Sarrasin Begins American Odyssey in Big Apple

[Wandering Eyes]

A plan launched over two months ago bears its first fruit Saturday afternoon at New York’s Belmont Park, when Australian Racing Stables’s Sarrasin (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) takes in a one-mile (1600m) allowance race, the first of a series of tests connections hope will translate into an appearance in America’s year-end championships, the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs.

Last seen finishing a decent fifth to the classy Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}) in the G1 Ranvet S. at Rosehill in late March, Sarrasin was given a pair of 1200-meter trials at home, finishing off well to take a May 21 hit-out at Warwick Farm (video) before finishing a solid third at Randwick June 12 (video).

Less than two weeks later, Sarrasin was on a New York-bound jet, a trip that would take 30 hours via Shanghai and Anchorage. Despite the arduous journey and a recent spate of hot and muggy weather, the 6-year-old has settled in well, so much so that a projected stateside debut in the Forbidden Apple S. (1600m) July 14 was scrapped in favor of Saturday’s heat.

“I think by the mere fact that we’ve pushed forward this first run tells you that he’s settled in as well as we could have hoped,” Freedman said by phone Friday morning. “He’s handled the heat well–for horses in Australia, 35-degree (Celsius, mid-90-degree Fahrenheit) heat isn’t that big a deal. Humidity is is a little more stressful for them, but it hasn’t worried him terribly much. He’s been eating, he’s coped with the travel very well and he’s felt good on the track.”

In typical fashion for Australian-trained horses, Freedman views Saturday’s race as a stepping-stone to the 11-furlong (2200m) Grade II Bowling Green S. July 28 at Saratoga and the 1 1/2-mile (2400m) Grade I Sword Dancer Invitational S. four weeks later. The latter event offers a fees-paid berth into the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Turf.

“In Australia, we take a slightly different attitude to races,” Freedman explained. “The horse will certainly be trying his hardest, but we will be using this race as a warm-up run, as a part of his training program to the longer races. It’s a distance short of his best, but we’d like to see him running on strongly at the end.

He continued, “He won’t be contesting the lead, that’s not his style of racing. He’ll be giving some start away to those horses and hopefully his strength at the end will let him take some ground from them. If he can win, he’ll win. We look forward to the next two races. That’s where we start to reach distances that I think are right in his range. Those distances are in his zone.”

In a stroke of good luck, Aussie jockey Regan Bayliss has been riding track work in New York and has the call Saturday.

“We had Luis Saez on standby for the Forbidden Apple, but he wasn’t available when we shifted gears,” Freedman said. “Regan was already in New York, and it’s just an easier assignment for us to explain how this horse needs to be ridden to someone who rides in Australian-type races all the time, rather than trying to explain to someone not as familiar.”

Bayliss’s world travels will continue in England next weekend, where he is scheduled to reunite with Redkirk Warrior (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}) in the G1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket.

In the meantime, Freedman will be watching with nervous anticipation from halfway around the world when Belmont race three loads at 4.45am Sunday morning.

“What will relax me is if the horse runs and runs well,” Freedman said. “I’m not concerned if he wins or doesn’t win, but if he runs well and shows us that he’s on track to go to these next races, then I’ll start to believe a little bit more. Fingers crossed.”

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