Shancelot Looks Long Gone in Jerkens

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainer Jorge Navarro has manage to saddle the winner of a Grade I sprint at Saratoga every other year since 2015. That summer he sent out the fleet-footed Private Zone (Macho Uno) to an unextended defeat of The Big Beast (Yes It’s True) in the GI Forego S. on this program and two summers later was represented by El Deal (Speightstown), a towering eight-length winner of the GI A. G. Vanderbilt H. Navarro, who has also overseen the career of G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen hero X Y Jet (Kantharos), will have the prohibitive chalk to keep the streak alive in Saturday’s GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. in the form of the unbeaten Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby).

Rested off a debut victory in February–in which he accounted for future GISP Bodexpress (Bodemeister)–the dark bay pummeled Monmouth allowance foes by 6 1/4 lengths June 23, then turned the GII Amsterdam S. into a laugher, stopping the clock in an eye-popping 1:14.01 for the 6 ½ panels while defeating Nitrous (Tapit) by better than a dozen lengths. A repeat or even something close to that effort wins this for fun, although Call Paul (Friesan Fire), drawn just to his outside in gate two, could prove a fly in the ointment from a pace perspective.

Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) won the GI Hopeful S. over track and trip last summer and has an admirable record of 4-2-0-1 at this specialist distance. After disembarking the Triple Crown trail, the Red Oak homebred annexed the seven-furlong GIII Bay Shore S. Apr. 6 and encountered a fair bit of trouble when eighth to Hog Creek Hustle (Overanalyze) in the GI Woody Stephens S. June 8 and when third at long odds-on in Laurel’s Concern S. July 14.

Rowayton (Into Mischief) cuts back to one turn for the first time since posting a career-best 97 Beyer in landing a first-level Belmont allowance going 6 1/2 panels June 6. Second to ‘TDN Rising Star’ and champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in last year’s GI Del Mar Futurity, Rowayton would give his sire a second Jerkens in three years (Practical Joke, 2017).

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