Colonel John Edges Mambo in Seattle
Head Bob Is the Difference in Travers
Robby Albarado, left, begins to celebrate aboard Mambo in Seattle, but it turns out Garrett Gomez and Colonel John won the Travers Stakes.
(Mike Groll - AP)
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Sunday, August 24, 2008
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Aug. 23 -- As Mambo in Seattle surged past the finish line today, jockey Robbie Albarado raised his whip in a triumphant salute. His mount had rallied to catch the leader, Colonel John, in the final stride of the $1 million Travers Stakes, one of the nation's most historic races.
Albarado was happily answering questions from ESPN as he jogged toward the winner's circle. As he talked, the in-house television at Saratoga was showing a slow-motion replay of the finish. Mambo in Seattle's momentum was carrying him past Colonel John, but at the split-second they reached the finish, Colonel John's head bobbed downward, onto the imaginary line. The crowd at Saratoga let out a collective "Ooh!" This was closer than the naked eye could perceive. After another replay, the "oohs" got even louder.
Colonel John had won it. Mambo in Seattle had been ahead one stride before the wire and one stride after, but he was the loser by the slimmest of noses.
The drama of the finish gave a much-needed shot of excitement to the 139th Travers. Often the race is a showcase for stars of the Triple Crown series, but the only star of the current 3-year-old generation, Big Brown, skipped the race. (The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner had run instead in the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth last month.) The Travers lineup was headed by Colonel John and Pyro, two colts who had been highly regarded until they flopped in the Kentucky Derby, and the late-blooming Mambo in Seattle, who had developed into a stakes runner here last month.
Da' Tara, the improbable winner of the Belmont Stakes, set the pace in the Travers, pressed by another long-shot speedster, while jockey Garrett Gomez put Colonel John on the rail behind them in perfect striking position. Meanwhile, Mambo in Seattle was toward the rear of the 12-horse field.
When the leaders turned into the stretch, Colonel John angled off the inside, got involved in some minor jostling and took aim on Da'Tara. Meanwhile, Mambo in Seattle was advancing steadily and accelerated four-wide on the turn. "I went all that way untouched," Albarado said. He had a perfect trip -- except for the head bob that went Colonel John's way.
The winner has been one of the nation's top-rated 3-year-olds since winning the Santa Anita Derby over a synthetic surface in March, but his reputation was tarnished by a poor showing in the Kentucky Derby. He had a rough trip at Churchill Downs, but the evidence suggested that he might be a synthetic-track specialist. Trainer Eoin Harty thought otherwise, and brought Colonel John to Saratoga for another try on dirt. The California colt showed Saturday that he has the versatility to win on different surfaces, but his modest winning time of 2 minutes 3.2 seconds suggests that he has not developed into a full-fledged star.
