Kid Cruz set to compete in Wednesday's $100,000 Birdstone

An experienced six-horse field will compete in Wednesday's $100,000 Birdstone for 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga Race Course.

Kid Cruz is the lone multiple graded stakes winner in the field, including a victory in the Grade 3 Excelsior on April 9 at Aqueduct. The Linda Rice-trained 5-year-old has registered Beyer Speed Figures of 90 or greater in seven consecutive starts, including three efforts that garnered triple digits.

The son of Lemon Drop Kid, who won the 2013 Grade 3 Dwyer before a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and a fourth in the Grade 1 Travers, will now look to test himself in the 1 ¾-mile course leaving from post 3 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons. It will mark the longest distance of Kid Cruz's 22 career starts.

"The distance is a bit of an unknown for us, but it's the best option we have in front of us right now, so we'll give it a try," Rice said. "It'll be an odd race. Where is the pace coming from? It's hard to know who can actually go the distance. He likes to close in fast fractions, but who knows that fractions will be at this [distance]? We'll give it a go."

Trainer Gary Contessa has a pair of veterans, including Turco Bravo, who will be looking for class relief following a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap on July 9 at Belmont Park. The 7-year-old chestnut gelding has won two stakes races this year, notching victories in the Flat Out on May 15 and the Stymie on March 13.

Turco Bravo, owned by Winning Move Stable, has experience at the distance in finishing second to Tacticus in last year's Birdstone. He has continued his prodigious workload as he makes his eighth start of the year and 53rd of a career that started in Chile. Turco Bravo will exit post 5 with Javier Castellano aboard.

"He's had the best year of his life and he's just doing great; he's coming into this race right and we know the mile and three-quarters works for him," Contessa said. "Hopefully all the pegs fall in place and we get a good trip but I couldn't have a more right horse for a more right race at any given time."

In two meetings with Kid Cruz, Turco Bravo came in second in the Grade 2 Brooklyn on June 11, with Kid Cruz coming in seventh. In the Excelsior, Turco Bravo came in third behind Kid Cruz and Madefromlucky. Contessa said Turco Bravo's four-furlong breeze in 49.56 seconds on Thursday has him excited for the rematch.

"Kid Cruz, when he delivers his 'A' race, he is very tough," Contessa said. "He beat us handily one day and the next time we beat him handily, so we'll see what happens. He came out of [training] super. When I looked at my watch, I couldn't believe he went that [fast] on this deep track. He handled it well and it was a good day for him."

Old Time Hockey, Contessa's 7-year-old, will leave from the rail with Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the irons. The Martin Harrigan-owned chestnut gelding has made 28 of his 39 career starts on turf, but Contessa said he decided on the quick turnaround from his previous start on July 24 because of the distance.

"He's a distance horse; he's a turf horse who can run on the dirt," Contessa said. "We thought it would be a good spot for him. He has speed and the game plan is for Old Time Hockey to be gunning on the lead and if anyone wants to challenge him, they'll have to get passed him early."

Desvelo, trained by Kelly Rubley, is returning to stakes company after finishing seventh in an allowance race on June 3 at Pimlico. Looking for his first win since 2015, Desvelo drew post 2 with Manny Franco aboard.

Rounding out the field are Indycott, who has the outside post position with Jose Ortiz set to ride, and Lideris, seeking his first win since 2014 in leaving post 4 in tandem with Dylan Davis.

Source: NYRA Communications