Midnightcharly leaves Pennsylvania for graded test in True North
Uptowncharlybrown and Godric's Midnightcharly will make his seasonal debut in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 True North, a 6½-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up at Belmont Park that will be headlined by Grade 1 winner Promises Fulfilled.
Trained by Ed Coletti Jr., the 5-year-old Uptowncharlybrown chestnut boasts a record of 15-6-6-1 with purse earnings of $349,808. Bred in Pennsylvania by Godric, Saturday's test will mark the gelding's first venture outside his native state.
"He's training well and seems to have come back to his same self,” said Coletti Jr., whose father, Ed, Sr., trained Uptowncharlybrown at the end of his career. “I think he'll run well."
A winner of the 2019 Lyman Handicap against fellow Pennsylvania-breds, Midnightcharly was a rallying second to True North rival Firenze Fire last out in the Fabulous Strike in November at Penn National.
Firenze Fire, trained by Kelly Breen, was fourth last out in the Grade 1 Carter won by Vekoma on June 6. Midnightcharly scratched out of the Carter and instead posted a bullet five-eighths breeze in 1:00.01 on June 13 at Parx.
"The Carter came up a little salty for his first race back, so instead of running him in the Carter I wanted to put a good work into him and have him ready for this race," Coletti Jr. said. "It's a good field. Firenze Fire will probably run a little better this time in his second race back for Kelly. Hopefully we can outrun him this time. We couldn't catch him last time at Penn National, but maybe we'll catch him this time."
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call on Midnightcharly from post 2.
Coletti, Jr. has also entered Uptowncharlybrown Stud's Wait for It in the True North, but the stakes-placed Pennsylvania-bred could re-route to a Parx allowance event.
"We're on the fence with Wait for It,” Coletti Jr. said. “There's an allowance race here that we'll consider.”
The 5-year-old bay boasts a record of 21-7-5-2 with purse earnings of $324,078 and would be making his first start since a fifth in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial on March 14 at Laurel Park.
Manny Franco would have the call from post 4 should Wait for It ship to Belmont.
"He likes to be in the game early," Coletti Jr said. "If Manny can place him well early that will leave him in good shape to be battling. He should be laying close."