Trainer Charlie LoPresti sent Morton Fink's homebred Successful Dan out Aug. 20 for his second work since a strong runner-up finish in the Aug. 3 Whitney Invitational Handicap (gr. I), the 6-year-old gelded son of Successful Appeal getting five furlongs in 1:01.32 on the main track at Saratoga Race Course.
"I thought he went great; he did it pretty easy," LoPresti said. "He could have gone a lot faster than that, he was well within himself the whole way and galloped out really good."
Also on the tab was Janis Whitham's 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Fort Larned , a 5-year-old homebred son of E Dubai who ran fifth in the Whitney last time out. Turning in his second work since that race as well, Fort Larned went five furlongs in 1:01.06 for trainer Ian Wilkes to register the fastest move at the distance on the day, with Successful Dan coming in second on the list.
Both contenders are targeting a start in the $750,000 Woodward (gr. I) on Aug. 31 at the upstate New York oval.
Wilkes was pleased with the effort of Fort Larned, whose first work back after the Whitney was an Aug. 15 4-furlong breeze in :48 1/5. Successful Dan's first post-Whitney move was at the same distance in :49.73 on Aug. 13.
"I did a longer work with him, just a bit longer since he can stride along good, a naturally fast horse," the trainer said of the second move. "I got what I wanted and I was very pleased. He's doing good."
Of Fort Larned's Whitney loss off a sparkling June 15 wire-to-wire Stephen Foster (gr. I) score in near-record time at Churchill Downs, Wilkes was realistic.
"What can I say? We got beat," he remarked. "Broke a little slow, but bottom line, got beat. We'll let him bounce back and just keep moving forward toward the end goal."
