Duarte saddles three for Colts Neck Stables on Belmont Stakes Day

Trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. will saddle Meru in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Woody Stephens Stakes.

Meru is one of three entries trained by Duarte Jr. on the Belmont Stakes Day card for owner Colts Neck Stables, which also includes promising maiden Shadow Boat and recent maiden winner Strongerthanuknow.

Purchased for $300,000 at the April 2019 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Meru has demonstrated speed and ability in four career starts. Bred in Kentucky by Godolphin, the Sky Mesa bay graduated on debut in July at Monmouth Park and followed up with a career-best 95 Beyer, winning the six-furlong Smoke Glacken at the Oceanport, New Jersey oval.

Meru endured a troubled trip in the one-mile Grade 3 Nashua in November at the Big A when pinched at the break and steadied before rallying to finish second behind well-regarded Independence Hall. Last out, in his seasonal debut in a May 25 optional-claiming sprint at Churchill Downs, Meru demonstrated a good late kick to be fourth, defeated less than a length by Woody Stephens-rival Echo Town.

The 35-year-old Duarte said Meru is training well into Saturday's seven-furlong test on Big Sandy,

"He's doing very well," said Duarte. "The Churchill race was a short, but very interesting field. He's coming into this race well and we're hoping for a nice pace in front of us, so we can pick up all the pieces.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call aboard Meru from post 2 in a compact, but talented, field of five led by Mischevious Alex and the speedy Parole. Meru won his first two races gate-to-wire, but experienced difficult starts in his last two trips before closing ground late.

Duarte said he is hoping for a stalking trip in the Woody Stephens.

"He has natural speed for sure," said Duarte. "In the Nashua, he got pinched back at the start and at Churchill he had an outside post and broke right, which took some of his speed away. Parole is inside of us and I think their plan will be to go. I'm not sure I want to be part of a speed duel, but he's shown he can come from behind. We'll see how the break goes and let Irad make the decision. He's riding very well.

"Irad is one of the best in the business," continued Duarte. "He should be able to monitor the pace and see how the race is unfolding. We'll leave it up to him.”

A victory in the Woody Stephens would mark a first graded-stakes score for both horse and trainer.

"It would be amazing," Duarte. "We're happy to be there participating. The horse is doing well and we'll see how everything unfolds."

Shadow Boat, a half-brother to Grade 1-winner Shared Account and Grade 3-winner Colonial Flag, is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning mare Silk n' Sapphire. An $80,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Shadow Boat wintered at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida before shipping back to Colts Necks Stables' training facility in New Jersey for a series of breezes ahead of his May 23 debut at Churchill Downs.

Sent to post at odds of 9-2, Shadow Boat was off slowly and raced from last-of-12 before a mild rally to finish sixth in the 6 1/2-furlong maiden sprint under Jose Ortiz. Manny Franco will have the call aboard Shadow Boat from post 6 in Saturday's seventh race at Belmont, a seven-furlong maiden sprint.

"He's a horse we thought highly enough of to send him to Churchill," said Duarte. "There's not a lot of options during the pandemic. He didn't get out great at Churchill but he made a middle move. It's not a big field on Saturday and he has a race under his belt now. We'll see if he can pick up his feet this time.

"That first race doesn't say much," added Duarte. "But he's shown us in the morning he can be okay. I won't be surprised if he runs a good race.”

Strongerthanuknow, a New York-bred daughter of Mineshaft, earned a 70 Beyer in her fourth-out graduation in a six-furlong turf sprint on Opening Day of the Belmont spring/summer meet. She'll travel the same distance and surface in Saturday's seventh race, a New York-bred allowance for 3-year-olds and up, under jockey Luis Saez.

Echo Town makes G1 debut

L and N Racing's Michael Levinson expressed excitement in debuting three-time winner Echo Town against Grade 1 company in Saturday's $300,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, a three-time winner of the seven-furlong sprint for sophomores, Echo Town has never finished off the board in five lifetime starts which include three wins all over different main tracks. Following a victory on debut at Fair Grounds over next-out winners Earner and Chrystal Sphere, the son of Speightstown defeated winners at Oaklawn two starts later before a close second in the Bachelor at the Arkansas oval and a last out allowance win on May 20.

"He started off rating and now he shows some more speed," Levinson said. "We'll see how the track plays. He can go front or sit just off the pace.

All of Echo Town's starts have taken place going six furlongs and he will attempt going an extra eighth of a mile on Saturday.

"Obviously going six to seven furlongs is a big difference. [Grade 3 Gotham-winner] Mischevious Alex has gone a mile before. It's a big step up for us, but we're excited to see what he can get. He's super consistent and the races in the spring have been really tough. The allowance races are basically stakes races. That three-other-than he was in last time, you won't find a better allowance field than that.”

Bred in Kentucky, Echo Town is out of the graded stakes winning Menifee broodmare Letgomyecho, who also produced graded stakes winner J Boy's Echo.