NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Mask looks to reveal true self in Easy Goer

by Najja Thompson

Mask, set to make his first start in New York since impressively breaking his maiden last October, will headline a field of eight in the $150,000 Easy Goer for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday at Belmont Park to kick off the stakes action on Belmont Stakes Day.

Purchased as a yearling for $685,000, the son of Tapit won his debut last October at Belmont Park by three lengths. He began his 3-year-old campaign in the Mucho Macho Man on January 6 at Gulfstream Park, where he cruised to a 6 ¼-length victory besting a field of seven. A setback that threw him off the Triple Crown Trail, but Mask returned to training in March and made his most recent start in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on May 5 at Churchill Downs, where he left the gate as the 5-2 post time favorite and finished eighth over a sloppy track.

"We're just going to draw a line through his last race," said Mask's trainer Chad Brown. "He didn't really take to the sloppy track, but since then he's been training very well and we're looking for him to return to the form he showed at Gulfstream."

The 5-2 morning line favorite, Mask will leave from post 2 with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano aboard.

Entering for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey is the Phipps Stable homebred Breaking the Rules. By War Front, he made his debut this winter at Gulfstream at six furlongs and won by a neck. In his last start, he won an allowance race again at six furlongs while recording a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

"His first two races were awfully good," said McGaughey. "He's trained awfully well and I'm looking forward to getting him stretched out a bit. I think he's winning doing something he doesn't really want to do. I think he wants to go farther where he's a little more forwardly placed."

McGaughey, who trained Hall of Famer Easy Goer, winner of the 1989 Belmont Stakes and the race's name sake, would like to win the race but is also proud of the legacy the Phipps family has brought to the sport with their thoroughbred breeding.

"It would be nice to win the race," said McGaughey. "Even if it was still called the Forward Pass. [Breaking the Rules] has a deep pedigree, and [Easy Goer] has been very nice to us. My Flag was by Easy Goer. It's meant a lot to the Phipps family, and I think the pedigree has meant a lot to racing."

At odds of 4-1 on the morning line, Breaking the Rules will depart from post 6 with Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Shipping in from California for trainer Peter Eurton and owners Sharon Alesia, Mike Burns, Ciaglia Racing and Robin Christensen is Dark Vader.

The Tale of Ekati colt broke his maiden in his fourth career start last September before making his 2018 debut in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis at Santa Anita Park where he ran third. Following a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby, he won an optional-claiming race on May 11 at Santa Anita while recording a field high 95 Beyer.

Drawing post 7 at morning line odds of 9-2, Dark Vader will retain the services of jockey Corey Nakatani.

Rounding out the field are High North for trainer Brad Cox and Shortleaf Stable, who last out finished fourth in the Grade 3 Peter Pan; Prince Lucky for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Daniel McConnell; Soutache for trainer Ralph Nicks and owner GoldMark Farm; Rugbyman for trainer Graham Motion and owner Wertheimer and Frere and Lunar Beauty for trainer Rick Violette and My Meadowview Farm.