Belmont Park Notes 5.06.18

by NYRA Press Office

• G1 Man o’ War contender Sadler’s Joy settled in at Belmont
• Adding blinkers, Gotta Go looks for one-turn success in G3 Peter Pan
• High North returns to face graded stakes competition in Peter Pan
• One Go All Go ready to go for Man o’ War
• Stakes probables for Saturday’s Man o’ War Festival

Woodslane Farm’s Grade 1 winner Sadler’s Joy has settled in at trainer Tom Albertrani’s Belmont Park base ahead of his bid in Saturday’s Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War at 1 3/8 miles on the turf.

The 5-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy arrived Thursday from Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, where he worked five furlongs on the dirt in 1:03.20 on Tuesday in preparation for his first Grade 1 assignment of the season.

Last year, Sadler’s Joy earned hard-fought victories in the Grade 2 Pan American and the Grade 1 Sword Dancer, ultimately closing out his year with a late-charging fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He returned to action in March at Gulfstream Park, winning the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida in his season opener. 

Sadler’s Joy most recently finished fourth as the 3-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Pan American under jockey Julien Leparoux, charging from last to finish 4 ¾ lengths behind fellow Man o’ War contender Hi Happy on March 31.

“The pace looked strong [in the Pan American], but I think the track was favoring the speed that day,” said Albertrani. “The leader just kind of got out there and I think we may have been a little farther back than we could have been, or maybe should have been. I still think he ran well. He still made up five lengths, I just think he was a little further back and I think Julien kind of knew when he turned for home that he had a lot to make up and it just didn’t work out.”

Sadler’s Joy has finished in the money in nine of 16 starts, including six lifetime wins, for more than $1.3 million in earnings.

“The horse always runs well,” Albertrani added. “He always comes with a big kick. Naturally, the pace scenario could set up better for him if it’s a good, stronger pace, but he always runs a big race. I think he does better with a little bit of time in between and the horse is doing well and that’s what I like to see going into a race. You just need a little luck, that’s all.”

Others expected for the Man o’ War are Bigger Picture, Call Provision, Hi Happy, Money Multiplier, One Go All Go, Postulation, and Wake Forest.

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Adding blinkers, Gotta Go looks for one-turn success in G3 Peter Pan

Lotenbach Stable’s Gotta Go is slated to run in the Grade 3, $350,000 Peter Pan for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday at Belmont, trainer Ian Wilkes said by phone Sunday morning.

The Peter Pan, historically one of the races used as a prep for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 9, is one of five stakes – and four graded stakes – as part of the day’s Man o’ War Festival.

Gotta Go is coming off back-to-back disappointing efforts, finishing 11th in the Grade 2 Blue Grass on April 7 at Keeneland and sixth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 3 at Gulfstream.

Though contested at 1 1/8 miles, the Peter Pan will represent a return to a one-turn track for the Shanghai Bobby colt as he makes his first start on Belmont’s Big Sandy.

“He’s doing well and the plan at the moment is to go to New York,” Wilkes said. “He looks like he’s improving. If he wasn’t, we wouldn’t come. I’m going to put blinkers on him and go back to one turn. I’m happy with the way he’s going.”

Wilkes said Gotta Go has been training well at Churchill Downs since mid-April and has traditionally been comfortable shipping. 

Gotta Go, who broke his maiden at second asking, won his stakes debut in the Street Sense on October 29 before ending his juvenile campaign with a 13th-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club. He started his 3-year-old year with a game runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Swale before faltering in his last two races around two turns.

“His last couple of races have been subpar and it might be due to the fact it was two turns; that’s what I’m going to find out,” said Wilkes. “I’ll put some blinkers on him and make him a little more focused.” 

Wilkes said regular jockey Chris Landeros will make the trip to Belmont to have the return call against a talented field that is expected to include Ax Man, Blended Citizen, Core Beliefs, Diamond King, High North, and Zing Zang.

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High North returns to face graded stakes competition in G3 Peter Pan

Northern Spur Stakes winner High North will depart Churchill Downs Wednesday for Belmont Park ahead of Saturday’s Peter Pan.

The bay colt by Midnight Lute worked five furlongs in 1:00 at Churchill Downs Saturday, hours before the Kentucky Derby in preparation for next week’s start for trainer Brad Cox.

“He’s doing real well. Real good,” Cox said. “He looked real fantastic doing it, and he’s looked real good since, so we’re going to fly up there and run.”

After falling short in three Grade 2 starts, the Northern Spur was a successful attempt at class relief which helped earn the second career victory for High North since he broke his maiden at Keeneland in his third career start. That effort came after a runner-up finish to graded stakes winner Avery Island at Belmont, his first try at a route.

Following his win, a rough trip in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club landed him a fourth-place finish before two off the board finishes in the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 2 Rebel respectively. A change to blinkers and different tactics helped the Shortleaf Stable colt capture his first stakes victory.

“I think the blinkers helped, and I think because he was a little closer to the pace than his previous two races, I think it worked out well for him,” Cox said.

Florent Geroux, who was aboard the earner of $168,950 from seven starts for the first time in the Northern Spur at Oaklawn Park on April 14, will accompany High North atop the saddle on Saturday.

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One Go All Go ready to go for Man o’ War

Rodney Paden’s Grade 2 Elkhorn victor One Go All Go exited his final breeze for the Grade 1 Man o’ War in good order, said trainer Charles Dickey on Sunday.

By Fairbanks, the 6-year-old Virginia-bred breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 at Churchill Downs on the morning of the Kentucky Derby. He is scheduled to fly to New York on Wednesday.

One Go All Go is exiting a three-quarter-length win in the 1 ½-mile Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 21 at Keeneland, where he took up his customary position at the front of the field and held off a late bid from Oscar Nominated to get his first victory since September 2016. In addition to the Elkhorn, One Go All Go hasn’t finished worse than fourth this year, including close runner-up finishes in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale and Grade 2 Pan American.

“He ran a big race [in the Elkhorn],” said Dickey, who trained Flat Out to victory in the 2011 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. “We’re very proud of him. He’s ran really hard, and got beat a couple of close ones, you know, but he’s doing very well. He came out of the race in good shape and he’s training well.”

One Go All Go was under consideration for the 1 1/8-mile Grade 1 Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill, said Dickey, who opted instead for the longer 1 3/8 miles of the Man o’ War, where he will be ridden by his regular jockey Chris Landeros.

“He ran some great races in Florida too,” Dickey said. “Those were tough horses, and of course that’s what I’m going to be hooking in the Man o’ War, what I ran against down there, but I like the distance. I’d rather go farther.”

Dickey noted that One Go All Go bled slightly following the Elkhorn, adding that the horse hasn’t shown anything to cause concern since.

“It was very, very slight,” he said. “He was on the vet’s list for 14 days, but it was nothing we’re concerned about. I worked him yesterday morning and he came out of that fine too.”

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Stakes probable for Saturday’s Man o’ War Festival

Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War - 4-year-olds and up at 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf
Probable: Bigger Picture (Mike Maker); Call Provision (Chad Brown); Hi Happy (Todd Pletcher); Money Multiplier (C. Brown); One Go All Go (Charles Dickey); Postulation (Edward Graham); Sadler’s Joy (Tom Albertrani); Wake Forest (C. Brown)
Possible: Catcho En Die (Naipaul Chatterpaul) 

Grade 3, $350,000 Peter Pan - 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles
Probable: Ax Man (Bob Baffert); Blended Citizen (Doug O’Neill, supplemental); Core Beliefs (Peter Eurton); Diamond King (John Servis); Gotta Go (Ian Wilkes); High North (Brad Cox); Zing Zang (Steve Asmussen)
Possible: Just Whistle (Michael Matz); Pony Up (Pletcher) 

Grade 3, $200,000 Vagrancy Handicap – fillies and mares 4-and-up at 6 ½ furlongs
Probable: Chalon (Arnaud Delacour); Kirby’s Penny (Wesley Ward); Sounds Delicious (Linda Rice); Startwithsilver (Rice); Swing and Sway/Torrent (Ron Moquett)
Possible: Holiday Disguise (Rice)

Grade 3, $200,000 Beaugay – fillies and mares 4-and-up at 1 1/16 miles on the turf
Probable: Broken Bridle (Gary Capuano); Elysea’s World (C. Brown); Lido (Kiaran McLaughlin); My Impression (Shug McGaughey); Team of Teams (Jimmy Jerkens)
Possible: Not Taken (Pletcher); Tricky Escape (Lynn Ashby); Uni (C. Brown)

$150,000 Runhappy (formerly the Diablo) - 4-and-up at six furlongs
Probable: Always Sunshine (Edward Allard); Do Share (Rice); Great Stuff (David Jacobson); Green Gratto (Gaston Grant); Skyler’s Scramjet (Michelle Nevin); Westwood (McLaughlin)
Possible: King Kranz (Rudy Rodriguez); Moe Candy (John Sadler)