Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Mott, Alvarado Counting Down The Minutes Until The Travers

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–As the hours shrink to minutes and the 156th running of the GI, $1.25 million Travers Stakes gets upon us, those closest to Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the 2-5 morning-line favorite, handle the agonizing moments until post time in different ways.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott admitted he'll “probably” be nervous.

“It's like being on the freeway,” he said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track as Sovereignty munched on some grass a few feet away. “Defensive driving all the time. So far, everything has been good. That is the thing; you can't make one mistake.”

Junior Alvarado, who has ridden Sovereignty in seven of his eight starts–including wins in the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and GII Jim Dandy Stakes–said he has been sleeping just fine, thank you, in the days leading up to the Midsummer Derby.

He said he felt more pressure in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby because that was a race that was circled at the start of the season for the big colt.

“You have to run the race,” Alvarado said at the Mott barn. “In my whole career, the hardest races have been the ones that look more easy. I have been saying all along that if he runs his 'A' race, that should be enough, he should be able to win. When he runs his 'A' race, he is just faster than everybody else. If he is on his 'A' game, 1 1/4 (miles) will be easy for him. I don't know how easy it will be for the other horses.”

Godolphin's Sovereignty has won both his starts at 1 1/4 miles; none of the others in the Travers have tried it.

Sovereignty is the leading 3-year-old colt in the country after winning four of five starts this year. He won the Kentucky Derby at odds of nearly 8-1 and the Belmont at 5-2. In those races, he defeated Journalism (Curlin), the favorite in both of them.

In the Jim Dandy, Sovereignty was the 1-2 favorite and defeated Baeza (McKinzie) by a length.

Now comes the Travers. And because he is such a heavy favorite against four rivals–none who have won a GI race–the pressure could be immense.

“The Travers is like the Kentucky Derby of the summer,” Alvarado said. This is the biggest race for everybody in the summertime. I have never won it; Mr. Mott has never won it. I am more excited for Saturday to come so I can ride the big guy.”

Patch Adams at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

Cox Has Strong Hand in Jerkens
Patch Adams (Into Mischief) has already proven himself as he owns a GI win (Woody Stephens) and has three wins in six career starts. Verifire (Authentic) has not, but don't sleep on him.

They are the two 3-year-olds trainer Brad Cox is running in Saturday's GI, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes. Patch Adams is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the field of eight going seven furlongs; Verifire is the 4-1 second choice.

Start with Patch Adams, who is owned by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC (WinStar also bred him), has won both his starts at seven furlongs, including the Woody Stephens on a muddy track.

“He is a very talented horse,” Cox said this week from Kentucky. “He has shown he is a Grade I horse, and we thought that throughout the winter the way he was training.”

Patch Adams started the season with a pair of fourth place finishes in the GIII Southwest Stakes and GIII Tampa Bay Derby.

Following those two, Cox decided the colt would be better suited going one turn. He had broken his maiden by 10 1/2 lengths going seven furlongs in his second start.

“He really moved forward when we cut him back to one turn,” Cox said. “We're excited about he has trained since the Woody Stephens, and he is ready to roll.”

Verifire went for $1 million at the 2024 Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-year-olds in training sale. Owned by Resolute Racing and Cha Cha Chestnuts LLC, he has won all three of his starts by combined 15 1/2 lengths. The Jerkens will be his first start in a graded stakes race.

“It took us a while to get him to the races and he has performed very well,” Cox said. “It's always tough when you go from a listed stake or an overnight to a Grade I, but look, he has been very solid and we're looking forward to giving him an opportunity on the big stage.”

Verifire, who starts from post five, will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who has been aboard the first three starts.

Doc Sullivan (red cap) | Sarah Andrew

Ortiz Giving 'Doc' His Chance in Forego
When a horse is doing good, you run. That's what trainer John Ortiz is doing with Doc Sullivan (Solomini) in Saturday's GI, $500,000 Forego on Saturday.

Owned by Tristar Farm LLC, the 4-year-old New York-bred Doc Sullivan is coming off a victory in the John Morrissey Stakes on July 31 at Saratoga. From there, Ortiz started thinking about giving Doc Sullivan a shot with the big boys.

And here he is.

The Morrissey was the first start for Doc Sullivan running out of Ortiz's barn. It was his first start since March.

“He came out of that race in fantastic form,” Ortiz said at his barn on the Saratoga backstretch. “We got him fit perfectly for that race. He did not miss one work. The fact that he got it done and did it the way he did it was incredible.”

Doc Sullivan, who was ridden by Joel Rosario in the Morrissey–he will ride him in the Forego–navigated a muddy track and won the race by a head at 5-1 odds.

In the Forego, he will be 20-1, which is understandable. This will be just his second try in a GI race; he was sixth in the GI Pennsylvania Derby last year when being trained by Mike Miceli.

That is not detouring Ortiz. He likes what he sees from the horse in the mornings.

“He gained weight off that last race,” Ortiz said. “We are taking a shot. Joel worked him in between races and he says he feels bigger and stronger than he did in the last one.”

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