Tu Brutus to make North American debut in G3 Excelsior

by Brian Bohl

Winning Move Stable's Tu Brutus will make his first start on North American soil as part of a field of seven 4-year-olds and up in the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior on Saturday, Wood Memorial Day, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Tu Brutus will be making his first start for trainer Gary Contessa after going 8-2-3 in 17 career starts in his native Chile. Contessa said the 5-year-old son of Scat Daddy should be fresh for making his first start since December 3 and has looked solid in workouts since arriving in the country. He first worked at Palm Meadows Training Center before his last two breezes at Belmont Park, including Monday's five furlong effort in 1:01.11 on the dirt training track.

"He has been blowing me away as far as the way he's trained," Contessa said. "He has trained unbelievable since I brought him to the United States. Everything he does, he does with passion and he acts like he could be a really good horse. I trained him on both the turf and the dirt, but I like him on the dirt. I'm very excited about running him on Saturday."

A winner of stakes overseas, including the 2015 Group 3 Alfredo L.S. Jackson, Tu Brutus will run at the Excelsior distance of 1 ¼ miles for the first time. His only start at a longer distance - the 1 ½-mile Group 1 El Derby in 2016 - resulted in a third-place finish.

"I think the mile and a quarter will be no problem," Contessa said. "I worked him a mile at Belmont and I told my rider when he crossed the wire to chirp to him and see if he grabs the bit and goes on, and that horse found another gear after the wire. I'm really pleased with him coming into this race."

Tu Brutus will have the services of jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., the winner of the Big A's 2016-17 inner track meet, out of post 5.

"I was thrilled when his agent told me he was open, so it worked out very well," Contessa said.

The ultra-consistent Send It In will make his graded stakes debut off a third-place finish in the Stymie following wins in the Alex M. Robb and Haynesfield. The Paul Pompa, Jr. homebred has finished in the money in his last 10 starts, going 7-2-1 in that stretch.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the New York bred has finished on the board in 10 of his 11 career starts at Aqueduct. Hall of Famer John Velazquez will be in the irons in departing from post 2.

Bellamy Way will face a step up in class in his first graded stakes start coming off a win against allowance company on February 26. Trained by David Cannizzo, the 5-year-old will be stretched out to 1 ¼ miles for the first time.

Bellamy Way, who is 4-5-2 in 14 career starts, drew the rail. Manny Franco, who rode him to victory in his last start, will have the return call on the New York bred.

Doyouknowsomething has posted Beyer Speed Figures in excess of 90 in four of his last five starts. Trained by A.C. Avila, the 5-year-old Awesome Again bay gelding is the only entrant to have won a race at the Excelsior distance. He is also coming off a solid effort in the Stymie in which he rallied from seventh to finish just three-quarters of a length behind Sunny Ridge in a runner-up effort on March 12 at Aqueduct.

Angel Arroyo will ride from the outside post.

Discreet Lover has graded stakes experience, starting in last year's Grade 3 Smarty Jones and Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby. Trained by Uriah St. Lewis, will be looking for her first win in eight starts. J.D. Acosta will have the mount leaving post 3.

Rounding out the field is Hereditary, a 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey from post 4, and Admiral Blue, for trainer Leon Blusiewicz, out of post 6.