First Look: Prep for Belmont is among 7 weekend graded stakes

Arctic Arrogance, who had enough qualifying points to be the fourth also-eligible to scratch into Kentucky Derby 2023 had he not been taken out of consideration last month, is among the probable starters Saturday in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.

The traditional prep for the Belmont Stakes is one of the four graded races that the New York Racing Association will run this weekend.

Santa Anita will run the San Luis Rey (G3) on Saturday, and Woodbine has a graded stakes Saturday and another Sunday.

Here are the likely fields as reported by track racing offices:

Saturday

Man o’ War (G1), Belmont Park, 1 3/8 miles (turf), 4-year-olds and up

Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby has come across the Atlantic and won three Grade 1 races in New York since 2021. He will try for another Saturday when he ships Warren Point, who finished first and second during the winter in listed stakes in Bahrain and Doha. The 4-year-old Dubawi gelding has not raced in nearly three months, but he breezed five furlongs in 1:00.88 on the Belmont turf Sunday. Frankie Dettori will ride him this weekend.

Red Knight, who finished second April 22 in the Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland, is probable for the race. He could have a chance to avenge that loss to 16-1 long shot Verstappen, who is listed as possible.

Arctic Arrogance has not won since the Sleepy Hollow Stakes going a mile in the Belmont at the Big A meet last fall. He since finished second in three NYRA prep races for the Kentucky Derby before he wound up fourth last month in the Wood Memorial (G2) for trainer Linda Rice.

Classic Catch and Slip Mahoney, who were fifth and sixth in the Wood, and Henry Q, third in the Sunland Park Derby (G3), also could line up in the one-turn, nine-furlong race.

Runhappy (G3), Belmont Park, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up

Nine-year-old gelding Drafted, who has $1,176,943 in career earnings, was a four-time stakes winner last year. He is back to defend his 2022 victory in this race.

Mr Phil, a 6-year-old gelding, has had 34 starts. This would be his third in a stakes. Last year he finished fifth in the True North (G2) at Belmont and third in the Tale of the Cat at Saratoga.

San Luis Rey (G3), Santa Anita, 1 1/2 miles (turf), 4-year-olds and up

Offlee Naughty, a 5-year-old Flashback horse, was a two-time allowance winner who graduated to the stakes class by winning last month in the Charles Whittingham (G2) covering 1 1/4 miles on the same turf course that will host the longer San Luis Rey.

Eight-year-old gelding Midcourt makes his 20th start as he tries to find the form that put him in the winner’s circle for graded stakes in 2019 and 2020. He began his season in February with a last-place result in the Mineshaft (G3).

Sunday

Vagrancy (G3), Belmont Park, 6 1/2 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

Dr B had her stakes breakthrough in December when she led from gate to wire in the Go for Wand (G3) at Aqueduct. Trainer Butch Reid brings the 5-year-old Liam’s Map mare back from a five-month break since that last-out victory.

Hot Fudge, whose first graded-stakes try resulted in a seventh-place finish in the 2021 Frizette (G1), tries again coming off an allowance win at Aqueduct.

Woodbine did not provide probable or possible starters for its six-furlong sprint stakes this weekend. The Whimsical (G3) on Saturday is for older fillies and mares. The Jacques Cartier (G3) on Sunday is for older horses.