Mr. Speaker Not Committed to Secretariat

All eyes for the Grade I $500,000 Secretariat Stakes are fixed on the barn of Shug McGaughey and owner Phipps Stable, as they have yet to commit their talented colt Mr. Speaker to the event.  The son of Pulpit last out landed the Grade I Belmont Derby Invitational in excellent style, showcasing an eye-catching acceleration of European proportions.

Also on the fence at this point are one-two finishers in the Grade III American Derby, Let’s Go Stable’s Divine Oath and Rabbah Bloodstock’s Our Channel.  Neither have committed, but both are considered probable to make the trip back to Chicago.  Another probable yet but commitment-challenged charge is Glen Hill Farm’s Global View, whose connections vividly expressed a need for a dry and firm course for their multiple graded stakes-winning son of Galileo to be a part of the field.

The Ballydoyle yard of Aidan O’Brien may add another colt to the already expected Irish invasion of Belmont Derby runner-up Adelaide.  That may come in the form of the Belisarius, a developing son of Montjeu coming off a runner-up performance in the Listed Lenebane Stakes at Roscommon Racecourse in Ireland.

An exciting domestic prospect for the Secretariat is the long-committed General Jack – son of Giant’s Causeway out of multiple graded stakes winner J’ray who walloped the Centaur Stakes on July 2 at Indiana Grand and soon after was pointed toward a date with Arlington on Aug. 16.  Training very well in Kentucky at trainer and co-owner Mike Maker’s base, the chestnut colt worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:01 on July 26.  This multiple stakes winner is developing at the right time for his connections and should revel in the 1¼ miles of the Secretariat, thus adding an interesting ingredient to the already diverse set of sophomores taking aim on the half-million dollar prize.