One in Vermillion strides away in the Lazaro Barrera May 6 at Santa Anita (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Jonathan Kalman’s graded stakes-placed One in Vermillion galloped for the second straight day Friday since arriving mid-week from Canterbury Park ahead of his Saratoga Race Course debut in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial.
Trainer Esteban ‘Steve’ Martinez vanned One in Vermillion from the Shakopee, Minn. track to Saratoga, a 20-hour trip that included an overnight stop in Ohio. He has been pleased with how the 3-year-old Army Mule colt has taken to the track and settled in with his new surroundings.
“He likes it pretty good. I thought he got a hold of it even better today,” Martinez said. “He relaxes everywhere I take him. He likes seeing everything. He thinks he’s at home. He doesn’t get too excited. He’s a really good shipper.”
Martinez, who has galloped One in Vermillion himself, is cutting the California-bred back to seven furlongs off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby going 1 1/8 miles August 6 at Mountaineer Park, where he was beaten three lengths by Red Route One.
It is a move the connections have made before, when One in Vermillion cruised to a front-running 5 1/4-length triumph in the Laz Barrera May 6 at Santa Anita four weeks after he finished fifth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, both times racing in the name of trainer Eric Kruljac.
“The last time we did it he won for fun, so it should be good,” Martinez said. “These are a different kind of horses, but we’ll see. He is all speed. I trust him. I know he’s going to try.”
One in Vermillion won the Turf Paradise Open Spring Futurity, Lost in the Fog Juvenile and Riley Allison Derby, the latter going one mile at Sunland Park, in successive starts to earn him a shot at the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Sunland Derby March 26, finishing fifth.
After returning from California, One in Vermillion beat older horses in an open six-furlong allowance June 3 and was second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the one-mile Canterbury Park Derby, his lone turf start. Prior to his most recent start, he dead-heated for first in the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Derby July 8 at Prairie Meadows but was disqualified and placed second for interference.
One in Vermillion drew Post 2 in the Jerkens, a compact but quality field of six that includes Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun winner Arabian Lion and Grade 3 Dwyer winner Fort Bragg, both trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and New York Thunder, undefeated winner of the Grade 2 Amsterdam July 28 at Saratoga.
Saratoga’s leading rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., has signed on to ride One in Vermillion from post 2 in place of injured Luis Saez.
“We’re excited to be here,” Martinez said. “I know we are in a pretty tough spot, but we have to try. I like the horse. He tries all the time. He fights hard and we’ve got the best rider on him, so we’ll see what happens.”
This is the first time in Saratoga for the 54-year-old Martinez, who came to the U.S. from Mexico at 16 and worked as an exercise rider before turning to breaking and training horses. He currently has 20 horses stabled at Canterbury.
“I was the trainer in charge for Eric Kruljac and I still help him with breaking horses. I’ve been breaking his horses for 30 years,” Martinez said. “When I first started with this one when we were breaking him, I thought he was going to be good but not like this. Every once in a while you get a good one.
“[Saratoga] is a lot different,” he added. “I never expected to be here in a race like this. This is the best horse I’ve ever had. I’m excited. We’ll do what we can.”
