Kentucky Derby winner settles in nicely at Saratoga

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Saratoga Springs, NY (Sports Network) - One day after arriving at Saratoga Race Course from Maryland, Kentucky Derby winner Orb was enjoying himself as he gets ready for the Travers on Saturday, Aug. 24.

"We got here and turned him out in the round pen at 5:30 this morning, and he was jumping and playing," McGaughey said. "I think his energy level is back to where we want it. We fed him last night, and he ate up in 20 minutes. We didn't feed him full feed, obviously, but he'll be on it tonight. He didn't look at it and go back to the corner by any means."

Orb, owned by Stuart Janney III and Phipps Stable, was sent to Fair Hill Training Center after finishing third in the Belmont Stakes. He was fourth in the Preakness.

"He weighs like 1,050 pounds now, but when he went down there he weighed about 960 pounds, but that was Monday after the Belmont," the Hall of Fame trainer noted.

Orb will have one workout prior to the 1 1/4-mile Travers.

"I'll gallop him through the week, and I'll breeze him a half-mile on Monday, which we have done all the time," McGaughey said. "I think I blew him out Sunday before the Belmont. But, maybe, I want to do a little more with him, and we'll see how it goes from there. I want to school him in the paddock a time or two. We have schooled him in the gate at Fair Hill, so I don't know that I'll do that. Really, we're just going to try to keep what we've got, keep him happy and get him ready to (work) next Monday."

In the "Mid-Summer Derby", Orb will face rivals Palace Malice, Verrazano, Golden Soul along with about five other 3-year-olds.