Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Notes

NYRA Release —-

• Walden: Audible would be ‘big competition, but I think it’s Justify’s race to lose’
• Salty looking for sweet trip in G1 Ogden Phipps
• Diversify awaits decision between Monday’s Commentator or Met Mile
• Lukas: Another Justify win and Santa Anita will ‘bronze Bob’
• Wilkes-trained McCraken seeks G1 victory in Met Mile
• Sadler’s Joy looks to improve on last year’s G1 Manhattan effort
• Unbridled Mo breezes half-mile for G1 Ogden Phipps
• Asmussen says Belmont will be ‘true test’ of their planning for Tenfold
• Gidu set to begin ambitious summer campaign in Paradise Creek

ELMONT, N.Y. – Triple Crown hopeful Justify returned to training Thursday morning at Churchill Downs following four days of walking around the shedrow after his half-length victory over Bravazo in Saturday’s Preakness at Pimlico Race Course.

Justify went to the track at the 7:30 a.m. slot that Churchill Downs has reserved for Belmont Stakes horses. Also on the track during that 10-minute period was Bravazo and Tenfold, who was third in the Preakness by a total of three-quarters of a length.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner – unbeaten in five starts this year and only the second Derby winner who didn’t race as a 2-year-old – is vying to give trainer Bob Baffert his second Triple Crown victory in three years, with American Pharoah in 2015 becoming the 12th horse to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont, and the first since Affirmed in 1978.

Justify has identical ownership to Audible, the Florida Derby winner who was third in the Derby by a nose to Good Magic. Both Justify and Audible are owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club International, with the Louisville-based Starlight Racing partnership and Head of Plains Partners subsequently buying minority shares in their racing but not breeding careers. Audible is trained by two-time Belmont Stakes winner Todd Pletcher, and the ownership is facing a tough decision as to whether that colt runs in the Triple Crown finale or not.

In the past, Pletcher has had his horses skip the Preakness to concentrate on the Belmont Stakes at his home track. That history has prompted questions as to the direction WinStar will choose, as Audible’s entry could potentially knock their own horse out of the Triple Crown.

“I’m going up to watch [Audible] work, then we’ll sit down with Todd and probably have a decision next week,” said WinStar president and CEO Elliott Walden, who in 1998 trained Victory Gallop, the nose winner in the Belmont Stakes over the Baffert-trained Triple Crown aspirant Real Quiet.

“I think he’d [Audible] be big competition,” Walden added. “But I think it’s Justify’s race to lose.”

Arkansas Derby runner-up Quip, trained by Rodolphe Brisset and whose owners include WinStar and China Horse Club, ran in the Preakness, albeit finishing last. Going into the Preakness, Walden said that if Justify is to win the Triple Crown, he would need to beat all comers, including Quip. But he acknowledged Thursday, “It’s different when you’ve won two out of the three rather than one out of the three. But at the same time, I do feel like you cannot manufacture a Triple Crown; that it’s either going to happen or it’s not. So, we’ll see.”

As Justify galloped by, Walden said, “The horse looks good though, doesn’t he? His energy level the day after was incredible. He wasn’t in the back of the stall hanging his head. He was out front.”

Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s chief assistant who is overseeing Justify’s training on the road, accompanied the heavy Belmont Stakes favorite to the track while on his pony, Sunny

“He had a good bounce in his step,” Barnes said. “Very happy. We just took it easy with him out there, went about a mile and three-eighths. Bob just said give him a nice, easy first-day back gallop, which we did. He seemed to really enjoy it.

“It makes it very easy for us to have a horse capable of doing that,” Barnes said of Justify’s ability to rebound quickly out of a race. “You want them to eat constantly. This horse carries his weight very well and he’s just made it very easy for me.”

The Derby and Preakness were both played out over very sloppy tracks.

“The horse does run well in the mud, but you ought to see him on a dry track,” Barnes said. “You guys haven’t seen him on a dry track. I’m waiting to see him on a dry track myself. But with the mud, you never know what to expect. Sometimes races don’t pan out the way you’d think they will But for him, it’s been stay clean.”

Justify is scheduled to fly to New York on Wednesday, June 6, Barnes said. He expects Baffert to arrive in Louisville early next week.
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Salty looking for sweet trip in G1 Ogden Phipps

Multiple graded stakes winner Salty remains on target for the Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9, trainer Mark Casse said by phone Thursday morning.

Last out, Salty earned her first career Grade 1 win, rallying for a 1 ¾-length score over Farrell in the La Troienne on May 4 at Churchill Downs. The victory was the second in the last three starts for the 4-year-old Quality Road filly, who ran eight times in her 3-year-old campaign, notching a win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks along with a second-place effort in the Grade 1 Acorn and back-to-back third-place finishes in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks and Grade 1 Alabama during the Saratoga meet.

“We felt like she was really good and I thought a couple of times she was unlucky, so I was happy for her that she got a Grade 1 behind her name,” Casse said. “That was important for her. And now, with a little luck, we’ll try to go to the next level. She’s earned her status and we’ll try to build momentum on that.

“She’s filled out a little bit,” he added. “We got her in the spring of her 3-year-old year and it was kind of a rush. She went from one race to another, so giving her a little break, she’s filled out and matured. Before, she was a teenage girl, now, she’s a woman.”

Salty worked out Sunday at Churchill, going four furlongs in 48.80 seconds on the main track. Casse said she will have one more breeze at the track before shipping to Belmont.

The Ogden Phipps is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 3 at Churchill Downs.

Live Oak Plantation’s Awesome Slew has continued to train well ahead of the Grade 1, $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap on June 9, Casse said.

The 4-year-old son of Awesome Again breezed four furlongs in 47 seconds on Churchill’s main track Sunday, looking to build on his strong start this year that started with a runner-up finish to Army Mule in the Grade 1 Carter on April 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack and third last out in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs on May 5.

Awesome Slew will be stretching out to a one-turn mile, where Casse said the Florida homebred might be at his best. He also will look to improve from his fourth-place finish in last year’s Met Mile edition.

“The Met Mile is such a special race. We know it’ll be extremely tough, but we’ll give it a shot,” Casse said. “I think the mile is his perfect distance. My only concern is that he didn’t handle Belmont, the track, as well as I would have liked, so that’s a little bit of a concern. We’re going to chalk it up to having on off day and try again.”

Awesome Slew has finished in the money in his last six starts, spanning five different tracks including Churchill, Aqueduct, Del Mar, Saratoga and Belmont, leaving Casse impressed with his ability to acclimate.

“He’s such a smart, talented horse,” Casse said. “He says ‘put me in and send me in the right direction and I’ll show up.'”

Casse said he also expects to send La Coronel to the Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just a Game for older fillies and mares at one mile on the turf on Belmont Stakes Day. La Coronel struggled at the start and didn’t recover in finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on May 5.

“She was unlucky last time in Kentucky,” Casse said. “It was loud and they played some music right up until the gate opened. I guess Jose [Lezcano] was having some issues with her. She popped right up into the air at the start. She’s a horse that needs to be close to the pace, so the race was over for her from the start. So, we’ll give her another try.”

Gio Game, a talented 3-year-old filly who is 2-3-1 in seven career starts, could be seeking his first stakes black type in the Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn the same day, Casse said.
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Diversify awaits decision between Monday’s Commentator or Met Mile

New York-bred and Grade 1 winner Diversify is training to a possible start in Monday’s $200,000 Commentator, one of six stakes races on New York Showcase Day for New York-breds at Belmont Park. The one-turn mile event on Memorial Day should help the 6-year-old gelding by Bellamy Road get back on track after his seventh-place finish put him behind the rest in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on April 21 according to trainer Rick Violette.

“We’ll probably go to the Commentator on Monday,” Violette said. “I was flirting with the Met Mile a little bit, but I think with his last race, he pulled up a little bit, he went two turns and that was it. Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] thought something was wrong with him, but then he realized that nothing was wrong, and it was too late. I mean it’s a real race. It actually looks like there will be a lot of speed in there. There will be more speed in there than what he met.”

The Commentator would be the second start of the year for the front-running gelding after he ended 2018 with a tiring fourth-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on November 24. That effort followed his victory in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Club at 1 ¼ miles on October 7 at Belmont, where he used his controlling speed to wire a strong field of six others to win by a length.

The Grade 1 Met Mile, one of six Grade 1 stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard on Saturday, June 9, offers the same one-turn mile as the Commentator, giving Violette and his connections one more day to decide as entries for Monday’s card will be taken Friday.

It’s not out of the question,” said Violette. “Timing wise the Commentator works good because it gets us to the Suburban in the next couple of weeks. He’s back with New York-bred company. It’s a class difference regardless of speed.”

Violette sent Diversify to Belmont’s main track on Tuesday morning where he breezed four furlongs in 49.33, which was a bit more subdued than the five furlong work he timed in 59.99 the previous week.

“He had gone pretty fast in the breeze before,” Violette said. “We had him almost in a minute flat. It was probably a second faster. It was a foggy day, and I had Melissa [Assistant trainer Melissa Cohen] on the walkie-talkie. He hit way early so it was pretty fast. He probably galloped out three quarters in 12. He just needed to do what he did the other day so we’ll see.”

The winner of seven races has earned $814,425 from 12 career starts, and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. in his next start.
* * *
Lukas: Another Justify win and Santa Anita will ‘bronze Bob’

Bravazo, a fast-flying second by a half-length to Justify in the Preakness after finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby, resumed training Thursday morning with a routine gallop.

“He was really into it,” said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner, most recently in 2000 with Commendable. “He rolled around there, very strong. I didn’t have any doubt. He was wanting to get out here before they opened it [following the 7 a.m. track renovation break]. So, we sent him around there.”

“I thought he’d run really big,” Lukas said of Bravazo’s Preakness. “I thought I had him right where I wanted him. I didn’t think I got a lot out of the two previous races, the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby. The Kentucky Derby kind of set him where I wanted him. I wish I would have had a little better race before the Kentucky Derby. I think I’d have been a little closer. I don’t think I’d have beaten Justify, but I’d have been closer. But he ran well enough in the Derby to give me at least a little bit of confidence that we would make it interesting.

“I really felt Justify was the horse to beat, that he was the best horse in the Preakness – and he was. But we got a little bit closer Steve [Asmussen, trainer of Tenfold] got a little bit closer, and Chad Brown [with Derby runner-up Good Magic] did the heavy lifting for us,” with Good Magic pushing Justify on the Preakness lead before weakening late to fourth by a total of a length.

Lukas had high praise for Justify.

“He’s the best horse. We still have him to deal with, very much so,” he said. “We could get another one [Triple Crown] right in a row and they’ll bronze Bob and put him in the paddock at Santa Anita. They already have a couple of statues, Whittingham and Shoemaker. I don’t know why they don’t have Bob. I think that’s coming.”

“I like his physique,” he continued of Justify: “He’s just a big strong horse that gets over the ground. I was impressed with him this morning. When I took mine out, I was right in front of him. I told Jimmy [Barnes] when he came with him, I said, ‘I went in front of you because it will probably be the only time I’m in front of you.’ He laughed. But he’s got what it takes: a pedigree, great depth to his heart, and he’s got tactical speed.”
* * *
Wilkes-trained McCraken seeks G1 victory in Met Mile

Churchill Downs-based McCraken, who lost last summer’s Grade 1 Haskell by a nose, will pursue gaining that Grade 1 victory in the $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9.

McCraken, a 4-year-old by Ghostzapper, won his first four starts before finishing third in the 2017 Grade 2 Blue Grass and eighth in that year’s Kentucky Derby. He rebounded to take the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill, followed by the nose defeat in the Haskell to Girvin. He followed with a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga Race Course.

McCraken got time off after finishing third against older horses in the Grade 2 Hagyard Fayette, returning to racing six months later to capture an allowance race on Kentucky Derby Day last out on May 5.

“The Met Mile is such a prestigious race, it would be nice for this horse’s resume if I can get that accomplished,” said trainer Ian Wilkes. “The horse is doing great. He’s done nothing but go forward since that race, so I’m very happy with him. The break was a little longer than I planned, but that was the horse. He wanted it. He told me how much time he needed and now we’re back to business and he’s doing extremely well.

“This is more for the horse. We just got beat in the Haskell, and that was a Grade 1. If we can come back in this and do well, it gives him a Grade 1 and then we can work on trying to pick out a few more Grade 1s for him.”

Wilkes said McCraken’s forte appears to be a mile, and he’ll be pointed toward the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs in November. “The horse can run a mile and an eighth, too,” he said. “But I think I might just concentrate on a mile. The horse has a great turn-of-foot. That’s the key to it.”

Wilkes said he also plans to run Nessy in the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup contested at two miles on the turf on June 8, while Giant Payday is a possibility for the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational at 1 1/2 miles on dirt on June 9.

“Nessy’s really gotten into a nice niche, a nice rhythm,” Wilkes said. “And he’s developing. The farther they go, the better he gets. Giant Payday, this is a new dimension for him, so we’ll have to see if he likes it, a mile and a half on dirt. As long as he relaxes early and doesn’t get too rank, we’ll be fine.”
* * *
Sadler’s Joy looks to improve on last year’s G1 Manhattan effort

Woodslane Farm’s Sadler’s Joy will be looking to parlay an impressive second-place finish in the Grade 1 Man o’ War on May 12 into another strong effort next month in the Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan on June 9, trainer Tom Albertrani said Thursday.

Sadler’s Joy started his 5-year-old campaign by winning the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida on March 3 at Gulfstream Park before running fourth in the Grade 2 Pan American on March 31. After being stabled at Palm Meadows Training Center, he shipped back to New York before the Man o’ War, where he overcame a sluggish start and went six-wide in the upper stretch, making up ground to finish a half-length behind winner Hi Happy.

“He’s been training well since the Man o’ War and everything is a go for the Manhattan so far,” Albertrani said. “He was just a little unlucky and came up a little short [last out]. He finished really well. He’s been very consistent. Every time he runs, he finishes strong.”

Albertrani said Sadler’s Joy is expected to breeze again in the next few days, weather permitting. After running in the 1 3/8-mile Man o’ War, the 1 ¼-mile Manhattan represents a cutback on Big Sandy, where Sadler’s Joy will look to break more alertly and improve on last year’s third-place finish in the 2017 Manhattan.

“We’re cutting back to a mile and a quarter, so it may not be his perfect trip, but last year, he came close, so hopefully we’ll get the right pace scenario and a good trip and change things around.” “He’s pretty versatile. We just need a little racing luck, but he’s been pretty consistent.”
* * *
Unbridled Mo breezes half-mile for G1 Ogden Phipps

Red Oak Stable’s homebred Grade 1 winner Unbridled Mo breezed a half-mile in 48.92 seconds Thursday morning on the Belmont training track in preparation for the Grade 1 Odgen Phipps on Belmont Stakes Day.

The 5-year-old Todd Pletcher trainee is expected to make her third start of the year in the Phipps. By Uncle Mo, Unbridled Mo returned from a 10-month layoff this spring with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park in February. She followed up with a 2 ¼-length victory over champion female sprinter Unique Bella in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 13 at Oaklawn Park.

“With her first start, we felt like she was going to need that race,” said Pletcher. “So, she might’ve been a little short of her best, but it worked out well and set her up nicely for the Apple Blossom. It was great to get a Grade 1 win with her and we’ll keep moving forward.”

This weekend, Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Manhattan candidate Hi Happy is expected to turn in his first breeze since winning the Grade 1 Man o’ War by a half-length on May 12. A 6-year-old Argentinian-bred by Pure Prize, the La Providencia homebred is 2-for-3 since joining Pletcher’s barn for his 2018 campaign.

“[The Manhattan] is a possibility,” said Pletcher. “We’re keeping all options open. He’ll work here and we’ll zero in on what we’re going to do after that.”

Vino Rosso, ninth in the Kentucky Derby last time out and probable to run in the Belmont Stakes, will breeze Friday morning over Belmont’s main track. Derby third-place finisher Audible will work in the same set as the colt’s connections determine his next start.
* * *
Asmussen says Belmont will be ‘true test’ of their planning for Tenfold

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Tenfold, a close third in the Preakness in his fourth career start after not racing last year at age 2, galloped Thursday morning after jogging on Wednesday.

“I’m very pleased with how he came out of the race; beautiful animal,” said Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, winner of the 2016 Belmont Stakes with Creator. “High hopes, the sky is the limit. We’ve got a tremendous amount of confidence in him. I think what we’ve seen is just the edge of it. Who he is right now and who he’ll be in 2 1/2 weeks I think is nothing compared to who he will be next year. I think it’s all ahead of him.”

Tenfold won his first two starts at Oaklawn Park before jumping into stakes company in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, finishing fifth. Asmussen doesn’t dwell on “what if” Tenfold had had another race or two in him before the Preakness.

“Races before then would have been negative,” he said. “We started when we did because we thought it was best for him. We’ve spaced what we’ve done because we think it’s best for him. This will be a true test to that, off his lifetime best wheeling back in three weeks when he doesn’t have a bunch of races in him. But I love his attitude. It’s very consistent. He’s such a beautiful mover.”
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Gidu set to begin ambitious summer campaign in Paradise Creek

Set to make his first start since winning the Columbia on March 10, Zayat Stables’ Gidu will headline a competitive field of six in the $100,000 Paradise Creek for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs on the Widener turf on Saturday at Belmont.

A son of the undefeated European champion Frankel, the Todd Pletcher-trained Gidu made his debut last summer at Saratoga Race Course, finishing second after being bumped at the start. He broke his maiden second time out at Gulfstream Park and stretched out to one mile for the Grade 3 Dania Beach, where he led throughout but was outdueled in the end to finish second by a head.

The Irish-bred Gidu got his breakthrough win in the Columbia at Tampa Bay Downs, closely tracking the early pace before kicking clear to win by 1 ¾ lengths and earn a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We’re cutting him back in distance with the thought of seeing how he does,” said Pletcher. “He’ll be a candidate for Royal Ascot should that go well. We’ve been pointing for this a while. He’s been very consistent in all his races and he continues to train well, so we’re optimistic he’ll perform well.”

Pletcher said Gidu, who drew post 5 and will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, has enough tactical speed to sit just off a hot pace if one develops.

“There’s speed in there,” added Pletcher. “I think he showed last time going a mile that he was able to set off a horse. He’s naturally fast but he’s hopefully kind enough to sit wherever Johnny wants him to.”

Shipping east is Masked for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and owner Abdullah Saeed Al-Maddah.

By Data Link, Masked made his debut on the dirt, where he finished a disappointing fifth before switching to the turf and breaking his maiden on February 10 at Santa Anita He followed that effort with a win in an optional-claiming race on February 25. In his most recent start, he finished third in the five-furlong William Walker at Churchill Downs on April 28.

Following that effort, Masked shipped to Belmont, where he has turned in a trio of works, including five furlongs in 1:00.67 on the main track May 21.

“He’s a talented horse,” said Baffert. “Last time out, he kind of got shifted around but I thought still handled it well to finish third. He’s a horse that possesses a lot speed and will appreciate a firm turf condition. It’s a pretty talented group that he has to face but if he’s able to get firm turf he should run his race.”

Masked will break from post 4 with Luis Saez aboard.

Rounding out the field is Curlin’s Honor for Casse and owners John Oxley and Breeze Easy, who enters off a win in the Woodstock on May 5 at Woodbine; Ambassador Jim for owner Patricia Generrazio and trainer Christophe Clement; Black Stetson for Ten Strike Racing and trainer Juan Guerrero. Final Frontier is entered for the main track only for Albertrani and Gololphin.