The popular colt ARCANGELO, winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) for John Ebbert and trainer Jena Antonucci, solidified his position as the top American three-year-old with a strong win in the prestigious Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday. The grey son of Arrogate was winning for the fourth straight time under jockey Javier Castellano and left in his wake Disarm, Kentucky Derby winner Mage and champion Forte.
But the brilliant win by Arcangelo was simply a little bright light on another horrific day of racing at Saratoga in which two more horses broke down including another star horse who was on his way to a Grade 1 win.
Just two weeks after Maple Leaf Mel broke down just before she was going to win the Grade 1 Test Stakes, NEW YORK THUNDER broke a leg just before he was about to win the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens Memorial. Canadian fans will know New York Thunder, a son of Nyquist who had never lost in four previous races, including an easy win in Woodbine’s Woodstock Stakes on April 30.
Owned by AMO Racing USA and trained by Jorge Delgado, New York Thunder was off for three months after his Woodstock win and came back to take the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga by 7 1/2 lengths with a whopping 110 Beyer Speed Figure. The colt had a five-length lead on a muddy track that had been sealed late in the Jerkens.
New York Thunder was supposed to race in the Woody Stephens Stakes in June but was scratched with a bruised foot.
Earlier in the day, Qatar Racing’s Nobel (Ire), making his first start in the US for trainer Brendan Walsh, broke down galloping out from an allowance/optional claiming race on the grass.
There have been numerous injuries to horses during the current Saratoga meeting. Officials were deciding whether to race the Sunday, August 27 card at the time of this writing.
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