claimer.

Owned by Leonard Riggio's My Meadowview Farm, Tony B is a

chestnut son of Old Fashioned who cost $500,000 as a two-year-old in training last

spring. Named for 87-year-old entertainer and artist Tony Bennett, he was

seventh in his career debut last summer at Saratoga.

On Monday, Tony B was fractious in the gate but broke well

and settled in third behind pacesetter Midnight Frolic under jockey Luis Saez

before shaking clear at the quarter-pole and spurting away to win by 11 lengths

in 1:23 3/5.

"Sometimes you've got horses and they're not doing well and

you put them in a claiming race and they run off the screen. Naturally, you hope

they're not claimed," Zito said. "He wasn't claimed.

"Mr. Riggio liked him as a

two-year-old and he was an expensive two-year-old. We just couldn't get a break with

this horse his two-year-old year. He had an issue here and an issue there. We gave

him all the time. We're so grateful he wasn't claimed because of how he won and

what could happen."

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