Hawkish's 'attitude's been good' heading into Belmont Derby
Grade 2 Penn Mile hero Hawkish breezed four furlongs in 49 seconds over the Belmont turf course Sunday morning for his final work before Saturday's Grade 1 Belmont Derby.
Hawkish, a 3-year-old Artie Schiller gelding trained by Jimmy Toner, broke off behind stablemates Manitoulin and Violet Blue with jockey Manny Franco aboard. He tracked that pair through the turn and caught up with them in the stretch. Franco directed his charge to the outside and Hawkish kicked on past the wire on even terms.
"I told Manny to track them," said Toner. "I said that I want to see how comfortable he is behind other horses and if he gets too close or too anxious, just ease out a bit. I couldn't ask for more. [He was] five lengths [behind] and sat, sat, sat, and then the closer he got to them, I thought he was going to run over them, but Manny just moved him out a little bit and he went. The main thing was to get him to relax behind horses and it was no problem. [Manny] said he rated perfectly. When he turns into the lane, he said he knows where the wire is and he starts to get aggressive. As long as he settles before that, he's good, and that's what he did this morning."
Sunday's breeze was Hawkish's second since his late-running three-length victory in the Penn Mile on June 2 at Penn National Race Course. Last weekend, Hawkish worked a bullet five furlongs on the turf in a dogs-up 59.63.
"He's doing really well. His attitude's been good and he's been training good," Toner said. "His major breeze was last week and today, we were just trying to do a little maintenance breeze with him but also teach him to relax a little more, which he did."
The Belmont Derby will be Hawkish's first attempt at 1 ¼ miles. Hawkish, owned by Robert LaPenta, AJ Suited Racing Stable, and Madaket Stables, is 3-for-3 at a mile on the grass with his only loss in four career starts coming with a fourth-place finish in his second start in the Grade 3 Palm Beach on March 3 at Gulfstream Park.
"You don't know until you try. We know he's a top miler and that's the unknown factor here, if he can get the mile and a quarter, but we'll find out," said Toner. "He gallops a mile and a half every day. I think the key is being rateable. If he isn't too aggressive early and settles in, I think you're OK. I think it's when you get those speed-type or fast horses that are not rateable, or get aggressive, then it's hard for them to settle in to go a mile and a quarter. So far, he's shown that he's OK with everything."
Recent allowance winner Violet Blue and Manitoulin, winner of the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup last fall and a recent fourth in the Grade 1 Manhattan, completed their half-mile move in 49.94 seconds.
Michael J. Ryan's Violet Blue, a 4-year-old filly by Americain who rallied from last to win by 4 ¼ lengths on June 13, will be pointed to the $100,000 River Memories at 1 ½ miles on the turf on Sunday, July 8, said Toner.
Manitoulin, a 5-year-old son of Awesome Again, is expected to make his next start in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green on July 28 at Saratoga Race Course. The Darby Dan Farm color bearer was beaten three-quarters of a length in the June 9 Manhattan at odds of 30-1 under Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who, one race later, piloted Justify to Triple Crown glory in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.
"Manitoulin does whatever you want. Slow, fast, alone, in company, it doesn't matter to him," Toner said. "He's a neat horse, that's all. He just enjoys it. He's funny. He's always there, just keeps sticking his head out. He won't let anybody get by him.
"He came out of the race good," he added. "Mike will be back at Saratoga to ride him. He got carried wide and I can't blame Mike for that. I don't question what he does. It is what it is, but he ran a big race. Three necks away at the wire."