One Hit Wonder?

When the Kentucky Derby rolls around on the first Saturday in May, there are high hopes that a star will emerge and become one of the sport's best athletes in a business that so desperately needs them. This year, Super Saver, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Calvin Borel, took center stage as he rolled to a 2 1/2-length victory over the fast closing Ice Box.

But, in a matter of 14 days, those hopes faded very quickly. In fact, since May 1, Super Saver has become one of racing's biggest disappointments. In the Preakness, he followed the Derby win with an eighth place finish after being in second place during the early part of the race. Pletcher decided to skip the Belmont and wait for the two big summer races for the three-year-olds, the Haskell and Travers.

In the Haskell, Super Saver looked like he might be coming around as he ran fourth to Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky. But on Saturday, Super Saver regressed again and beat only one horse in the Travers as he finished 10th in the 11-horse field.

After the race, Todd Pletcher had little explanation.

"We were tracking in a good, fast spot but just came up empty."

In fact, Super Saver never was closer than eighth at any time during the race which saw a stirring stretch run as Afleet Express nosed out Fly Down.

To add insult to injury, Ice Box, the Derby runner-up has finished ninth, sixth and eighth since the "Run for the Roses." In fact, he finished nearly 14 lengths ahead of Super Saver in Saturday's Travers despite running eighth.

What's next for Super Saver? Your guess is as good as mine. He has one more shot at redemption in November when the Breeders' Cup returns to Churchill Downs, assuming Pletcher decides to tackle the best horses in the world.

If Super Saver could find a way to knock off stars such as Blame, Quality Road (who is also trained by Pletcher) and the undefeated filly Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a lot of his luster would be restored but otherwise, the Derby winner will join a long list of "one hit wonders."

Travers Day Stars - What's Next?

Here's a quick look at the top horses from Travers Day and where they might make their next start:

Summer Bird - Trainer Tim Ice said that the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Oct. 3 makes the most sense as it fits well time wise. It leaves about a month before the Breeders' Cup and he's not concerned about getting a race over the artifical dirt of Santa Anita before the BC. The only races on the radar is the Louisiana Super Derby (Sept. 19) and the Goodwood (Oct. 10). Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird is expected to run in the Goodwood.

Hold Me Back - The Travers runner-up has no specific next race but trainer Bill Mott said he is definitely targeting the Breeders' Cup.

Quality Road - A rematch with Summer Bird could be in store as trainer Todd Pletcher indicated that the beaten favorite in the Travers could move on to the JC Gold Cup.

Kensei - Trainer Steve Asmussen gave no indication where the Jim Dandy winner is running next. He said they will "take a step back, regroup and go from there."

Capt. Candyman Can - The winner of the King's Bishop is not specifically targetting the Breeders' Cup Sprint but trainer Ian Wilkes has not made a decision where he goes next.

Munnings - We now know that the King's Bishop beaten favorite is not moving on the BC Sprint. Pletcher wants to avoid the artificial dirt of Santa Anita. He'll target the Vosburgh (Oct. 3) and then the Cigar Mile (Nov. 28).

Salve Germania - The impressive winner of the Ballston Spa has been moved to Pletcher's barn but no timetable has been set for her next start. The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a logical target.

THE Big Bird

Going into the 140th running of the Travers, there was a big question of who is the best 3-year-old male in the country. It appears now that one colt moved to the head of the class.

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird is getting better with each start and validated his classic victory with a 3 1/2-length victory over Hold Me Back in Saturday's Travers. You would have to expect this Beyer Speed Figure to be a lifetime high. (His best previously was the 106 in the Haskell).

Summer Bird also pulled off a pair of rare doubles - he is just the 30th horse to win both Belmont and Travers. And an even rarer feat - Summer Bird and his dad, Birdstone, were the one of the first father-son combo to win sweep both New York classic races.

There's no question the sloppy track effected the outcome and might have compromised the chances of a few horses but the clear cut win leaves little doubt that he's the best sophomore in the country (outside of Rachel Alexandra).

To support his case, he's the only 3-year-old colt to win two Grade 1's this year (Belmont and Travers). Trainer Tim Ice has taken the talented son of Birdstone from $35k maiden company at Oaklawn to racing's greatest heights in five short months.

Meanwhile, Mine That Bird has not won since the Kentucky Derby and the other colts that showed promise (i.e. Kensei, Quality Road and Charitable Man) all fizzled out in the Travers.

“I feel like I do [have the best three-year-old colt]," said Ice. "He beat Quality Road today. There was a lot of hype of him (Quality Road) going into the Kentucky Derby and nobody seemed to dismiss him coming off that 6 ½ furlong race today...So maybe my horse is champion 3-year-old colt right now.”

What's next for Summer Bird is a good question. If he's able to win one more race this year, it will probably cement his case as the best. There's not many big races left for him to run but you have to assume they will fly out to Santa Anita and run in the Breeders' Cup in early November.

Mine That Bird's next start is expected to be in the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita while Quality Road, Kensei and Charitable Man will go back to the drawing board.

Forget the fact that this is probably an average group of 3-year-olds. The point simply remains that Summer Bird is now the best of his peers.

Photo Courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire