Moon Colony shows 'encouraging' signs for Belmont Derby run

John Oxley's Moon Colony, last out winner of the Penn Mile (G2) for Belmont Stakes-winning trainer Mark Casse, breezed four furlongs Friday on the Belmont main in 48.48 seconds with Dylan Davis up.

Julien Leparoux, aboard for the Penn Mile win, will retain the mount on Moon Colony for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby.

"He went a solo half-mile and did it pretty easy," said Jamie Begg, Casse's New York-based assistant. "He's been doing extremely well. I think he might be doing even better now than he was before the Penn Mile which is encouraging."

Begg said the Uncle Mo bay, 0-for-2 on the dirt, could earn another shot on the main track down the road.

"Mark and I were talking about him yesterday after the work and he said the horse could probably run on the dirt. I told him that the way this horse was training before the Penn Mile, that if he didn't run well there, I was going to suggest trying him back on dirt," said Begg. "But, he ran well and if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Moon Colony, who will stretch out to 10 furlongs for the first time in the Belmont Derby, posted consecutive bullet breezes ahead of his Penn Mile win. Begg said the added distance is the only question mark for Moon Colony ahead of his first Grade 1 test.

"I think that's the only question Mark and I have with the horse, but he hasn't given us any indication that he wouldn't like it. There's no reason to shy away at this point," said Begg. "He worked pretty quick going into the Penn Mile, so we've been slowing down his works a bit but he's not one of those horses that trains like he won't get the distance. If you want to slow him down in works, he'll do it. There's only so slow he can go because he gets over the ground so well."

Got Stormy, winner of Ontario Colleen (G3) at Woodbine last July, worked four furlongs in 50.20 on Thursday on the Belmont main. A five-time winner from 13 starts, the Get Stormy chestnut was pointed to the Just a Game (G1) on Belmont Stakes day before connections decided to wait for another option.

"We weren't 100 percent happy with her when she shipped up for the Just a Game and with the horses in that spot, you'd have to be 110 percent to win," said Begg. "We brought her back and gave her an easy work last week and we're happy with where she's at right now."

Got Stormy is likely to make her next start in a stakes at Saratoga.

Tracy Farmer's Catch a Thrill and Gary Barber's Eyeinthesky are pointed to the $100,000 Coronation Cup, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, on July 14 at Saratoga.

The stakes-placed Catch a Thrill, by City Zip, breezed four furlongs Thursday in 48.45 on the Belmont Park main. Eyeinthesky, winner of the Mizdirection in April at Aqueduct Racetrack, worked four furlongs in 49.06 on Belmont main on Saturday morning.