Horses to Watch: Follow these 3 at Belmont Park
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Bishops Bay
Angel of Empire. Key of Life. Wet Paint. First Mission. Hit Show. Instant Coffee. Mo Strike. Victory Formation. All of these foals of 2020 have won graded stakes or Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers under the care of Brad Cox. Bishops Bay can join that list when he starts in Saturday’s sixth race at Belmont Park, the Peter Pan (G3, post time 3:40 p.m. EDT).
Held over 1 1/8 miles, the Peter Pan serves as a local stepping stone toward the Belmont Stakes, a race that could certainly be on Bishops Bay’s agenda if he runs to expectations this Saturday. The bay colt is 2-for-2 so far, defeating future Lexington (G3) winner First Mission in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Fair Grounds before nabbing a one-mile and 70-yard allowance optional claimer over the same track.
Bishops Bay’s allowance score was impressive since he clipped heels on the first turn, yet somehow stayed on his feet and recovered to win by a neck. The son of champion and accomplished sire Uncle Mo is bred to thrive running long and has the tactical speed to sit a perfect forwardly placed trip in the Peter Pan, so a third straight victory is likely in the offing.
Caramel Swirl
Caramel Swirl has shown flashes of significant talent through the years. As a 3-year-old in 2021, she won the Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland. As a 4-year-old during a brief 2022 campaign, she ran second in Saratoga’s Ballerina Handicap (G1) behind champion Goodnight Olive.
Caramel Swirl disappointed in her 2023 debut, finishing fourth in the Minaret at Tampa Bay Downs, but the 5-year-old mare has posted sharp workouts since then and is eligible to bounce back in Sunday’s eighth race at Belmont Park, the Vagrancy (G3, post time 4:40 p.m. EDT). She dominated an allowance optional claimer at Belmont last year and should have every chance to challenge for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Squire Creek
Bishops Bay isn’t the only promising Brad Cox three-year-old tackling the stakes ranks this week. Cox also trains Squire Creek, the 7-5 morning line favorite to win Friday’s eighth race at Belmont Park, the Gold Fever (post time 4:40 p.m. EDT).
Only six horses have entered the Gold Fever, and the six-furlong sprint appears ripe for conquest by Squire Creek. The son of Uncle Mo impressed in his debut over this distance at Fair Grounds, setting hot fractions of 21.65 and 44.92 seconds before drawing off to dominate by 6 1/4 lengths in the sharp time of 1:10.05 seconds.
Squire Creek followed up with a sharp victory in a $100,000 allowance optional claimer sprinting six furlongs at Keeneland, leading all the way through splits of 22.25 and 45.89 seconds to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:10.89.
Squire Creek enters the Gold Fever off a bullet five-furlong workout at Churchill Downs and looks ready to roll in his toughest contest to date. If Squire Creek can record a third consecutive victory, the Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont Park next month could be a logical and enticing target.
Which horses do you have your eyes on?
In this biweekly series, racing analyst J. Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.