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Oscar Performance to make 2018 debut in Sunday's G3 Poker

by Brian Bohl

Amerman Racing's Oscar Performance will be making his first appearance since last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf in headlining a field of eight 4-year-olds and up in Sunday's Grade 3, $300,000 Poker on the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

Oscar Performance will make his 4-year-old debut off a successful campaign in which he notched three consecutive graded stakes wins, capturing the 2017 Grade 3 Pennine Ridge and Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational - both at Belmont Park - and the Grade 1 Secretariat on August 12 at Arlington. In his return to Belmont, the son of Kitten's Joy ran third behind Fanciful Angel and Beach Patrol in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 30, earning his first career triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure (101).

Bolstered by that effort, Oscar Performance shipped to Del Mar looking for a Breeders' Cup win for a second straight year after winning the 2016 Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. But Oscar Performance finished ninth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, prompting trainer Brian Lynch to give the Kentucky homebred a freshening.

While working his way back, Oscar Performance was sent to the Ruffian Clinic across the street from Belmont Park after his breeze May 22 due to a case of colic. Lynch said Oscar Performance recovered well and since worked out three times, including the last two on Belmont's dirt training track, heading into the 33rd running of the Poker.

"It's always a lot of pressure on a horse like this being a high-profile horse in his first race back. You just hope you have him tight enough," Lynch said. "It seems like he's doing well and the proof will be in the pudding come Sunday."

Four of Oscar Performance's five graded stakes wins have come at more than a mile, though Lynch said the Poker's one-turn mile isn't the ideal course.

"The one-turn miles can be a bit difficult because they can basically turn into seven-furlong sprints. You'd like to see it around two turns, but it is what it is," Lynch said. "He seems like he's in good form and we'll find out where we are at come Sunday afternoon."

Jose Ortiz, who has been aboard for 10 of Oscar Performance's 11 career starts and all his stakes wins, will have the return call from post 3.

Ballagh Rocks will be looking to repeat in the Poker, which marked the last time the 5-year-old earned a trip to the winner's circle. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Ballagh Rocks stayed off the rail last out before flattening out late in the drive in finishing second to the Lynch-trained Heart to Heart in the Grade 1 Maker's 46 Mile on April 13 at Keeneland.

That effort was the first start of Ballagh Rocks' year after running ninth in the Breeders' Cup Mile, which capped a 2017 in which he followed his victory in the Poker with back-to-back third-place finishes in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap and the Shadwell Turf Mile, respectively.

Jockey Luis Saez will break from post 4.

Colts Neck Stables' Force the Pass will be making his first graded stakes appearance since running third in the Grade 2 Commonwealth Turf Cup in September 2016 at Laurel Park. He came out of that race with a condylar fracture to a hind leg and had two surgeries, necessitating a long layoff.

The Alan Goldberg trainee made his first start in more than 19 months when he rallied to win the Cliff Hanger by a nose on May 5 at Monmouth Park. The 6-year-old son of Speightstown, who is 5-4-4 in 14 career starts, will now return to Belmont for the first time since running second in the 2016 Forbidden Apple.

"He ran well last time but it's a tougher group now, so we'll see," Goldberg said. "It looks like he's improving so hopefully he shows it this weekend."

Goldberg said last month that Force the Pass might have been targeting the Monmouth Stakes on May 26. But he said the quick turnaround made the Poker a better spot.

"It's just a better spot because of the timing," Goldberg said.

Force the Pass' last six races dating to April 2016 -including a runner-up effort to Obviously in that year's edition of the Poker - have come at one mile. Jose Lezcano will be aboard for the first time from the rail.

Phipps Stable's Fire Away will be seeking his third straight stakes win and fourth win overall in five starts. Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Fire Away has finished in the money in seven straight starts, earning a pair of 102 Beyers for wins in the Artie Schiller on November 18 and in the Danger's Hours on April 8, both at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 6-year-old son of War Front is coming off a three-quarters of a length win in the Grade 3 Dixie for his first graded stakes win on May 19 at Pimlico. With Oscar Performance expected to provide the speed of the race, Fire Away will again look to be a closer with Manny Franco in the irons departing the outside post.

Made You Look, a grade stakes winner for trainer Chad Brown, will take a step up in class after winning an optional claimer on May 11 at Belmont. The 4-year-old More Than Ready colt will be seeking his third career graded stakes victory to add to the 2017 Grade 2 With Anticipation and the Grade 3 Dania Beach. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will exit from post 5.

Rounding out the field is Black Tide, for trainer David Cannizzo, from post 6 and Voodoo Song, trained by Linda Rice, from post 7. Vulcan's Forge will be returning to turf for the first time in nine starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, drawing post 2 with Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.