Zulu Kingdom looks to rule G3 Pennine Ridge
Saturday’s Grade 3 Pennine Ridge, which has been increased in prize money to $300,000 and decreased in distance to 1 1/16 miles for its 2025 renewal, has drawn a field of 10 sophomores to tackle the inner turf test.
Imperious on paper among them is Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Bill Strauss and Michael Caruso’s Zulu Kingdom, who seeks to give trainer Chad Brown a record fourth victory in a race that has been won by the likes of Divisidero, Oscar Performance and Catholic Boy - all multiple Grade 1 winners - and served as a substantial stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.
Once beaten from six runs, Zulu Kingdom has won four stakes, including the Grade 3 With Anticipation over this distance on Saratoga’s inner turf last August and the Grade 2 Pilgrim in September at Belmont at the Big A. Most recently, he was a smart winner of Churchill Downs’ Grade 1, $1 million American Turf five weeks ago. His lone blemish was a seventh behind Henri Matisse - form franked when the Aidan O’Brien trainee took the French Guineas four weeks ago.
Flavien Prat reunites from the rail post. Brown won the respective 2016, 2019 and 2023 renewals with Camelot Kitten, Demarchelier and Kalik.
“He’s doing good,” Brown said. “He did get a quarter crack a few weeks ago, but it’s come together quicker than I anticipated, which is good. His last work went very well, so he’s a go. He’s always seemed like a Grade 1 horse and I was surprised he got beat in the Breeders’ Cup. I shipped him out West as one of my best chances of the weekend - that’s how much I liked the horse. He has come back this year and kind of picked up right where he left off, as far as my opinion of him.”
Another runner exiting Kentucky Derby Day is Flying Mohawk, who contested the big race for owners Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing and Kaleta Racing.
Trained by Whit Beckman, a former assistant to both Chad Brown and Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the son of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie returns to his regularly scheduled trajectory as a proper turf horse after his 18th-place finish. Second in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks over all-weather and a smart winner of a salty Fair Grounds turf allowance in late January, the dark bay colt has connections assured of a good performance. Frankie Dettori rides from post 4.
“If you take out his last start and look at his turf progression, you have to be optimistic,” Beckman said. “We thought from Day One that he was a quality turf horse, but the Derby is the Derby and you have to take your shot. Outside of that run, he has improved with every effort. I don’t think we have seen how good he’s going to be on the grass just yet. The way he’s been running in all his starts, there’s more there. He doesn’t have a style yet. He's won from right up off the pace when he broke his maiden and then when he won at the Fair Grounds, he stumbled coming out and collected himself nicely before showing a tremendous turn-of-foot.”
Cherie DeVaux, another former Brown assistant with a burgeoning yard, entered unexposed Constitution colt States’ Rights, who has a pair of allowance seconds this season in as many starts for Belladonna Racing, Twin Brooks Stables, Woodford Racing, B.C.W.T. Ltd., Taylor Creek, Rod Hatfield and Hatfield Stables.
A $350,000 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale buy, the Virginia-bred dark bay was second to Flying Mohawk at Fair Grounds two starts back and ships in from Keeneland after a series of smart works, including a 4th-of-57 half-mile drill in 48.20 on May 31. Jose Ortiz, who piloted Oscar Performance in 2017, rides from post 3.
“He’s training very well,” DeVaux said. “He was unlucky at Keeneland with a frustrating stretch run. He’s trained great out of that race, and we had to pivot from the Penn Mile, but this spot suits him well.”
Another contingency-driven entrant from the rained-off Penn Mile is Gary Barber’s three-time Listed stakes winner and American Turf fourth Mi Bago, who breaks from post 7 under three-time Pennine Ridge winner Irad Ortiz Jr. [2016, 2022 and 2023].
Fair Grounds winter form lines also go through CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing’s Tom’s Magic [post 5, Ben Curtis], a one-sided winner of its Black Gold Stakes in March. Entering for the always-capable barn of Mike Stidham, he exits a perplexing no-show when ninth of 12 in the Grade 3 Transylvania. Despite such, the son of Justify has connections’ objective confidence and confident objective pointing north.
“We’re looking to bounce back with him because he didn’t show up at Keeneland and I have a feeling that might have been because he wasn’t happy on that soft course,” Stidham said. “He trained very well before and very well after. Being an Ontario-bred, our goal with him is the King’s Plate and this is a good spot to get him there. It just depends on the weather with him.”
Pletcher, who won the respective 2014, 2021 and 2022 editions with Gala Award, Sainthood and Emmanuel, entered Gulfstream Park maiden winners A. P. Kid [post 2, John Velazquez] and Bulldoze [post 6, Luis Saez], as well as Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf sixth and maiden Noble Confessor [post 9, Dylan Davis]. Noble Confessor is cross-entered in a Friday maiden special weight over the same course and distance.
The field is completed by a pair of last-out maiden winners: Gatsas Stables and R. A. Hill Stable’s George Weaver-trained Golden Channel [post 8, Manny Franco] and Lindy Farms’ Phil Antonacci-trained Thirteen Colonies [post 10, Umberto Rispoli].
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