Travers starters Dixie Union, Impeachment, Country Coast, Albert the Great, and Commendable each galloped at Saratoga this morning. Unshaded walked the shed row. Ohio Derby (gr. II) winner Milwaukee Brew is also being pointed toward a start in the Travers.
Jeanne G. Vance's Postponed and Godolphin Racing's Curule each put in works over the fast main track at Saratoga Wednesday in preparation for Saturday's $1-million 1 1/4-mile Travers Stakes (gr. I). Postponed went three furlongs in :36.02. Curule's five-furlong breeze was timed in 1:03.31."We worked him (Postponed) today because I thought he needed it" said trainer Flint Schulhofer. "We train each horse differently according to its individual needs. We're not doing anything differently for this race than we've done with him in the past."Schulhofer saddled 1999 Travers winner Lemon Drop Kid -- also owned by Vance -- and will seek to become the first trainer since Shug McGaughey (who trained Easy Goer and Rhythm to Travers victories in 1989 and 1990) to saddle back-to-back Travers winners.After Curule's slow five furlong work, assistant trainer Eric Coatrieux said, "It wasn't much of a work, he doesn't need anymore conditioning. We just wanted to open up his lungs a bit."The son of Go for Gin won a Belmont Park allowance race against older horses in July by setting all the fractions. In his next start, he dropped 10 lengths back early before rallying for second in the Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II)."He'll show more speed in the Travers," said Coatrieux. "Albert the Great looks like the only true speed horse and I don't want Curule too far out of it. He showed in that allowance race that he can be close to the pace and finish well."
