McPeek's Chambersville tries dirt for 1st time in Remsen

Shortleaf Stable’s Kentucky homebred Chambersville has made each of his three starts on turf, but he will try dirt in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen, a nine-furlong test for juveniles at Aqueduct that awards 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers.

Trained by Ken McPeek, the son of Twirling Candy was last seen graduating in a nine-furlong turf maiden Oct. 25 at Keeneland where he stalked and pounced to a one-length victory under Irad Ortiz Jr., completing the course in 1:50.59 and earning a 59 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form for the effort.

“He’s coming off a win at Keeneland and he’s a horse that we want to try on the dirt before we back off of him for the season,” McPeek said. “He’s got some dirt pedigree to him, and we just didn’t want to pigeonhole him as strictly a turf horse.”

Chambersville made his first two starts going 1 1/16 miles on grass in New York, finishing seventh on debut in August at Saratoga and coming up a nose shy of next-out stakes-winner Behold the King in October at Belmont at the Big A.

Chambersville is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Reef Point, a half-sister to 2019 Korea Sprint (G1) winner Blue Chipper, who also finished third in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita. Chambersville is a half-brother to dual graded stakes-placed turfer Bubble Rock, and his half-brother Great Barrier is a two-time winner on dirt. His second dam Dixie City won the Big A’s nine-furlong Demoiselle (G2) in 2010.

“I think he wants every bit of a mile and an eighth,” McPeek said. “Whether he handles the (surface) remains to be seen, but he’s certainly a trying type and he’s going to have to find another level. It’s a bit of a question mark, but he’s in there with a chance.”

Chris Elliott picks up the mount from post 5 with a morning-line assessment of 30-1