Four Undercard Stakes Join Six Grade 1's at Belmont
In addition to the six Grade 1 races highlighted by American Pharoah's
bid to win the Triple Crown in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, four
supporting stakes dot the card on Saturday at Belmont Park, including
the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational, Grade 2 Woody Stephens and Grade 3
Jaipur Invitational.
The 13-race Saturday program is the culmination of the inaugural, three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival presented by DraftKings.
Sharing the 1 ½-mile distance of the Belmont, the $400,000 Brooklyn drew a field of 13 older dirt runners and will be run as race 6.
Trainer Todd Pletcher's two confirmed runners in the Brooklyn are the coupled entry of Coach Inge and Micromanage, the runner-up in last year's running. Both horses are owned by Mike Repole. The entry is 5-1 on the morning line, the second choice behind the 7-2 Effinex.
Coach Inge, a front-runner who drew post 6 and will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, was a 12 ½-length winner of his last start, an allowance race at Aqueduct which was run in the mud. It marked the gelding's ninth career start.
"I thought his last race was his best race. He seems to be getting better and better. We gelded him last fall and it seems like it just turned his career around a bit," Pletcher said. "But his last race was particularly strong. I feel his galloping-style should suit this race well, particularly if he is loose on the lead."
Micromanage's form has been in and out this year. He did win the Jazil Stakes in the mud this winter over Aqueduct's inner track, but then disappointed in three subsequent starts.
Irad Ortiz, Jr. rides Micromanage from post 12.
"He's a very difficult horse to get a line on because he's never been a horse who trains exceptionally well," Pletcher said. "He is kind of lackadaisical in the mornings. And sometimes he will be that way, and show up in the afternoons with a big [race], and other times he will go through the motions. The distance suits him well, it's just a matter of whether he's into it."
The Pletcher-trained Red Rifle is among the Brooklyn entrants, but is cross-entered in Friday's Belmont Gold Cup Invitational on the turf. The trainer said his preference is to run in the Gold Cup, but he needed to consult with the gelding's owners, Twin Creeks Racing Stables, before making a final decision.
Sky Kingdom, a Bob Baffert-trained 6-year-old who is proven at marathon distances, will give his rider, Victor Espinoza, a feel for what might come five races later in the Belmont Stakes. Sky Kingdom won the 1 ½-mile Tokyo City, a Grade 3, at Santa Anita on March 28 in his most recent start.
Effinex, who is 2-for-2 in 2015, has turned heads this year with an allowance win and then a victory in the Grade 3 Excelsior. He will be ridden by Angel Arroyo from post 4. His trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, will also send out V. E. Day, who seeks his first win since taking the Grade 1 Travers.
Completing the field are Call Me George, Wealth to Me, Turco Bravo, Ever Rider, Neck 'n Neck, Tacticus and Cary Street.
Nancy Favreau, Kathy Psoinos and Michael Tabor's undefeated Competitive Edge puts his win streak on the line in the 31st running of the $500,000 Woody Stephens for sprinters 3 and up going seven furlongs on the main track, carded as the third race of the day.
A sophomore son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, also trained by Todd Pletcher, Competitive Edge enters the Woody Stephens having captured all four of his career starts.
Winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful last summer at Saratoga Race Course, the bay colt returned from a nearly six-month layoff to open 2015 with a front-running 8 ½-length romp in the seven-furlong Tamarac Stakes March 27 at Gulfstream Park.
Competitive Edge cruised by 4 ½ lengths in his subsequent start, the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 2 at Churchill Downs. He will break from post 3 under Velazquez.
Chalk Racing's Ready for Rye posted a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the seven-furlong, Grade 2 Swale March 7 at Gulfstream, also tops in the six-horse Woody Stephens field. Most recently, the City Zip gelding led but tired to third in the Grade 3 Bay Shore April 4 at Aqueduct. Luis Saez will ride from post 1.
Winless in four graded stakes starts but twice Grade 3-placed, Cheyenne Stables' Classy Class enters the Woody Stephens off a win over his elders going 1 1/16 miles May 2. It was his second win in as many starts at Belmont Park, including his debut victory last October. Cornelio Velasquez rides for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin from post 6.
Cinco Charlie has finished in the top three in 10 of 11 lifetime starts with seven wins, six of them in stakes, including the Grade 3 Bashford Manor last June. The Steve Asmussen trainee was third by a length in the Grade 2 Futurity October 5 in his lone try at Belmont.
Rounding out the field are Grade 3 Bay Shore winner March and Two Weeks Off, third to Pletcher-trained stablemate Madefromlucky in the Grade 2 Peter Pan May 9.
Coming
off of a narrow victory in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint on May 1 at
Churchill Downs, Australian-bred Power Alert will try to duplicate his
most recent effort in the 32nd running of the $300,000 Jaipur for turf sprinters 4-years-old and up set as the fourth race on the afternoon's card.
The 5-year-old grey gelding is 3-for-4 since making his North American
debut last December for trainer Brian Lynch and will face a field of 12
in his third consecutive Grade 3 race, contested at six furlongs on the
Widener Turf Course. Power Alert is set to break from the rail with
Velazquez in the irons as the 7-2 second choice on the morning line.
Adele Dilschneider's Mosler, a two-length winner over the Widener turf
in the Elusive Quality on April 29, has been installed as the
morning-line favorite at 3-1. A $1.05 million yearling purchase, the
4-year-old son of War Front has won four of his nine career starts and
will be making only his third start on the grass. Joel Rosario has the
mount for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The pair will break from the
outside post 13.
Multiple graded stakes winner Something Extra,
who finished third in the Turf Sprint last time out for trainer Gail
Cox, will look to turn the tables on Power Alert. The 7-year-old Indian
Charlie gelding will be ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith from post 6
at 5-1 on the morning line.
Al
Shaqab Racing's Helwan is slated to make his North American debut for
the barn of Chad Brown. The Bernstein colt, who boasts a record of
8-3-3-2 in his native France, will be ridden by Jose Ortiz from post 8,
set at odds of 6-1.
Rounding out the field for the Jaipur are
Bellarmine, Brickyard Kitten, Ageless, Unbridled's Note, Summation Time,
Sandy'z Slew, Channel Marker, Spring to the Sky and Shrinking Violet.
Kicking off the day's festivities is the $150,000 WinStar Farm Easy Goer for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
Pletcher will saddle Stanford, who is coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 28 at the Fair Grounds. The son of Malibu Moon was entered in the Kentucky Derby, but his connections decided to bypass the race.
Castellano has the mount and the pair will depart from the rail.
Grade 3 Lexington runner-up Donworth will go out for trainer Graham Motion and Regis Racing. The Tiznow colt is exiting a third-place finish in the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness undercard.
Donworth, whose lone win came in his much ballyhooed debut, will leave from post 5 with Rosario aboard.
Combat Diver, Japan, and Nonna's Boy round out the field.
Source: NYRA Communications