WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay's Creator (Tapit) came out of his dramatic victory in Saturday's GI Belmont S. in fine shape, trainer Steve Asmussen reported Sunday as he continued to revel in his first win in the 1 1/2-mile Classic.
“I am obviously very proud of the horse,” Asmussen said. “He's very proud [of himself] this morning and he's very alert. I'm kind of surprised by his energy. He ate up last night.”
Asmussen admitted he didn't get much sleep Saturday night.
“I got up to watch the replay every 15 minutes,” he said.
Asmussen finished fourth in the 2011 Belmont with Nehro (Mineshaft) and a gut-wrenching second behind Rags to Riches (Giant's Causeway) with Curlin (Smart Strike) in 2007.
“I cannot wait to walk by that wall [the Clubhouse display of past Belmont winners], and I'll actually stop next year and look at the pictures for obvious reasons,” said Asmussen.
Asmussen, who will be inducted into racing's Hall of Fame this coming August, added of Saturday's race, “I thought it was a great race. I thought Irad [Ortiz] did a masterful job with him and with every decision he made. I really thought the horse tried to win late. He just really, really laid out there and dug in, and I personally feel very fortunate for his effort.”
Both Creator and his pacesetting stablemate Gettysburg (Pioneerof the Nile), who finished eighth, will now get some down time at WinStar Farm, but Asmussen is looking ahead to a possible tilt at the Aug. 27 GI Travers S. this summer.
“I very much think that, right now, with all of the pressure we've put on him, and the amount of racing that he's had this year, he needs a little mental freshening to get away from it for a bit,” said the trainer. “When he wins the Belmont in New York, you would love for Creator to be at his best for the Travers. But I think we need to do the responsible thing and let him let down a little bit, and then see how he responds. That is respect for the effort he gave us yesterday.”
The Travers was also on the mind of trainer Keith Desormeaux after Exaggerator (Curlin)'s 11th-place effort Saturday.
“He's good,” Desormeaux said of the GI Preakness S. winner. “I walked him myself at about 6:30 this morning. He's his same, vibrant self, bright-eyed, ate up his feed last night, legs are clean. Maybe a little more subdued than he usually is, but that stands to reason. [He's] good, happy and still has that confident look in his eye, so we're good. His trainer, I don't know about him. He's still trying to shake the cobwebs but, all in all, it's a good morning.”
Desormeaux said Exaggerator will remain at Belmont through the end of the spring meet before heading upstate with the July 30 GII Jim Dandy and Travers on his agenda.
“It seems like a good plan,” he said. “We'll go with that and if we have to adjust, we will.”
Todd Pletcher reported the Belmont's narrowly beaten runner-up Destin (Giant's Causeway) and stablemate Stradivari (Medaglia d'Oro) both came out of the race in fine shape.
“Both looked good this morning,” Pletcher. “I was pleased with the way they both bounced out of it pretty quickly for a mile-and-a-half race.”
Pletcher added that Gettysburg, who he trained up to a week ago, will remain in the Asmussen barn.
“I spoke to [WinStar president and CEO] Elliott [Walden] this morning and I think it is probably best–I don't think it is a good look if he comes back to us really. I think it is better if it doesn't happen,” Pletcher explained.
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