Apr 3, 2020
Chelsea Durand Photo
Belmont Park Notes 4.3.20
by Keith McCalmont
- Grade 1-winner Perfect Alibi breezes at Belmont Park
- Multiple graded-stakes winner Tax on point for G2 Oaklawn Handicap; New York-bred Ice Princess targets G3 Fantasy
- Notables on the Belmont Park work tab
Tracy Farmer's Grade 1-winner Perfect Alibi, trained by Mark Casse, breezed a half-mile in 49.50 Friday on the Belmont Park training track under the watchful eye of assistant Jamie Begg.
Bred in Kentucky by Pin Oak Stud, the dark bay daughter of Sky Mesa won the Grade 2 Adirondack at 6 ½-furlongs and Grade 1 Spinaway at seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course last summer. Following a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland in October, Perfect Alibi completed a sensational juvenile campaign with a fourth-place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park.
"She's doing well. This was her second work since we brought her up here from Florida," said Begg, who oversees a stable of 22 horses at Belmont for Casse. "She's not an electrifying work horse, but we just have to keep her coming along as she hasn't raced since the Juvenile Fillies. She had a few little issues when I got her here, but nothing major. She's doing really well."
Perfect Alibi currently sits 25th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with six points.
"She's a big filly and she's always trained like a horse that would keep getting better as the races got longer," said Begg. "If we can get her fit, there's good races for her depending how the stakes schedule works out."
Although her graded-stakes wins came in sprint efforts, Begg said the sizable filly should appreciate a distance of ground.
"The tracks later on in her 2-year-old year at Keeneland and Santa Anita weren't to her liking. They were both speed favoring," said Begg. "I think her wins at Saratoga had more to do with the set up of the races, rather than her being a come-from-behind sprinter.
"In the morning you don't get a good gauge of her," continued Begg. "She barely wins her works. Leading into the Adirondack we actually worked her on the grass to see if maybe she was a better grass horse, but she worked the same on the grass as the dirt. She just runs her eyeballs out in the afternoon. I do think she's the type that wants to go long."
With the Kentucky Oaks now moved to September 4th due to complications of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Begg said it will allow Perfect Alibi time to get fit and mature for her sophomore campaign.
"It helps her as we probably wouldn't have made the Oaks," said Begg. "We still have to get a race under her belt and get some points. For now, we'll get her close to ready to run and see what's out there."
Tracy Farmer's reigning Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston is back training at Belmont Park after returning from Dubai where he was a contender for the Group 1 Dubai World Cup which was canceled due to the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Sir Winston, who has never left the gate as the favorite in his 12-race career, was a rallying second in the Grade 3 Peter Pan heading into his Belmont Stakes effort where he bested Tacitus by a length at odds of 10-1.
Begg said the Peter Pan effort was a confidence booster for both the horse and connections.
"We really thought the mile and a half would allow him to show his best self," said Begg. "He always made moves in races that made you think he could be a nice horse, it just never all came together. After his Peter Pan, the confidence in him was a lot higher."
Sir Winston hasn't raced since capturing an optional-claiming tilt on January 31 at the Big A, a one-turn mile where he broke last of seven, but rallied to win by 2 ¼ lengths while garnering a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.
"He's doing good. It looked like the Dubai trip took something out of him weight wise when he first shipped in, but he's actually come around and put that weight back on," said Begg. "We've galloped him a few days and mentally the trip didn't seem to take too much out of him."
Begg said the last-out Aqueduct win, which came on the back of an off-the-board effort in his turf stakes debut in the Woodchopper at Fair Grounds, demonstrated that Sir Winston is back in form.
"We went in there with the idea of throwing that Fair Grounds race out because it was off the layoff and on a soft turf," said Begg. "It was definitely a relief when he ran back better at Aqueduct because you never know how they'll come back.
"It's unfortunate the Dubai World Cup cancelled as he was starting to do well leading into the race," added Begg. "We had Frankie Dettori lined up to ride him and that would have been a neat opportunity to see what he could do on the horse."
Multiple graded-stakes winner Tax on point for G2 Oaklawn Handicap; New York-bred Ice Princess targets G3 Fantasy
R. A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch, and Corms Racing Stable's Tax has posted back-to-back bullet works at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida in preparation for the Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap, a 1 1/8-miles test for 4-year-olds and upward rescheduled for May 2 at Oaklawn Park.
Trained by Danny Gargan, the former claimer excelled in graded stakes company in New York winning the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct and Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by NYRA Bets at Saratoga. The dark bay son of Arch, who was claimed for $50,000 in October 2018 out of a Keeneland maiden win, also hit the board in the 2018 Grade 2 Remsen ahead of a runner-up effort behind Tacitus in the 2019 Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by NYRA Bets. He was elevated to 14th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby after a difficult trip.
Off-the-board in the Grade 1 Travers in August, Tax was a strong second in the Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct in November. Last out, Tax stumbled at the start and failed to threaten in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park.
"He's doing great. We're pointing for the Oaklawn Handicap," said Gargan. "Hopefully, everything goes as planned. He's training well and it's the only big race left out there."
Tax worked a half-mile in 48 flat on March 26 and followed up on Friday morning with another four-furlong effort in 49.40 at Palm Meadows. Gargan said Tax is working solo and firing on all cylinders in preparation for his Oaklawn Park debut.
"He's really aggressive right now so I can't put company with him or he'll really go fast," said Gargan. "He's coming off a big layoff, so the next couple works have to be real racehorse works."
Gargan said he has drawn a line though the Pegasus World Cup effort by Tax.
"If he stumbles and doesn't get out there early he'll take his ball and go home," said Gargan. "He got frustrated and that was it."
Ice Princess, owned by Flying P Stable, R.A. Hill Stable and Corms Racing Stable, worked four furlongs in 50.98 on April 2 on the Belmont Park training track.
Bred in New York by Mina Equivest, the 3-year-old daughter of Palace Malice graduated on debut in September at Belmont ahead of finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Frizette in her lone career start against open company. Following an allowance score in January at the Big A, Ice Princess captured the Maddie May in February at Aqueduct.
Gargan had expected to enter Ice Princess in the now postponed Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle which was slated for Saturday at the Big A, but the veteran conditioner said he is considering sending the talented gray to the Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy, a 1 1/16-miles test for sophomore fillies set for Friday, May 1 at Oaklawn Park.
"Ice Princess might run in the Fantasy. She worked really good yesterday and we were hoping to run her in the Gazelle because I want her to go a mile and an eighth," said Gargan. "The Fantasy won't suit her as much because Oaklawn has tight turns, but it's the only place she can run in a stakes race.
"It's a short stretch there going a mile and a sixteenth and she's a late runner," added Gargan. "Against New York-breds she just overpowers them, but in graded company she needs a bit of a set up."
Notables on the Belmont Park work tab
Yellow Moon Stable's Hit It Once More breezed a half-mile in 49.99 on April 1 on the Belmont Park training track. Trained by Gary Sciacca, the 7-year-old New York-bred son of Hard Spun is a multiple stakes winner boasting scores in the 2016 New York Derby at Finger Lakes, 2016 Albany at Saratoga, 2018 Haynesfield at Aqueduct, and the 2018 Genesee Valley Breeders' at Finger Lakes.
Max Player, trained by Linda Rice for owner George E. Hall, worked six furlongs in 1:16.44 on April 1. The Grade 3 Withers winner was pointing to the now postponed Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial slated for Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.
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