Timeline steps up for Grade 3 Peter Pan

by Najja Thompson

Unbeaten in two starts, Woodford Racing’s Timeline will now step up to face graded stakes competition facing a field of six in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at Belmont Park, the traditional local prep to the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Initially purchased for $500,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sale, the son of Hard Spun made his debut on March 4 at Gulfstream Park at a mile, where he bested a field of 14 traveling five-wide surging late with a swift turn of foot. Following that impressive debut, Timeline returned on April 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack in an allowance optional-claiming race, where he recorded a field-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure over a sloppy main track, defeating seven foes winning by 13 ½ lengths.

“As a 2-year-old, he had to overcome some baby issues so we had to send him to the farm and just wait on him,” said trainer Chad Brown. “The time off was probably well spent because since he’s comeback, he’s been very sound and strong. He’s trained well all winter in Florida so we were hoping he would get his career started off the right way and he sure did that. He’s had two great performances in his first two starts, so we couldn’t be happier with him.”

With his first two career starts and Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan all contested around one turn, Brown said he has little concerns for later stretching out the colt looking past Saturday’s race.

“I think he’s a horse that wouldn’t have a problem stretching out to two-turns but I do like the progression from one mile to a mile and an eighth,” added Brown. “We’ll take each step forward at a time and stay around one turn one more time and see how he handles it before we tackle two turn races.”

Also entering from the Brown barn is Take Your Guns for owner John Gunther. A son of Blame bred by his owner, Take You Guns debuted on February 18 at Gulfstream, where he finished third before breaking his maiden last out on April 15 at Keeneland, around two turns.

“It’s big jump up to run in a stakes race after a maiden win but he’s a horse that’s improved with distance,” said Brown. “Coming back and moving to a one-turn race at the same distance is slightly concerning to me; he’s probably more effective around two turns but I like the timing of this race for his development. There’s a chance he could be a Belmont Stakes-type horse going a mile and a half and I think he’ll run all day so that’s really my thought process with entering him here.”

With Joel Rosario in the irons, the pair will leave from post 6.

Winstar Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher will enter Master Plan. Coming off a third-place finish in the Group 2 UAE Derby and flying into Belmont on Monday after just missing the cut for entering the field for the Kentucky Derby, Pletcher is still encouraged of the colt’s chances.

“Initially when he returned from Dubai we sent him to Winstar for a little bit of a freshening and he’s returned well,” said Pletcher. “He had two breezes at Chruchill and entered into the [Kentucky] Derby and didn’t get in, but he breezed on Sunday there and I thought that went well. He’s coming into this race in good shape. He’s a horse that’s going to settle in early and make one run. We’re thinking the distance should suit him well.”

Drawing the rail. Hall of famer John Velazquez will have the mount.

Rounding out the field is Impressive Edge for trainer Dale Romans and NK Racing, who last out finished fourth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby; Looking At Blessing, for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who enters off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 

Lexington at Keeneland; and Meantime, for Siverton Hill and trainer Brian Lynch, who broke his maiden in his third start by 7 ½ lengths on April 22 at Keeneland.