Saturday workout for champion Wise Dan

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Saratoga Springs, NY (Sports Network) - Horse of the Year Wise Dan and stablemate Successful Dan each had workouts Saturday morning at Saratoga for owner Morton Fink and trainer Charles LoPresti,

With exercise rider Damien Rock in the saddle for both works, Wise Dan went four furlongs in 51.24 seconds over a main track labeled 'good' and Successful Dan covered five furlongs in 1:00.61 with the track upgraded to 'fast.'

"We didn't go fast by design," said LoPresti on Wise Dan's workout. "Damien said he just held onto him the whole way. He was really strong galloping out and going down the backside. (Wise Dan) wanted to do more, obviously."

The 6-year-old gelding won the Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs three weeks ago to go along with earlier wins this year in the Maker's 46 Mile and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.

"He's dead fit off those races. We'll probably take him over to the grass, maybe next week, and work him one time for the Fourstardave."

The Fourstardave Handicap will be on Aug. 10 and was won last year by Wise Dan.

The winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Mile has posted 16 wins in 23 lifetime starts for $4,149,631.

Successful Dan is being prepared for the $750,000 Whitney Invitational on Aug. 3. He was fourth in the Stephen Foster Handicap on June 15 at Churchill Downs last time out.

"I was really on the fence what to do with (Successful Dan) after he got up here," said LoPresti of the 7-year-old. "His race in the Foster was kind of a question. He had never been beat at Churchill. A lot of those horses didn't show up that night. (The winner) Fort Larned ran a great race, but the rest of the horses, Ron the Greek and Take Charge Indy, didn't run their races. Royal Delta didn't run her race over that track (when second that night in the Fleur de Lis Handicap). (Jockey Julien Leparoux) told me (Successful Dan) was having trouble getting hold of the ground, so I drew a line through (the race)."