Ironicus 3-1 Morning Line Favorite in Poker

A highly competitive group of older turf runners is on tap for the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker run at one mile on the Widener turf course on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The prospective field is led by Chilean sensation Il Campione - trained by Chad Brown for Lanes End Racing and Head of Plains Partners - who has been dominant in his native country racing from approximately six furlongs to 1 ½ miles on turf.

The 4-year-old son of Scat Daddy was entered in the Grade 1 Knob Creek Manhattan on the Belmont Stakes undercard, but his connections opted to have him make his North American debut in the Poker, in which he will break from post 6 as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will take the call aboard Il Campione, who has been favored in all 10 of his career starts.

At 3-1 on the morning line, Ironicus will go out for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and Stuart Janney III. The homebred son of Distorted Humor turned heads in his latest start, powering home to a 2 ¾-length victory in the Grade 2 Longines Dixie on Preakness Day at Pimlico.

Ironicus will have the services of jockey Javier Castellano from post 7.

Multiple graded stakes winner Heart to Heart will be making his second start as a 4-year-old after finishing a close second in the Grade 3 Red Bank at Monmouth Park in his seasonal debut. In 2014, the English Channel colt won the Grade 3 Jefferson Cup and Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs by a combined 7 ¾ lengths.

Luis Saez will be aboard Heart to Heart, 5-1 on the morning line, from post 4.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle Long On Value, a 4-year-old son of Value Plus. Long On Value started the year with an eye-opening score in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf, and subsequently finished third in the Grade 1 Maker's 46 Mile at Keeneland and fourth in the Dixie.

At 4-1 on the morning line, Long On Value will break from post 2 with Joel Rosario in the irons.

Trainer Todd Pletcher's All Included will make his graded stakes debut on Saturday. The chestnut son of Include, owned by Wertheimer and Frere, began his 2015 campaign with a 2 ½-length victory in an optional claimer on May 10 at Belmont. He is undefeated in three starts on turf.

With Hall of Famer John Velazquez taking the call, All Included sits at 8-1 on the morning line and will break from the rail.

The hard-knocking lineup also includes King Kreesa, a seven-time winner who took the 2013 edition of the Poker; Howe Great, runner-up in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy at Belmont; Paris Vegas, second in the Henry Clark Stakes to begin the year; and Vyjack, a multiple graded stakes winner making his turf debut and first start for Mott.

In Speight Ofitall completes the field.


Source: NYRA Communications