RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Travers entrant The Puma gallops on the main track at Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Thinking back to the morning of this year's Kentucky Derby doesn't bring up fond memories for Gustavo Delgado Jr.
Heading into the Run for the Roses, Delgado and his father, Gustavo Delgado Sr., had high hopes that The Puma would give the father-son training duo their second Derby win, having previously won the race with Mage in 2023.
The Puma never even made it to the starting gate. Less than 12 hours before scheduled post time at Churchill Downs, the colt - who had the fifth-best morning-line odds in the original 20-horse field - was scratched due to a swollen left front leg caused by a skin infection.
"We've been on both sides of the coin," Gustavo Delgado Jr. said, "winning it, and having to scratch the morning of (the race). It's just a reflection of the ups and downs of (training) horses."
Trainer Gustavo Delgado, left, and his son and assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr.watch their Travers Stakes entrant The Puma gallop at Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
The Puma, whose name comes from Gustavo Delgado Sr.'s nickname, has raced just once since scratching from the Derby, a fourth-place effort in the Haskell Stakes last month at New Jersey's Monmouth Park, but the Delgado barn is optimistic of a step forward on Saturday when he takes on nine rivals in Saratoga Race Course's biggest showcase, the Travers Stakes .
"We knew that we needed the race," Delgado Jr. said of The Puma's Haskell performance. "It was four months from his last race. We knew that he wasn't 100%, but we still believe that it was a good effort."
The Puma, who will break from the No. 4 post on Saturday, certainly has Travers pedigree . His sire, Essential Quality, won the race for trainer Brad Cox in 2021.
His form prior to scratching out of the Kentucky Derby also suggests success. After hitting the board in his first two career starts, The Puma broke his maiden with a win in the Tampa Bay Derby over Further Ado, who went on to be the post-time favorite for the Kentucky Derby. A second-place finish by a nose to Commandment in the Florida Derby had The Puma in prime position to contend on the first Saturday in May before he was derailed the morning of the race.
Since finishing fourth in the Haskell, The Puma shipped to Saratoga and got in three workouts, the most recent coming this past Friday, when he breezed six furlongs.
The Puma, with jockey Javier Castellano, heads to the track for a workout ahead of the Travers at Saratoga Race Course this past Friday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
"He was in good form back then (before the Derby)," Delgado Jr. said. "What we want is to get him back to that level that he had before, and I think we have accomplished that. It's going to be an exciting race on Saturday."
Luis Saez rode The Puma in the Haskell, but he'll be reunited with Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano for the Travers.
Castellano rode The Puma in three of his first four career starts, including his Tampa Bay Derby win, and he rode Mage to Kentucky Derby glory for the Delgados in 2023. He also knows how to win the Travers better than any rider in history, with a record seven victories in Saratoga's biggest race.
Castellano's most recent Travers win came aboard Arcangelo in 2023 when he rode that horse instead of Mage, who finished last in a seven-horse field under Flavien Prat.
"That's the rider that you want to have, especially in this race," Delgado Jr. said of Castellano.
Trainer Gustavo Delgado, left, and his son and assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr.watch their Travers Stakes entrant The Puma gallop at Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
A Travers win would also be a major milestone for the Delgado family. Gustavo Delgado Sr. won the Triple Crown in his native Venezuela on three occasions, but a win with The Puma on Saturday would go alongside Mage's 2023 Kentucky Derby win as his biggest accomplishment on U.S. soil.
"If you take the Kentucky Derby out of the equation, the Travers is the race that not just us, but anyone that likes to come to Saratoga, wants to win," Delgado Jr. said.
There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢. This article originally published at The Puma looms as a contender for Saratoga's Travers Stakes .
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