NYRA officials responded quickly after a severe storm uprooted a massive maple tree outside Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday evening.
The tree crashed onto the roof of Mott’s office shortly after 7 p.m., following Opening Day festivities at Saratoga Race Course. Despite the dramatic scene, the office sustained no significant damage and was unoccupied when the incident occurred.
“It was coming down and I was trying to hold it up, and I couldn’t hold it up,” Mott said Friday morning, joking about the situation.
Mott and his wife Tina were dining at Pennell’s Restaurant when the storm hit, forcing patrons to move indoors as winds intensified.
According to Paul Caiano, chief meteorologist at WNYT-13, the NBC affiliate in Albany, the 45-minute storm dropped just under an inch of rain on Saratoga with radar indicating wind gusts exceeding 50 miles per hour.
The horses at Mott’s barn—including GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief)—remained undisturbed throughout the incident. The falling tree narrowly missed a two-horse open air stall adjacent to the office.
Damage was minimal, limited to a couple of Adirondack chairs outside the barn. Curiously, a hanging flowerpot outside the office remained intact despite being in the tree’s path.
Mott confirmed the tree would be removed via chainsaws within the next few days.
## Mo Plex Likely to Stay Put for Jim Dandy
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart indicated Friday that Mo Plex (Complexity) will likely remain at Saratoga for the GII, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26.
The decision follows the New York-bred’s four-furlong workout in :49.25 (46/92) on the main track with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard—his second consecutive workout at the distance.
“We are leaning towards the Jim Dandy,” Englehart said.
Last week, Englehart had considered running Mo Plex, winner of the GIII Ohio Derby in his last start, in the GI, $1-million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park next Saturday.
Mo Plex is owned by Rick Higgins of Saratoga and Howard Reed of Albany (R & H Stable). Englehart acknowledged he initially tried steering his owners away from the Jim Dandy but ultimately recognized the home-track advantage.
“If you go to the Haskell, you could have Journalism (Curlin); if we run here, you have Sovereignty and a couple other real nice horses,” Englehart said. “Any time you run in any of these races, you are going to have tough horses to run against.”
Englehart hopes to secure Ortiz for the Jim Dandy mount, though no commitment has been made.
“I am hoping,” Ortiz said after the work. “There has been no decision made yet.”
Ortiz previously rode Hill Road (Quality Road) to a fifth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes. That Chad Brown trainee could also target the Jim Dandy.
“I would love to have Irad,” Englehart said. “But if we can’t, there are a lot of good riders in that room.”
## Fierceness Works Towards His Date in Whitney
‘TDN Rising Star’ Fierceness (City of Light) delivered another impressive workout Friday, completing five furlongs in 1:01.60 (4/10) on the main track. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher watched as the 4-year-old worked in company with stablemate Dreamlike (Gun Runner), a 5-year-old gelding, under regular exercise rider Danny Wright.
“It was typical of what we always see from him,” Pletcher said outside his office on the Oklahoma Training Track. “I thought he was very impressive; he did it in hand throughout. We wanted a good, solid work without overdoing it and that is what he did.”
This marked Fierceness’s second workout since finishing second in the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga on June 7. The colt is targeting the GI, $1-million Whitney Stakes on August 2.
Pletcher continues evaluating whether Fierceness, owned by Repole Stable, Derrick Smith, Michael B. Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier, will have stablemate company in the Whitney.
‘TDN Rising Star’ Mindframe (Constitution), undefeated in three starts this year, remains under consideration for the same race. Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC, Mindframe won the GI Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in his last start on June 28 and will resume workouts next week.
“We will continue to monitor how both are doing and wait as long as we can to make a decision,” Pletcher said about potentially running both in the Whitney. “If you run them both against each other, barring a miraculous dead heat, one of them is going to get beat.”
