Weaver has Woody Stephens-bound Colloquial, Royal Ascot pair

Promising stakes winner Colloquial worked five furlongs in 1:03.25 on Thursday over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma dirt training track in preparation for the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens on June 7 at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Trained by George Weaver for Harrell Ventures and Starlight Racing, the son of Weaver's dual Grade 1-winning pupil Vekoma was last seen winning the seven-furlong Lafayette on April 7 at Keeneland. There, he showed a new dimension when setting the pace after two solid efforts from off-the-pace, including an eye-catching local seven-length graduation sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at second asking that garnered a 106 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.

The 2 1/4-length Lafayette win earned him an 88 Beyer, the same number he earned on debut last June when a nose second to subsequent graded stakes-winner Mentee in a track-record-setting performance.

“We’ve been happy with him,” Weaver said. “We’ve been waiting for this race for a long time, and now we’re getting close.”

Weaver said the chestnut’s versatility is the mark of a top-level horse.

“Good horses are (versatile), and they can adjust to situations,” Weaver said. “He’s talented, so luckily he’s good enough to have that versatility. I don’t think he’s tied to any one way of running. I’m sure this will be a competitive race, but I wouldn’t trade places with anybody.”

Colloquial is one of several candidates for Weaver at this year’s Belmont Stakes racing festival. The veteran conditioner also has Dorth Vader, Sacred Wish and Soontobeking nominated to races during the five-day festival.

Grade 2 winner Dorth Vader, owned by John Ropes, was a troubled fourth last out in the La Troienne (G1) on May 2 at Churchill Downs, enduring a bumpy trip into the first turn while running in third position under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. She went on to finish just 1 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Raging Sea with just a head and three quarters of a length separating the minor awards between Taxed, Randomized and Dorth Vader.

Weaver said Dorth Vader is likely being pointed to the Ogden Phipps (G1) on June 6, which offers a win and you're in berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November at Del Mar.

“She had horse and was running the whole way, and it was pretty tight in the first turn,” Weaver said. “She was on the rail and (Randomized) stopped her progress. We’re just hoping for a good, clean trip (in the Phipps).”

Grade 1 winner Sacred Wish was a last-out seventh, defeated just 2 1/2-lengths, in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

The 5-year-old Not This Time mare owned by Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, Christopher Dunn and Anthony Spinazzola has been a model of consistency, currently holding a 20: 4-7-3 record that includes a Grade 1 triumph in last year’s Matriarch at Del Mar, and over $1.1 million in earnings.

Weaver said the dark bay, who worked a half-mile in 51.25 seconds yesterday over the Oklahoma dirt, has been nominated to the Just a Game (G1) on June 5 at the Festival, but he is unsure if that will be her next start.

“We’ll see how her next work goes,” Weaver said. “We’re kind of up in the air about her next start.”

Consistent New Yorker Soontobeking is targeting the $200,000 Mike Lee for state-bred sophomores on the June 4 Opening Day of the Festival.

Co-owned by Weaver with breeders Our Blue Streaks Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds, the son of King for a Day has put together a respectable 12: 3-3-4 record with $363,428 in earnings, led by a stakes triumph in the state-bred Gander on March 8 at Aqueduct.

“We’re looking forward to seeing him again,” Weaver said of the colt whose last effort was a runner-up finish in the NYSSS Times Square on April 13 at Aqueduct. “You appreciate the horses that always show up, and he does. He just overcomes with try.”

Beyond the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, Weaver is eyeing a return next month to Royal Ascot, where he won the Queen Mary (G2) in 2023 with Crimson Advocate. This year, Weaver is hopeful he’ll be represented by two juveniles for owner Dew Sweepers in stakes winner Sandal’s Song and maiden-winning New York-bred Tough Critic.

“It’s a hard thing to get done,” Weaver said of winning at the prestigious meeting. “It’s hard to win over there, even when you have the right horse – they run big fields, and you have to ship a long ways. It makes it exciting to do it, and hopefully everything goes smoothly and they run their race.”

Sandal’s Song looks to follow the path of Crimson Advocate after a stylish debut graduation in the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile by 1 1/2 lengths with a stalk-and-pounce trip engineered by Luca Panici. The Mendelssohn chestnut, who was a $75,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale, overcame a hop at the start to sit off the pace down the backstretch and responded kindly into the lane to draw off to the victory in a final time of 56.30 seconds.

Weaver said Sandal’s Song is likely pointing towards the Norfolk (G2) for juveniles sprinting five furlongs on June 19 at Royal Ascot.

“They’ve only had that race (the Royal Palm Juvenile) for the last couple of years, and we’ve been fortunate enough to get horses that have a chance to compete in it,” Weaver said of the race that awarded Sandal’s Song a $25,000 equine travel stipend for Royal Ascot.

The New York-bred Tough Critic was also impressive in his debut, taking a 5 1/2-furlong maiden on April 24 at Keeneland by 1 1/4 lengths with a deep-closing trip under Eclipse Award-winning rider Flavien Prat. The $350,000 Keeneland April horses of racing age sale purchase is by Caravaggio and is out of is out of the Invincible Spirit mare Thatchit, a half-sister to 2009 Norfolk winner Radiohead.

Weaver said Tough Critic is being considered for the six-furlong Coventry (G2) at Royal Ascot on June 17 or the five-furlong Windsor Castle there on June 18.