Belmont: Competitive field takes shape in G3 Hill Prince

By Anthony Affrunti —-

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince may not head the anticipated graded stakes filled card at Belmont Park this Saturday, but the field of nine entered to run 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf displays a vast amount of talent throughout, making for a competitive race to on a day highlighted by the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Klaravich Stables is poised to return to the winner’s circle with their Kentucky-bred colt Bricks and Mortar, who had been perfect through his first four starts before finishing third in the Grade 3 Saranac on September 2 at Saratoga. The son of Giant’s Causeway was away last from the gate, and then shut off by two foes before he could progress. An early move before making a three-wide trip turning for home allowed him to chase and close strong, but he did so atop a speed favoring track that day, and could not catch the leader, ultimately settling three-quarters of a length behind Voodoo Song and a late-closing Yoshida.

Bricks and Mortar had been unbeatable previously, beginning with his debut win at Gulfstream which was followed by an allowance level victory. Next, he closed strong to win the Manila on July 4, and shipped north to win the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. A repeat effort here may lead to his biggest performance yet.

Brown will double his chance to capture his third straight Hill Prince by saddling Woodford Racing’s Ticonderoga, who looks to rebound off his ninth-place finish in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes. The Tapit colt has been an earner in five previous graded stakes tries, highlighted by his victory in the Grade 3 Palm Beach at Gulfstream Park.

Bricks and Mortar drew post 6, and will be ridden by regular rider Joel Rosario. Ticonderoga will get the services of Jose Ortiz, and break from post 8.

Green Lantern Stable’s Frostmourne will be a tough foe while trying to expand his graded stakes victory streak to three, which began with his victory in the Grade 2 Penn Mile Stakes at Penn National before he won the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park on July 15. A projected start in the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park was averted in August, and now the Hill Prince seems like the perfect return to afternoon running for trainer Christophe Clement.

“He’s training well. We missed the summer,” Clement said. “I didn’t think he was training that well for the Secretariat. He’s had a little bit of time off and he’s a fresh horse. I hope I’ve got him fit enough, but his works have been good.”

With his stalk-and-pounce-style, the Speightstown colt owns four victories from six starts, falling short by only a half-length to settle for second in the Woodhaven at Aqueduct. That effort came following his victory in the Awad, which along with his maiden-breaking victory at Saratoga, bookend his career worst finish – a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 Pilgrim.

Frostmourne will leave post 4, and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will return to ride.

Eclipse Thoroughbred’s Hieroglyphics will step up in class after the Pioneerof the Nile colt beat rival Small Bear by a neck in the restricted Better Talk Now at Saratoga. It was the second victory in a row since he was shortened to run at a mile, which led to his allowance level victory two starts back. Heiroglyphics has never been worse than second since his fourth-place finish in his second start on turf, which followed a sprint at Gulfstream in which he missed victory by a nose. Efforts have shown that he can handle two turns, and the added ground he will face here is another test that trainer Todd Pletcher is giving his colt.

“We always felt like he’d handle that distance and now it’s time to see if he can step up into graded stakes,” Pletcher said. “He’s gradually been improving. He’s always run competitively but I thought the Better Talk Now was kind of a breakthrough performance. It seemed like a higher-level race than what he’d been running. It’s another step forward. Hopefully he can take it.”

Hieroglyphics will run from post 7, and will get Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez in the saddle.

Godolphin Racing’s Lucullan is another stepping up against these, and brings with him a legitimate shot to challenge for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. The colt by Hard Spun broke his maiden in his third start when making his turf debut, then closed willingly for third despite a wide trip, but returned to score by two lengths in his last. Although running a bit shorter than the 1 1/8-mile distance, the coverage of added ground should be to his liking, said McLaughlin, and he carries a record of two wins from as many starts over the Belmont lawn.

“He’s a nice horse, ran huge last time so we’re hopeful,” McLaughlin said. “The mile and an eighth we hope he’ll like, and straight 3-year-olds is good, because 3-and-up in a two-other-than is tough, so we’re excited to try it.”

Lucullan will break from post 5, and will be ridden by jockey Kendrick Carmouche, aboard for four of his five career starts.

WinStar Farm and Head of Plains Partner’s Yoshida returns off his second-place finish in the Saranac, and looks to build off that performance which followed his runner-up margin in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame. Now back downstate at Belmont, where he finished fifth in the 1 ¼-mile Grade 1 Belmont Derby, the Japanese-bred son of Heart’s Cry needs a bit of racing luck for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“He’s coming off a couple good races,” Mott said. “He’s run a couple of winning efforts, he just hasn’t won. I think it’s a satisfactory distance for him. He seems effective from a mile to a mile and an eighth. This last time, he had to wait a little bit. The time before I guess he was kicked wide. They weren’t horrible trips, but it could’ve been enough to make a difference I suppose.”

Yoshida will run from post 2 and is joined by jockey Manuel Franco.

August Dawn Farm’s Small Bear, the lone gelding in the field, tries his second attempt at a graded race after he finished eighth in the Grade 3 Withers over the Aqueduct inner track this winter. Set to make his debut for trainer Jeremiah Englehart, the son of Macho Uno brings the most experience to the race, making his 11th start though he will be making only his third start on grass, on which he finished third in the Paradise Creek in late May before returning to success on the dirt.

Small Bear gets post 3 and will have jockey Luis Saez in the irons.

Joseph Allen’s colt Secretary At War will look for his first graded stakes victory in his ninth start, and is one of two entered joining Centennial Farm’s Rocketry, who returns to Grade 3 level company following his fourth-place finish in the Saranac.

Secretary At War will be ridden by Junior Alvarado and breaks from the rail, and Rocketry will bookend the field from post 9, and gets Nik Juarez in the saddle.