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Visiting Team Marlang, Marsh Side represent Hall of Fame trainer Drysdale SWORD DANCER PREVIEW
BY Joe Clancy Got 20 minutes at Saratoga? Spend them with a Hall of Fame trainer and two Grade I horses. Neil Drysdale, trainer of A.P. Indy, Fusaichi Pegasus, Aragorn, Labeeb, Tasso, Princess Rooney and other stars through the years, sent two horses to Saratoga this week. At least one, Marlang, will run in today’s Sword Dancer. The other, Marsh Side, may opt to pass in favor of the Arlington Million or the Sky Classic next week. Occupying stalls in trainer John Hertler’s Oklahoma barn, both horses looked superb Friday morning. Gustav Schickendanz’s Marlang strolled the walking ring after a light gallop and a bath. The robust 5-year-old won the 2008 Saranac at Saratoga for trainer Debbie England. Since then, he’s moved to Drysdale’s base at Hollywood Park after failing to break through in gradedstakes company in Canada. The son of Langfuhr finished fifth in his 2010 debut at a mile in late June, then led from the start to capture the 1 1/2-mile Sunset Handicap (Gr. III) July 18. Drysdale aimed for the Sword Dancer because of his horse’s tactical speed and his history with the Spa’s inner turf course. “He’ll be well-suited to the course because he’s already won here,” Drysdale said. “There hasn’t been much speed in the races in the East, that’s one of the reasons we sent him back. There’s another speed horse in there (Al Khali) but he’s unproven at the mile-and-a-half. Marlang is.” Bred in Canada by his owner, Marlang could be proven in just about anything based on his looks – big head, strong muscles along his withers, powerful hindquarters and a classic turf look, he turns heads most places he goes. He and Marsh Side shipped from California Wednesday and spent a night at Clare Court before finding a little more peace at Hertler’s barn.
“The atmosphere here is so different, and it’s much better for our horses,” said Drysdale, who normally stays with Hertler when sending horses to New York. “(Marlang) is quiet, he’s adaptable and that helps. You can then go to races like this with a bit more confidence because he’ll handle the ship and everything.” Marlang gets jockey John Velazquez, and is 6-1 on the morning line. His stablemate Marsh Side carries a long resume that includes 28 starts dating to 2006, six wins and more than $2.2 million in earnings. The 7-year-old Robert Evans homebred has competed in the United States, Canada, Dubai and Japan and has posted two Grade I wins – the 2009 Northern Dancer and the 2008 Canadian International at Woodbine. Some of the son of Gone West’s best races have come on courses labeled good or yielding, and Drysdale and Evans’ racing manager Patrick LawleyWakelin will watch the weather – and weigh other variables – before making a decision on where to run. He comes off a solid fourth in the 1 1/4-mile Arlington Handicap (Gr. III) July 17, his first start since March. “We have to make up our minds, but he’s a mile-and-a-half horse too and we have options with turf horses this time of year,” said Drysdale, who watched Marsh Side roll through a light gallop on the Oklahoma dirt track. “He was giving quite a good pull really. That’s good to see. He looks happy, very happy.” Inducted himself in 2000, Drysdale took part in the Hall of Fame ceremony later in the morning – taking a bow along with 19 others in the annual introduction of past inductees. “I’m not sure how long it’s been since I’ve been to Saratoga, but it’s been quite a long time,” Drysdale said. “It’s nice to be back.”
“Saddle up and enjoy the ride with Susan Richards. You’ll love it.” — Rita Mae Brown
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Three elegant tales filled with horses as complicated and spirited as their human counterparts, these are inspiring stories of courage and hope and the ways in which all love — even a horse’s — has the power to heal.
Saturday, August 14, 2010