Seems Like Old ‘Times’ at the Spa

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It’s just a tick after 7:30 a.m. on an overcast and humid Tuesday morning and impressive Belmont Park debut winner Swamp Rat (Hat Trick {Jpn})–more on that eccentric name in a bit, too–is cooling out during the break on the backstretch of Saratoga’s historic Oklahoma Training Track.

With a small stable of promising 2-year-olds housed in Barn 66, veteran conditioner Phil Gleaves seems to have a permanent smile on his face throughout the morning as old acquaintances and passerby wish him well in his first full season stabled back at the Spa since 2002.

“We had been in Miami year-round for the last 15 years or so and we decided that now that our son Schuyler is in college-he’s going to be a sophomore [in the fall]-it was a good time to relocate back to Saratoga,” said the affable Gleaves, adding that he and his wife Amy recently purchased a home in nearby Ballston Spa.

The former longtime assistant to the legendary Woody Stephens enjoyed one of the biggest highlights of his career right here on 267 Union Avenue with Wise Times in the 1986 GI Travers S. In addition to that dramatic come-from-behind win over Danzig Connection in the Saratoga slop, the son of Mr. Leader also captured that term’s GI Haskell Invitational H. at Monmouth Park and GI Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.

“It was my second year on my own,” Gleaves, a native of Liverpool, England, said. “I left Woody in ’85 and we were fortunate enough to have Wise Times in the barn for our longtime client Mr. Reineman.”

Gleaves continued, “I’ve come up to Saratoga sporadically to run a horse here or there, but after not being here on a regular basis for the last 15 years, you tend to get a greater appreciation of it. I feel lucky and blessed to be back. NYRA was very good about giving me stalls. I just love being here-it’s a great feeling.”

The aforementioned Swamp Rat, named after a prized rodeo bull for the Hilliard family, turned in a smart stretch rally at 24-1 to win going away by 2 3/4 lengths traveling six furlongs in a grassy maiden special weight at Belmont June 17. Swamp Rat was produced by the unplaced Smart Strike mare R Smarty Pants.

Yes and Yes (Sidney’s Candy), bred by Gleaves and co-owned along with Joseph R. Straus, Jr. and Hugh Fitzsimons, also lit up the tote at first asking downstate at 36-1, just getting up by a nostril at five furlongs on the Belmont lawn May 25.

Both received very respectable 72 Beyer Speed Figures and are training up to the $100,000 Skidmore S. for 2-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs over the Saratoga turf Aug. 17. A potential allowance prep race this week failed to fill.

“Both ran impressive races,” Gleaves said.

Yes and Yes added another chapter to Gleaves’s unraced Distorted Humor mare Aberdeen Alley (TDN Feature), who has remarkably produced six winners from six starters, including Saratoga stakes winner Miami Cat (Powerful Goer) and the stakes-placed I Ain’t Gonna Lie (Monarchos).

“That mare continues to throw good runners,” Gleaves, 60, said proudly. “Aberdeen Alley is my only mare and we relocated her from Kentucky to get involved in the New York State breeding program. She is currently at McMahon Farm and has a Dominus colt by her side and is in foal to Freud.”

Gleaves will saddle a pair of 2-year-old firsters this week at the Spa as Bull Feathers (With Distinction) kicks off her career in a maiden special weight for New York-breds on the main track Wednesday and Isabelle’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) lines up in a maiden special weight sprinting on the grass Thursday. He plans to winter at Peter Vegso’s farm in Ocala, Florida, and race at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I have eight horses and they’re all 2-year-olds,” Gleaves said. “That’s the whole kit and caboodle and I’m quite comfortable with that. We’re fully aware of the level of competition up here, so we have to temper our enthusiasm somewhat. But, after saying that, we have a nice group of young horses and we’re not up here to play around.”

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