Instilled Regard leads Brown brigade in Belmont's Fort Marcy
A graded stakes winner on both dirt and turf, Instilled Regard will seek a third graded stakes win, competing in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Fort Marcy over the inner turf course at Belmont Park.
Owned by Larry Best's OXO Equine, the 5-year-old son of Arch is one of four contenders for trainer Chad Brown, who previously saddled Big Blue Kitten (2015), Robert Bruce (2018) and Olympico (2019) to victories in the 1 1/8-mile turf test.
Instilled Regard will attempt to make amends following a sixth-place finish as the lukewarm favorite in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic at Fair Grounds Race Course, where he chased a slow pace and was unable to catch wire-to-wire winner Factor This, finishing sixth.
"He didn't act like he handled the course very well, so we're drawing a line through that race," Brown said.
Instilled Regard previously won the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park in December before finishing third in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Turf Cup Invitational at the South Florida oval, where he garnered a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure.
As a 3-year-old, Instilled Regard raced exclusively over the main track taking the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby while racing for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.
Bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms, Instilled Regard is out of the Forestry broodmare Enhancing. He will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 5.
Brown will also saddle Peter Brant's well-bred Flop Shot, who makes his North American debut having not raced since finishing a close third to multiple group stakes-winner Headman in the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano in August at Deauville in France.
"He's a staying type of horse," Brown said of the son of New Approach. "He's been ready to run for over a month now, so we're looking forward to getting him going."
Bred in Ireland by Werthermier and Frere, Flop Shot is out of the Dansili broodmare Dancequest and is from the same family as French Group 1 winner Plumania.
Brown's remaining two entrants are the French-bred pair of Devamani [No. 7, Joel Rosario] and Tribhuvan [No. 9, Jose Ortiz].
Devamani, owned by Sandford J. Goldfarb and Samuel Abraham, made his debut for Brown when finishing a late-closing second in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay at Tampa Bay Downs, recording a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
Tribhuvan, owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stable, makes his second start in North America after finishing third against allowance company over the Gulfstream Park turf. The son of Toronado registered a 90 Beyer in his United States debut.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out the ultra-consistent Social Paranoia, who has finished in the money in 12 of his 13 career starts.
Owned by Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group, the dark bay son of Street Boss finished third to stablemate Halladay in the Sunshine Fever at Gulfstream Park following a victory in the Grade 3 Appleton at the South Florida oval, where he registered a career-best 100 Beyer.
Jockey Manny Franco will be in the irons from post 8.
The Fort Marcy pays homage to the 1970 Horse of the Year and Champion Turf Horse, who was owned by Rokeby Stable and trained by Elliot Burch.
The hard-knocking turf runner won 16 stakes races and garnered $1,109,791 in a career of 75 starts.