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Hard Study looks to ace test in Friday's Flat Out

by Brian Bohl

Hard Study will return to stakes company as part of a field of nine in the third running of the $100,000 Flat Out for 4-year-olds and up on Friday at Belmont Park.

Owned by Paul Pompa, Jr., Hard Study utilized a stalking trip to post a 1 ¼-length victory in an optional claimer last out on March 30 at Gulfstream Park. The Todd Pletcher trainee will be going for his third straight victory after defeating fellow Flat Out contender Scuba by 2 ½ lengths in the Birdstone on August 3 at Saratoga Race Course.

The 5-year-old son of Big Brown has finished off the board just once in 11 career starts, tallying a 6-3-1 record with earnings just under $300,000. Hard Study has never finished worse than second in three career stakes appearances, adding runner-up efforts in the 2017 State Dinner and that year's Mr. Sinatra at Belmont and Aqueduct Racetrack, respectively.

Jockey Manny Franco, who was aboard for Hard Study's 6 ½-length win in February 2017 at Aqueduct, will have the return call from the rail.

Ten Strike Racing's Zanotti is coming off a second-place effort in his graded stakes debut, registering an 89 Beyer Speed Figure after running 2 ½ lengths behind Discreet Lover in the Grade 3 Excelsior on April 7 at Aqueduct.

Trained by Juan Guerrero, the 5-year-old Gio Ponti gelding has two wins and four second-place finishes in six career starts on dirt of more than a mile, including a win in the 1 1/8-mile Queens County that capped his 2017 campaign in December. Zanotti has run second in his last three starts, all against stakes company. Kendrick Carmouche will ride from post 5.

Graded stakes winner Watershed returns to Belmont for the first time since a fourth-place showing in the Grade 2 Suburban on July 8. Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, the son of Bernardini will be seeking a return trip to the winner's circle for the first time since the 2017 Grade 3 Ben Ali on April 15 at Keeneland. Junior Alvarado will break from post 3.

Scuba has finished on the board in each of his last four starts for trainer Brendan Walsh and enters with back-to-back third-place efforts, finishing second to Good Samaritan in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on March 24 and third in the Grade 3 Mineshaft on February 17, both at Gulfstream.

Trevor McCarthy will be in the irons from post 6.

Harlan Punch will also look to capitalize on class relief after running third in the Grade 3 Excelsior on April 7 at Aqueduct. In March, Harlan Punch registered back-to-back triple digit Beyer Speed Figures after defeating optional claimers and a personal-best 105 in the seven-length win in the Stymie. Owned and trained by David Jacobson, the 5-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday has two wins and a runner-up effort in three starts at Belmont. David Cohen will ride from post 7.

Rounding out the field is Mills, for trainer David Donk; Carlino, trained by Mark Hennig; Turco Bravo, making his 68th career start, for trainer David Cannizzo; and Backsideofthemoon, for trainer Leo O'Brien.