Joe Labozzetta Photo

Belmont Park Notes 7.2.17

by NYRA Press Office

• Oscar Performance puts in final breeze for G1 Belmont Derby; Grand Arch to make return in Forbidden Apple
• Uni, Fifty Five lead Brown's Sunday turf workers
• Senior Investment, Daddys Lil Darling work in company for Belmont Derby, Oaks
• G2 Penn Mile hero Frostmourne works toward possible Belmont Derby bid
• Big Handsome headlines Manila on Independence Day
• Probable contenders for the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival

Amerman Racing's Oscar Performance put in an impressive final breeze before the Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational that highlights the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival on July 8. Trainer Brian Lynch said he was impressed as the 3-year-old son of Kitten's Joy went five furlongs in 59.95 seconds Sunday morning on Belmont Park's turf course.

"I thought it was a very smooth work; he went off in 13-and-change and came out of the last three in 34-and-change and looked very good doing it," Lynch said. "It looks like he's in very good order going into the Belmont Derby."

Grand Arch, the veteran 8-year-old bay gelding, also worked on the turf, going five furlongs in 1:02.02. Lynch said Grand Arch, who has made seven consecutive graded stakes starts in the last two years, is on target to make his 2017 debut in the $150,000 Forbidden Apple, at one mile on the turf, on July 15 at Belmont. 

"He worked an easy five-eighths and we're looking at the Forbidden Apple," Lynch said. 

Lynch also said Unchained Melody came out of her gate-to-wire win in Saturday's Grade 2 Mother Goose very well and is still looking at the Grade 1, $600,00 Alabama on August 19 at Saratoga Race Course.

In her first stakes start, Unchained Melody posted a personal-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies by a three-length score. 

"Everything looks like it's in good order with her," Lynch said. "She's definitely going in the right direction."

Unchained Melody has won three of her four starts and has one runner-up finish, totaling $233,400 in career earnings since winning her debut on March 19 at Gulfstream Park. After being unraced as a 2-year-old, the daughter of Smart Strike will look to stretch out to the Alabama distance of 1 ¼ miles after winning back-to-back starts at 1 1/16 miles.

"I'm looking forward to the Alabama and I think she'll get the mile-and-a-quarter," Lynch said. "I like the spacing in between races just to freshen her up."

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Trainer Chad Brown sent out eight horses to work on the Belmont Park turf on Sunday morning, with some of the contingent breezing for the final time before the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival.

"Everyone worked good and breezed well. I was very happy with it," Brown said.

Uni breezed in company with Fifty Five, going five furlongs in 1:00.85. The British-bred Uni is expected to make her North American debut in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks.

"She's done well since she arrived and each week I see her improving so I'm really looking forward to seeing her," said Brown.

Fifty Five, who along with Uni is one of four horses expected to run in the Oaks for Brown, is a New York-bred who will make her first start since a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 8.

In the Oaks, Brown will also be represented by French Oaks runner-up Sistercharlie, who arrived from Europe on Saturday, and Wonder Again winnerNew Money Honey, who worked a half-mile in 49.07 seconds over the main track on Saturday in company with Brown's lone Belmont Derby contenderTiconderoga.

Brown said he has no immediate plans for Wake Forest, who breezed five furlongs in 1:00.55. The 7-year-old will be looking to bounce back from a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day June 10. Future plans were also uncertain for Wake Forest's workmate Time Test, who earned an official time of 1:00.56.

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Trainer Kenny McPeek's Grade 3 Lexington winner Senior Investment and Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Daddys Lil Darling wrapped up their major preparations for the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival with a five-furlong breeze in company over Belmont's Widener turf course Sunday morning ahead of their respective bids in the Belmont Derby and Belmont Oaks.

In their first workout together, Senior Investment, with jockey Dylan Davis aboard, and Daddys Lil Darling, under exercise rider Javier Copantitla, covered the distance in 59.89 seconds on firm turf. 

"They breezed nice, very easy," said Jeff Odintz, McPeek's Belmont-based assistant. "They really went good. Dylan and Javier never asked them to run. So, all we got to do is get lucky in the race, like I always say. The rest is going to happen on July 8."

Daddys Lil Darling will get another try on turf in the Belmont Oaks, following a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 11, where she checked in 2 ½ lengths behind fellow Oaks contender Fifty Five. The Oaks will mark a delayed return to the grass for the Scat Daddy filly, who had shipped to England to race in the Group 1 Investec Oaks on June 2 at Epsom Downs but ran off in the post parade and was a late scratch. 

Senior Investment has worked twice on turf since finishing a distant fifth in the Belmont Stakes on June 11. In his career debut last July, his only previous start on turf, the chestnut colt by Discreetly Mine was fourth in a one-mile maiden special weight on the turf at Ellis Park.

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Green Lantern Stable's Grade 2 Penn Mile Stakes winner Frostmourne breezed a half-mile on the Widener turf in preparation for a possible start in Saturday's Grade 1 Belmont Derby. 

Completing the distance in 48.77 seconds, the son of Speightstown worked with the graded stakes-placed mare Desiree Clary, who was clocked in 49.11, under the watchful eye of trainer Christophe Clement.

"Desiree Clary is on target for the River Memories [July 9]," said Clement. "I'm happy with the way she trained today. She seemed to work very well with Frostmourne, who is still possible for the Belmont Derby or the Kent Stakes [Delaware Park, July 15]. We'll have to discuss with [owner] Mr. Masson. He came out of the Penn Mile in good shape and this was his third work since then. He's fit, well and looks very strong."

Patricia Generazio's Disco Partner turned in his second breeze since winning the Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational on Belmont Stakes Day in world record time for six furlongs on the turf, covering four furlongs Sunday morning on the main track in 48.84.

Clement said Disco Partner, a 5-year-old New York-bred by Disco Rico, is under consideration for the $150,000 Forbidden Apple on closing weekend of the Belmont Spring/Summer meet.

"It's very exciting, especially with him coming off a major win," said Clement. "He worked well and he's been very sound. I've never been too aggressive in my training and the horse looks well."

Rounding out Clement's turf works was multiple graded stakes winner Blacktype, who breezed four furlongs in 52.02 in company with Noble Ready and is also under consideration for the Forbidden Apple, and multiple graded stakes-placedPaige, who breezed four furlongs in 50.10 for a possible run in the River Memories on July 9, said Clement.

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Tuesday's Fourth of July feature at Belmont Park is the $100,000 Manilla for 3-year-olds at one mile on the Widener turf course.

Featuring a talented field of seven runners, Big Handsome is the even-money favorite on the morning line for trainer Anthony Dutrow and Team D Stable. The son of Street Boss enters off a three-race win streak, most recently capturing the Paradise Creek by 5 ¼ lengths on May 27.

With Javier Castellano aboard, the pair will leave from post 3.

The 5-2 second-choice on the morning line is Bricks and Mortar for trainer Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence. By Giant's Causeway, he is making his first stakes start after breaking his maiden last February at Gulfstream and following up with an allowance optional claiming win on June 9 at Belmont.

Rounding out the field for the Manila include Dover Cliffs, looking to rebound on firm turf after a ninth-place finish in the May 20 James W. Murphy Stakes over softer going at Pimlico for trainer Christophe Clement and owner Robert Evans; J & S Hill's Holiday Stone for the George Weaver barn; Harlan's Harmony for trainer John Terranova and Curragh Stables; Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebredKitten's Cat for trainer Joe Sharp; and Secretary At War for Jimmy Jerkens and Allen Stable.

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Probables for the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival on Saturday, July 8, 2017:

Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby
Probable: Arklow (Brad Cox);Big Score (Tim Yakeen); Called to the Bar (Pia Brandt); Frostmourne (Christophe Clement); Good Samaritan (Bill Mott); Makarios (Nick Zito); Oscar Performance (Brian Lynch); Senior Investment (Kenny McPeek); Ticonderoga (Chad Brown); War Decree (Aidan O'Brien); Whitecliffsofdover (O'Brien); Yoshida (Mott)

Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks
Probable: Beau Recall (Simon Callaghan); Coasted (Leah Gyarmati); Daddys Lil Darling (McPeek); Dynatail (Michael Dini); Fifty Five (C. Brown) Grizzel (Michael Doyle); Journey Home (Graham Motion); New Money Honey (C. Brown); Sistercharlie (C. Brown); Uni (C. Brown); Violet Blue (Jimmy Toner)
Possible: Key To My Heart (O'Brien); Rain Goddess (O'Brien)

Grade 2, $750,000 Suburban
Probable: Follow Me Crev (Vladimir Cerin); Keen Ice (Todd Pletcher); Matt King Coal (Linda Rice); Shaman Ghost (Jimmy Jerkens); Sunny Ridge (Jason Servis); Watershed (Kiaran McLaughlin)

Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship
"Win and You're In" TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint Division
Probable: Awesome Slew (Mark Casse); Cadeyrn (Jeremiah Englehart); Fellowship (Kenneth Decker); Green Gratto (Gaston Grant); Mind Your Biscuits (Chad Summers); Stallwalkin' Dude (David Jacobson); Tommy Macho (Pletcher); Unified (Jerkens)

Grade 3, $400,000 Dwyer
Probable: Battalion Runner (Pletcher); Guiseppe the Great (Zito); Practical Joke (C. Brown); True Timber (McLaughlin)
Possible: Coal Front (Pletcher); Petrov (Ron Moquett); Tale of Silence (Barclay Tagg)

Full nominations and past performances for the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival are available at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/horsemen