Oscar Performance looks to recapture top form in Pennine Ridge

Amerman Racing's Oscar Performance will look to recapture his 2016 campaign form as part of a field of eight 3-year-olds in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Pennine Ridge at 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Oscar Performance has finished off the board in his first two races to start 2017, with poor starts leading to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Transylvania and a 10th-place effort in the Grade 2 American Turf last out on May 6 at Churchill Downs. But Lynch said the son of Kitten's Joy has been training like he did when he won three of his first four starts, including last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf championship at Santa Anita.

"He's looked a bit questionable after his last two starts and [hopefully] he doesn't have the 2-year-old Breeders' Cup curse," Lynch said. "I make no excuses for him. He's trained well coming in. Hopefully we get firm turf. He had a nice work with an older 3-year-old horse this week, so I thought it was a good gauge where we're at with him."

Oscar Performance, who has run five previous times at 1 1/16 miles, will be stretched out to the Pennine Ridge distance for the first time. Jose Ortiz will ride from post 6.

"The distance won't be a limitation for him, I just want to see him get back to one of his 'A' game races," Lynch said. "Both his last two starts back haven't been the cleanest break, so hopefully we got rid of those hiccups and he leaves here running."

Good Samaritan, who finished third to Oscar Performance in the Breeders' Cup, will be running for the first time since a strong runner-up effort in the American Turf, where he finished one-length behind winner Arklow. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Good Samaritan is 2-1-1 in four career starts and drew the outside post. Joel Rosario will ride.

Graded stakes winner Ticonderoga, for trainer Chad Brown, will exit post 7 with Manny Franco in the irons. Ticonderoga won the Grade 3 Palm Beach with a personal-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure on March 4 before a fourth-place effort in the Transylvania.

Secretary At War won his stakes debut for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, capturing the Woodhaven on April 22 at Aqueduct. Hall of Famer rider John Velazquez will have the call from post 8.

Rounding out the field is Prize Fight, for trainer Mike Maker, who will depart from the rail; Bowies Hero, trained by Philip D'Amato, from post 2; Makarios, looking for his first stakes win for trainer Nick Zito, out of post 4 and Muggsamatic, trained by Kathleen O'Connell, breaking from post 5. Bonus Points is entered for the main track only.

Probables for the 2017 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival:

THURSDAY, JUNE 8:

Grade 3, $250,000 Intercontinental

Probable: Conquest Babayaga (Chad Brown); Fair Point (Shug McGaughey); Mississippi Delta (Mark Casse); Nobody's Fault (Neil Pessin); Outsider Art (Jonathan Sheppard); Portmagee (Christophe Clement); Rapid Rhythm (Michael Stidham); Ruby Notion (Wesley Ward); Take These Chains (C. Brown)

Possible: Miss Ella/Miss Katie Mae (Graham Motion); Sassy Little Lila (Brad Cox)

Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again

Probable: Coasted (Leah Gyarmati); Corporate Queen (Casse); Dream Dancing (Casse); Enchanting Kitten (C. Brown); Fifty Five (C. Brown); New Money Honey (C. Brown)

Possible: Journey Home (Motion)

$150,000 Astoria

Probable: Amberspatriot (John A. Hancock); Contrarity (Hugh McMahon); One Last Cast (Todd Pletcher); Sugar Queen (Pletcher); Waki Patriot (Hancock)

Possible: Best Performance (Clement)

FRIDAY, JUNE 9:

Grade 2, $500,000 New York

Probable: Achnaha (George Weaver); Apple Betty (McGaughey); Dacita (C. Brown); Kitten's Roar (Mike Maker); Quidura (Motion); Sea Calisi (C. Brown); Suffused (Bill Mott); Summersault (Mark Hennig); Time and Motion (Jimmy Toner)

Possible: Hawksmoor (Arnaud Delacour); Sassy Little Lila (Cox)

Grade 2, $250,000 True North

Probable: El Deal (Jorge Navarro); Fellowship (Kenneth Decker); Green Gratto (Gaston Grant); Holy Boss (Steve Asmussen); Noholdingback Bear (Brian Lynch); Roy H (Peter Miller); Stallwalkin' Dude (David Jacobson)

Possible: A. P. Indian (Delacour); Always Sunshine (Edward Allard)

Grade 3, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational

Probable: Bigger Picture (Maker); Bullards Alley (Tim Glyshaw); Clondaw Warrior (Willie Mullins); Hunter O'Riley (Toner); Now We Can (Nick Clement); Patterson Cross (Mott); Red Cardinal (Andreas Wohler); Renown (Elizabeth Voss); Roman Approval (David Cannizzo); Some in Tieme (Kenny McPeek); St Michel (Sir Mark Prescott); Taghleeb (Maker); Wall of Fire (Hugo Palmer); Wicklow Brave (Mullins)

Grade 3, $250,000 Bed o' Roses Invitational

Probable: By the Moon (Michelle Nevin); Flora Dora (Marialice Coffey); High Ridge Road (Linda Rice); Indulgent (McLaughlin); Lightstream (Lynch); Mia Torri (Navarro); Quezon (Robert Ribaudo); Rachel's Temper (David Cannizzo); Tale for Ruby (Barclay Tagg); Wheatfield (Nick Zito)

$150,000 Tremont

Probable: Admiral Jimmy (Pletcher); Analyze Your Luck (Pletcher); Analyze the Odds (Pletcher); Presence of Mind (Weaver); Salmanazar (Pletcher); Wonder How (John Salzman)

Possible: Ten City (McPeek)

SATURDAY, JUNE 10:

Grade 1, $1.2 million Mohegan Sun Metropolitan H. 

"Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Division"

Probable: Awesome Slew (Casse); Denman's Call (Doug O'Neill); Economic Model (C. Brown); Inside Straight (Robertino Diodoro); Mohaymen (McLaughlin); Mor Spirit (Bob Baffert); Rally Cry (Pletcher); Seymourdini (Rice); Sharp Azteca (Jorge Navarro); Solid Wager (Peter Miller); Tom's Ready (Dallas Stewart); Tommy Macho (Pletcher)

Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan

Probable: Applicator (Mikhail Yanakov); Ascend (Motion); Beach Patrol (C. Brown); Divisidero (Buff Bradley); Potemkin (Andreas Wohler); Sadler's Joy (Albertrani); Time Test (C. Brown); Wake Forest (C. Brown); World Approval (Casse)

Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps

"Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Distaff Division"

Probable: Carina Mia (Bill Mott); Factory of Faith (Joe Sharp); Highway Star (Rodrigo Ubillo); Paid Up Subscriber (C. Brown); Songbird (Jerry Hollendorfer)

Possible: Annie Rocks (Jason Servis); Bar of Gold (John Kimmel)

Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn

Probable: Abel Tasman (Baffert); Benner Island (Cox); Florida Fabulous (Fawkes); My Miss Tapit (Pletcher); Nikki My Darling (Dominic Giglio); Salty (Casse); Sweet Loretta (Pletcher); Tequilita (Michael Matz); Union Strike (Ruis)

Possible: Sailor's Valentine (Kenneally); Yellow Agate (Christophe Clement)

Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just A Game

Probable: Antonoe (C. Brown); Celestine (Clement); Dickinson (McLaughlin); Prize Exhibit (James Cassidy); Roca Rojo (C. Brown)

Possible: Harmonize (Mott); Hawksmoor (Delacour); Sassy Little Lila (Brad Cox)

Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens

Probable: American Anthem (Baffert); Aquamarine (D. Wayne Lukas); Classic Rock (Kathy Ritvo); Conquest Mo Money (Miguel Hernandez); Gold for the King (Charlie Baker); Hard Scramble (Asmussen); Long Haul Bay (C. Brown); The Money Monster (Mott); Wild Shot (Rusty Arnold)     

Possible: Recruiting Ready (Horacio DePaz)

Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational

Probable: Doyouknowsomething (A.C. Avila); Behesht (Arnold); Governor Malibu (Clement); Idolo Porteno (Ignacio Correas, IV); Send It In (Pletcher); Sunny Ridge (Jason Servis); Tu Brutus (Gary Contessa); War Story (Navarro) 

Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational

Probable: Canadian Flyer (Mott); Conquest Enforcer (Giglio); Disco Partner (Clement); Green Mask (Cox); Hogy (Larry Rivelli); Holding Gold (Casse); Loose on the Town (Lynch); Pure Sensation (Clement); Stormy Liberal (Miller); Tombelaine (C. Brown), Undrafted (Ward); Why Two (Michael Machowsky)

Possible: Always Sunshine (Allard)

$150,000 Easy Goer

Probable: Giuseppe the Great (Zito); West Coast (Baffert)

Possible: Sonic Mule (Pletcher)

Source: NYRA Communications