We the People is poised for 2nd-half breakout

We the People romping in the Peter Pan (G3) at Belmont Park on May 14 stamped him as a Belmont Stakes contender, and possibly more down the road.

As most horses who want to go longer do, We the People required some time to mature. He did not debut until age three, winning a one-mile maiden special weight at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 12. Exactly one month later, We the People would be sent off at 40 cents to the dollar against allowance optional claiming foes. He would not disappoint, winning by five lengths.

We the People jumped into the deep end of the pool on April 2 in the Arkansas Derby (G1). After looking washy on-track and getting a less-than-ideal trip, he finished a distant seventh.

Undeterred, trainer Rodolphe Brisset wheeled We the People back in the Peter Pan six weeks later. Jockey Flavien Prat sent We the People straight to the lead against seven others and never looked back, drawing off in the stretch to win by 10 1/4 lengths. He earned a career-high 103 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort at “Big Sandy.” But the Peter Pan was held over a good, sealed main track, and results on a strip like that don’t always translate to a fast surface.

The last horse to win the Peter Pan on a less-than-fast track was Blended Citizen in 2018, when the course was listed as “good.” He was largely overlooked in the Belmont Stakes wagering – partially due to the presence of eventual Triple Crown winner Justify – and finished ninth in a field of 10.

However, four years before that, Tonalist took the Peter Pan over a sloppy, sealed Belmont oval before scoring in the Belmont Stakes at 9-1 over Commissioner, who also completed the exacta in the Peter Pan.

But the Peter Pan has seldom proven to be a key race like it was in 2014. In fact, prior to Tonalist, the last horse to complete the Peter Pan-Belmont double was the immortal A.P. Indy in 1992. However, not every Peter Pan winner has the breeding that suggests 1 1/2 miles like We the People.

The talented son of Constitution – sire of 2020 Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law – comes from a long line of accomplished runners. His dam Letchworth was unraced, but she is a daughter of Harmony Lodge, a lifetime earner of $851,000 and winner of the Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga in 2003. Harmony Lodge has also produced turf stakes winners Stratford Hill and Armistice Day.

Letchworth was sired by Tiznow, a two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and a highly influential sire who has clearly passed on his genes to We the People. But sire Constitution, a son of Tapit, is not to be overlooked in that department. After all, he was a two-time Grade 1 winner routing on dirt. Tapit has cast a long shadow over the Belmont Stakes in recent years, siring four winners of the “Test of the Champion” since 2014 (Tonalist, Creator, Tapwrit, and Essential Quality).

We the People clearly has the pedigree to get the Belmont distance, but his ability to beat Grade 1 rivals like Rich Strike and Nest remains to be seen, as his effort in the Arkansas Derby left a lot to be desired.

Bettors should not settle for a short price on We the People in the Belmont, but he appears to be a factor for at least a piece of the final leg of the Triple Crown. It will be interesting to see how We the People is campaigned down the road as well, as a breakout performance here could have him on the road to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.