Golden Glider follows Casse's winning path into Belmont Stakes
Golden Glider, owned by Gary Barber in partnership with Manfred and Penny Conrad, breezed a half-mile in 49.90 seconds Sunday over Big Sandy in preparation for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
NYRA clockers caught Golden Glider, with exercise rider Kylie Wellington up, through a quarter-mile in 26.20 and out in 1:02.80.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, who won the 2019 Belmont Stakes with Sir Winston, said he was pleased with the work.
“I thought he worked really well. He settled early, which is what you want out of a Belmont horse, and flew home,” Casse said.
The Ghostzapper chestnut was off the board in a trio of graded starts on the Kentucky Derby trail in the Sam F. Davis (G3, fifth), Tampa Bay Derby (G2, fourth) and Blue Grass (G1, fourth).
He finished a distant second last out to returning rival We the People in the nine-furlong Peter Pan (G3) on May 14 in the traditional local prep for the Belmont Stakes, which was contested over a good and sealed main track. The top-two finishers of the Peter Pan had their Belmont Stakes entry and starting fees waived.
Golden Glider is following a similar path to Sir Winston, who also graduated at Woodbine and competed in the Tampa Bay Derby (fifth) and Blue Grass (seventh) before earning a free berth in the Belmont via the Peter Pan (second).
Casse said he is confident that Golden Glider will get the distance and that jockey Dylan Davis can work out a stalking trip.
“I'm not worried about the mile and a half, it's just how long it's going to take him,” said Casse, with a laugh. “He's a one-paced type of horse, so I’m hoping he'll have a similar trip like Sir Winston. In his previous races, Sir Winston used to come from the clouds but in the Belmont, Joel Rosario kept him close enough and I could see the same thing happening Saturday with Dylan.”
Davis, who won his first New York Racing Association riding title at the Aqueduct winter meet, will look to secure his first victory in a Triple Crown race.