Carloun back in action in G1 Beverly R. Steinman

Molly Willis and Paul Willis’ Grade 1-winner Carloun will look to notch his second victory at that level in Wednesday’s $150,000 Beverly R. Steinman, a 2 3/8-mile steeplechase test for older horses, on Opening Day of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

The Steinman is slated as the first race on Wednesday’s 10-race card, which will then move into New York Showcase Day with six $200,000 stakes exclusively for New York-breds. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Keri Brion, the 6-year-old Kingman gelding was last seen making his first start of the year with a hard-luck run in the 2 1/8-mile Carolina Cup on March 29 at Camden, where he set the pace under pressure before tiring through 1 1/2 miles and easing up before the final fence.

Brion said she will draw a line through the puzzling non-performance. 

“We don’t really know – he just wasn’t himself on the day, but everything checked out,” Brion said. “He didn’t jump off like he normally does wanting to run as fast as he can to the first hurdle. Physically, everything was fine, but we just gave him a little time. He’s back training the way he trains and is the ‘Carl’ that we know, so we’re looking forward to getting him back out.”

The Carloun that Brion has become accustomed to is one that has flourished once put on the lead early, yielding three consecutive open-lengths wins late last year. In all but one of his first 15 stateside outings, he stalked the pace, but a change in tactics in his August 1 hurdle graduation at Colonial Downs saw him lead at every point of call to draw off to a 7 1/2-length victory under Stephen Mulqueen.

He followed with an open-lengths handicap score going 2 1/8 miles in October at Middleburg ahead of a 3 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 1 William H. Allison Sport of Kings over that course and distance just 15 days later, again setting the pace en route to the easy victory.

“That’s his thing,” Brion said of the gelding’s early speed. “Normally, he just runs away from the flag and has a lot of tenacity, so I expect he’ll do the same thing here.”

Brion said she is confident Carloun will adapt well to a return to a traditional oval as he stretches out to the farthest test of his career.

“He’s won around Colonial Downs, so I think the track will suit him,” Brion said. “He’s going to have pretty good early speed, so we’ll see how far that carries him. I don’t think he’ll mind [the distance], especially since it’s on a flat track. If it was up and down hills, I might worry a little bit, but on that track, I don’t think it will be an issue for him.”

Bred in Ireland by Rabbah Bloodstock Limited, Carloun is out of the Dubawi mare Qaws, a half-sister to Group 1-placed mare Hadaatha, who produced Group 1-winner Al Husn.

Paddy O’Hanlon picks up the mount aboard Carloun, who will carry 152 pounds.

Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing’s Grade 1-winner Awakened [Graham Watters, 154 pounds] leads a pair of entrants of Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher, who also sends out Proven Innocent [Freddie Procter, 146 pounds].

Awakened makes his first start since last year’s Steinman, which was pushed back two weeks and moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to weather. There, he trailed in last-of-8 early and made a mild bid in the latter stages to finish fifth, 12 lengths behind the victorious L’Imperator.

The 8-year-old Curlin gelding has shown an affinity for Saratoga in the past, capturing the 2023 Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard going this distance with an off-the-pace rally under Thomas Garner. His best finish in three starts last year was a third in the Grade 2 Temple Gwathmey Handicap in April at Middleburg.

Bruton Street-US’s Proven Innocent seeks a breakthrough victory after two previous Grade 1 attempts, his best finish a fourth last out in the 2 1/8-mile Commonwealth Cup on May 3 at Great Meadow. His other start this year was a third in the Good Night Shirt going the same distance on April 26 at Foxfield, and he returns to a distance he boasts a 2-for-3 record over.

Del Rio Racing’s Little Trilby [Gerard Galligan, 148 pounds] also looks to improve from a last-out effort on May 10 that saw him unable to complete the race. Trained by Richard Hendriks, the Golden Horn 5-year-old was eased in the late stages of the Green Pastures at Percy Warner after setting the pace early and weakening. The dark bay gelding is 1-for-2 at Wednesday’s distance, including a maiden win in his hurdle debut last June at Downpatrick in Ireland.

Little Trilby’s lone stakes victory came in impressive fashion, posting a 21-length romp in the 2 1/8-mile Holiday Cup in November at Aiken. He followed with a runner-up finish in the aforementioned Carolina Cup ahead of his Green Pastures misfire.

Completing the field are the pair of novice stakes-winner Evie’s Prince [Bernard Dalton, 148 pounds] and the stakes-debuting Auction Kingdom [Dan Nevin, 144 pounds] for trainer Neil Morris; and the multiple stakes-placed Sultan Pierji [Evan Dwan, 148 pounds] for conditioner Thomas Garner. 

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule. 

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and the best way to bet every race of the four-day meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.