http://paulmoranattheraces.blogspot....e-on-chin.html
Friday, April 4, 2008
Update: War Pass takes one on the chin
Wood Memorial favorite endures rough trip
on flight from Florida (But haven't we all?)
War Pass, the 6-5 morning line favorite, arrived in New York on Thursday afternoon at the end of a rough flight from Florida.
“We had to put three staples under his chin because he hit his head on the plane,” said Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who noted the cut on War Pass is simply superficial. “He looks great and he’s acting great.”
“I don’t know what the right word is with how you feel going into a race like this off a race like the Tampa Bay Derby,” Zito said. “You’re apprehensive, excited, happy, and cautious; I’m a fan, too, and I want to see a horse like War Pass run big. We know what works with him, so we’re going to do that.”
Court Vision, Inner Light and Tale of Ekati all arrived safely at Aqueduct Thursday afternoon and galloped over Aqueduct’s sloppy main track on Friday morning.
Although their trainers are based at Belmont Park, the decision was made to ship from Florida to Aqueduct.
Barclay Tagg was not thrilled at the prospect of a wet track but said he would not scratch the son of Tale of the Cat. “I don’t like wet tracks,” Tagg said. “Wet tracks favor particular horses sometimes and you don’t get an honest opinion of how your horse ran. A wet track [in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile] favored War Pass and a wet track favored Pyro.”