Telekinesis is the play of the weekend
You have to go back to his first career start, in February at the Fair Grounds, to find the last time Telekinesis tried sprinting. He won that day, defeating seven foes to record a Beyer Speed Figure of 90, and would then go on to make four consecutive route starts. Telekinesis was run down late after being up and on the pace in the Lexington by My Boy Jack, who along with Pony Up sat comfortably at the back of the pack before closing nicely. He then won the Plate Trial at Woodbine before finishing 5th of 16 in the Queen’s Plate, which was won by his stablemate Wonder Gadot.
And now Mark Casse has decided he’ll pursue a Grade 1 win around one turn with Telekinesis, who drew post 2 in the field of nine for Saturday’s Allen Jerkens on the Travers undercard. Our expected favorite is Promises Fulfilled, winner of the Amsterdam last out. The field also includes Firenze Fire, Engage, and Wood Stephens winner Still Having Fun.
Full disclosure: I am a sucker for horses who run well routing and who then turn back to 7 furlongs. I love the move. Especially when the horse in question has shown an affinity for sprinting before. Telekinesis’ win at the Fair Grounds was visually impressive, as he fought on the outside up close early and drew off to win by 3 1/2.
Let’s talk about breeding. He’s by Ghostzapper, who ran in this race in 2003 when it was called the King’s Bishop. Ghostzapper lost that day, but he absolutely flew home at 9-1 and just missed. I remember because I bet him. It was Ghostzapper’s last career loss, and a wagering loss that I can still feel. Sometimes being right and losing stays with you for a while. Anyway, Ghostzapper could flat out run at the shorter distances.
As for the rest of the field, I see the same things as everyone else. If Promises Fulfilled can repeat his winning effort in the Amsterdam, then the rest of this field, including Telekinesis, may be playing for 2nd. But that’s a big if. With the rail draw, we know he’s going for the lead. And he has every right to refuse to stop. But at odds of what should be under 2-1, I’m not willing to take a chance.
Much was made of Firenze Fire’s Dwyer win. Accusations about Jason Servis’ “training methods” were hurled all over Racing Twitter. Personally I felt Firenze Fire was the best one-turn miler in the field and I bet accordingly. He can win here, but my gut says he’s a miler.
Still Having Fun and Engage could both win, and it would’t surprise me. But the other horse I am really interested in is Gidu. This is a bit of an odd spot for him, no? Word on the street is that he has always trained like he likes dirt. And being by Frankel, perhaps it’s not surprising it has taken this long to race him on the dirt.
The morning line on Telekinesis is 20-1. I don’t think we’ll get that. I’m seeing more like 15-1. But I’ll take it. Because I think he’s going to run huge and you gotta take your chances in this game. And I’ll use Gidu in the multis and probably with Telekinesis in the vertical wagers.
Good luck.
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