Empire doubt for Travers

Empire Maker, winner of the Belmont Stakes, is unlikely to run in the Grade One Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, according to trainer Bobby Frankel.

The three-year-old colt has had an occasional cough since he arrived at Saratoga late last month but Frankel’s concerns have been heightened after Empire Maker appeared a little lacklustre and did not eat up yesterday afternoon.

Frankel also reported that Spoken Fur had shown some mucus and coughed some after her third-place finish in the Alabama Stakes on August 16 while Frankel has taken another runner out of his race because of mucus and a cough.

The handler told www.thoroughbredtimes.com: “My first concern is the horse.

“I don’t think he’s sick sick, but there is something that is not right there, and if I do something stupid with him and train him, he might get sick. He’s giving us a signal.”

Frankel is most likely to run his other entry Peace Rules while Empire Maker could run in the Grade One Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park on September 6.

Meanwhile, trainer Barclay Tagg might leave it until Saturday morning to decide whether to run Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide in the mile and a quarter race.

“I’ll know by Saturday morning if he is going to run in the Travers or not,” Tagg said.

“He would need his Salix four hours before the race. I should know by then how he is. If everything falls into place and everything is great Saturday morning, maybe I’ll run him.”

Funny Cide galloped yesterday but Tagg says he is still not satisfied with the results of blood tests on the son of Distorted Humor.