<b>Saratoga Notebook: </b>Medaglia d'Oro Recovering Nicely; Roaring Fever Rarin' to Go; Harlan's Holiday Back; Affirmed Success Takes Time

Trainer Bobby Frankel said Travers (gr. I) winner Medaglia d'Oro's injured left foot is healing well.

When Medaglia d'Oro returned to the winner's circle after the Travers Saturday, his left foreleg was bleeding. Frankel initially thought the colt had grabbed a quarter, but later said the problem was a bruise that was broken open during the race.

"It turned out to be really not much," Frankel said. "It's coming (around) really well."

Frankel said the colt isn't likely to race in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr.I) on Sept. 28 prior to the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr.I).

"Right now, I'm leaning toward the Breeders' Cup," he said.

Hopeful Entry Roaring Fever Nothing Like His Sister

Roaring Fever follows his successful full sister Raging Fever into stakes company Saturday in the Hopeful (gr.I).

Like Raging Fever and the stallion Stormin Fever, the
2-year-old colt owned by Edward P.Evans is a son of Storm Cat out of the mare Pennant Fever. He broke his maiden by by 2 1/4 lengths on Aug. 9, and turned in a bullet workout of :47 on Aug. 19.

Trainer Mark Hennig said Roaring Fever prepared for the Hopeful Monday with a four-furlong work in :48.17.

Even though they are full siblings, Hennig said Raging Fever and Roaring Fever are distinctly different.

"He's a bigger, stronger horse than she's ever been, and definitely (more so) than she was at two," Hennig said.

"He's a little less business-like. She was all business and had one thing on her mind, and that was go, go, go all the time. He's thinking about whatever he just passed, or whatever is beside him. That's because he's a male and he's got a lot of play in him.

"We were pleased with his attentiveness on race day because he seemed to go out there and do his job pretty well."

Some New York-Bred Purses to Increase

Robert Flynn, executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Horseman's Association, said members of his organization are pleased with the New York Racing Association's announcement this week to raise purses for some New York-bred races.

In a prepared statement, NYRA racing secretary Mike Lakow said Saratoga's open company maiden and allowance purse levels will stay in effect during the fall meeting at Belmont Park. In addition, New York-bred maiden and allowance purses will be raised by $2,000 for the Belmont meeting.

At the start of the Belmont spring meeting, NYRA increased the open company maiden and allowance raises by $2,000 but left the New York-bred purses at the the previous level. It was the first time there was a difference in the purses for open and state-bred maidens.

The purses for open maiden and allowance races were raised another $2,000 for the Saratoga meeting, widening the gap with the New York-bred purses to 4,000.

"We firmly believe that New York-bred races are responsible for the purse levels we're at because it's the money that is earned in the wintertime that allows (them) to be at the level they are at Belmont and Saratoga,"Flynn said.

"So it's appropriate in a business-like fashion to give back to the people who earn the money, the money they deserve. We're very happy with that.

Harlan's Holiday to Return in Pennsylvania Derby

Florida Derby (gr.I) and Blue Grass (gr.I) stakes winner Harlan's Holiday is scheduled to end a three-and-a-half month layoff Monday in the Pennsylvania Derby (gr.III) at hiladelphia Park.

In his final prep, Harlan's Holiday worked five furlongs Thursday in 1:04.07 on the training track. The final decision on whether the colt will run in the race will be made today after trainer Todd Pletcher sees how Harlan's Holiday reacted to the work.

If Harlan's Holiday does run in the Pennsylvania Derby, he will be ridden by Edgar Prado, his regular jockey. Though he is competing with Jerry Bailey for the Saratoga riding title, Prado has agreed to miss the final day of the Saratoga season to have the mount on Harlan's Holiday in the $500,000 race.

At the end of the race day Thursday, Prado led Bailey by eight wins.

"I told Edgar, make sure you're at least nine in front when you leave and that way you don't have to worry about it," Pletcher said.

Pletcher has handled Harlan's Holiday since early June when he was moved from Kenny McPeek's barn by owner Jack Wolf.

"I like the way the horse has trained. We've accomplished a few of the things we wanted to do, which was to freshen him up a bit and put some weight on him and hopefully set him up for a
campaign this fall."

One of those races coould be the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr.I).

"I think he merits consideration for that, especially in light of how well the 3-year-olds have been running this fall," Pletcher said."Obviously, he's held good company and showed in the Florida Derby and the Blue Grass that he was a top-quality horse.

"He was in light training after the Preakness and when we got him he continued kind of a light program with him for a while," Pletcher said. "The idea for me was that if he wasn't going to make the Jim Dandy or the Haskell then the Travers was kind of out of the equation. So now this became a logical program for him. Everything has kind of gone according to plan since then."

Wet Weather Keeps Affirmed Success in Barn

Due to the wet weather this week, the veteran stakes winner Affirmed Success will be shipped back to Belmont
Park without even having a serious work at Saratoga Race Course.

Albert Fried's multiple stakes-winning gelding was given the summer off after running in several stakes during the first half of the year.

"There are no real set plans right now, just get him back into a regular work program and go from there," trainer Richard Schosberg said. "He won't be ready to run for a while.

After a few seasons of preparing Affirmed Success for the Breeders' Cup Mile, Schosberg changed his approach for 2002.

With the Breeders' Cup is no longer part of the schedule, Affirmed Success made his first start in an allowance race at Aqueduct and raced once a month through the Tom Fool on July 4. Including a win in the
Carter Handicap (gr. I) on April 13, Affirmed Success compiled a record of 2-2-1 in six starts with purse earnings of $383,120.

"He just got tired from his campaign," Schosberg said. "He hasn't had this type of campaign early in the year for years.

"He ran six times this year, early on. That's usually his whole entire year. After the Tom Fool we just sent him to the farm, let him chill out. Then he came to us early in the meet and he' s just been galloping. He's not far away from a breeze."

Since Affirmed Success specializes in middle distance races, Schosberg said he may make another start in the Cigar Mile (gr. I) on Nov. 30.

"That would be a good later on in the year target. We'll see," Schosberg said. "The Vosburgh is a possibility, but it's coming up a little faster and he's taking his time getting himself ready this year."