Brown has High Hopes for Giantinthemoonlite

Trainer Bruce Brown has high hopes for Giantinthemoonlite, who debuted a 7 ¼-length winner in a six-furlong maiden race for New York-breds on May 16.

Giantinthemoonlite, an Albert Fried homebred, is by Giant's Causeway and out of the Capote mare Moonlightandbeauty, making him a full brother to Grade 3 Excelsior Handicap winner Giant Moon and a half-brother to restricted stakes winner Moonlight Song.

Brown said Giantinthemoonlite could face winners for the first time in the $125,000 Mike Lee, one of six stakes for New York-breds on May 31, Big Apple Showcase Day at Belmont Park. The Mike Lee is a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds.

"Stretching him out he should only get better," said Brown. "We're thinking about the Mike Lee. It's back a bit quick, but there are longer races like the Albany and the New York Derby. There are bigger and better things down the road, so I don't want to push him too much early. We'll see. [The Mike Lee] definitely isn't an easy spot, so maybe we'll get a little more seasoning into him before we go against those guys."

Even if Giantinthemoonlite skips the Mike Lee, Brown will have plenty of representation on Big Apple Showcase Day as he has 2011 New York champion turf horse Compliance Officer for the $125,000 Kingston; Readthebyline, claimed by Brown for $25,000 out of a 4 ½-length win on May 7, for the $200,000 Commentator; and Prairie Stone, who cleared the first allowance condition with a 5 ½-length score on May 8, for the $125,000 Bouwerie.

Brown, who through Thursday was third in the Belmont spring/summer meet standings with eight wins from 17 starts, hopes the momentum continues into Big Apple Showcase Day.

"A lot of my horses are turned out for the winter, and they are coming back good," said Brown. "I've been really lucky so far, and we'll try to keep it going."