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Triple Crown hopeful Justify could have 'a little breeze' Tuesday & more

by NYRA Press Office

*** For 2018 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival workout videos and interviews, please visit NYRA's YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2L4Y8lI ***

• Triple Crown hopeful Justify could have 'a little breeze' Tuesday

• Bolt d'Oro puts in 'really nice work' in first breeze since Kentucky Derby

• Free Drop Billy works in 59 3/5; Belmont decision expected Monday night

• Chad Brown shores up Belmont Stakes Racing Festival contingent

• Winchell seeking first victory in Triple Crown with Tenfold

• 'All is well' with Belmont-bound Vino Rosso, Noble Indy

• Canadian champion Holy Helena tunes up for G2 New York

• Albertrani looking forward to G1 Manhattan with Sadler's Joy

• Catholic Boy breezes for return to turf in G3 Pennine Ridge

• Belmont hopeful Bravazo bucking and squealing during gallop

• Madison's Luna seeks to rebound in G2 Woody Stephens

Bob Baffert popped into Louisville from his California base to check on his latest Triple Crown hopeful Monday. The Hall of Fame trainer was delighted with what he saw in Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify, who on June 9 in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes will try to become only the 13th horse to sweep the three classics.

Justify, now 5-for-5 after making his first start February 18, is only the second horse to win the Kentucky Derby without racing as a 2-year-old and is the only unraced juvenile to win the Derby and Preakness. The son of the deceased stallion Scat Daddy races for the partnership of WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains Partners.

"It's been really a fun journey for a horse that basically was a walk-on in January and to take us this far," Baffert said Monday morning after watching Justify and fellow Belmont Stakes candidate Restoring Hope gallop at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Humberto Gomez. "It's nice to get the Preakness out of the way. We knew that was probably going to be a tough race for him, coming back like that real quick and dealing with a little foot issue. But right now it seems like it's going smoothly. Flesh-wise he looks great, so I'm very happy with the way he's going. ... The thing he has going for him is that he's a big strong horse, he can handle a lot. He eats everything you put in front of him. That's the main key, that they don't lose weight. I remember War Emblem. The heat got him, he was losing weight.

"I'm just happy for a horse who has done a lot in just a few months and still looks healthy, like he hasn't run that many times. That just shows you the quality he has. I keep using the same word superior, but Pharoah [Baffert's 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah] was the same way. He just kept getting better as we went on. Those great horses, they do that.... I hadn't seen him in a week, so I liked his flesh. He's moving really well, hitting the ground really well. You can tell the rider has his hands full. It's day by day with these horses. I hope every day is like that, because it can change. But right now, I feel real good about him."

Baffert said Justify could have "a little breeze" Tuesday morning, adding, "I want to play it by ear. I'll see how the track looks." Meanwhile, Restoring Hope, who hasn't raced since finishing 12th in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on the Derby card, is scheduled to work Tuesday.

"We're still training," Baffert said of preparing Justify for the 1 1/2-mile Triple Crown finale. "We don't train scared. He has to go a mile and a half, and I want to make sure when I throw Mike Smith on his back that he has a full tank of gas and his horse is ready. Because if he's not ready, it doesn't matter what Mike does. It's up to us to give him his best chance."

It will be the fifth time Baffert has come into New York with the Triple Crown on the line, winning three years ago with American Pharoah after Silver Charm (1997) and Real Quiet (1998) finished second and War Emblem (2002) wound up eased.

"One out of four's not too bad," he said.

Of the sequence that has seen Baffert win the 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic with Bayern, the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015 with American Pharoah, 2016 Classic with Arrogate on route to becoming the world's richest horse and now Justify, Baffert said: "The hits keep coming. We just pinch ourselves that is this really truly happening.

"I think I'm at a stage of my life where I was ready for this," he said. "If it was 25 years ago when I first got in, I probably would be second-guessing myself. Now we sit down and have a game plan. I tweak it a little bit, but everybody knows their role. Humberto is a really top rider on him, and he'll tell me this or that. It makes my life easier. So we're just enjoying the ride.

"We know there are a lot of people who are going to be counting on him, and we don't want to disappoint the fans. That's one thing about the Triple Crown. You're more worried about the fans. You want that horse to show up. Everybody has paid their money, taking their kids. They're having a good time. They are there to see one horse. That's the beauty of the Triple Crown."

"I really think he'll like those big, sweeping turns better," Baffert said. "He's a big horse. It's one of those things you can't worry about. He has to show up. My job is that he shows up. If he's good enough, he'll get it done. That's what the Triple Crown is all about, to see what you're made of."

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Bolt d'Oro puts in 'really nice work' in first breeze since Kentucky Derby

Ruis Racing's Bolt d'Oro put in his first workout since the Kentucky Derby, going five furlongs in 57 seconds flat Monday morning at Keeneland as he readies for a start in the Grade 1, $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9.

The Medaglia d'Oro colt worked in company with stablemate Orbit Rain, impressing owner and trainer Mick Ruis.

"I thought it was a really nice work," Ruis said. "It was faster than I thought he was going to go, but he did it so easy. He's doing really well."

Bolt d'Oro started his 3-year-old campaign with a win in the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 10 before a runner-up effort to Justify in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 7, finishing three lengths behind the undefeated colt who will be looking to become just the 13th Triple Crown winner on the same day Bolt d'Oro makes his Belmont Park debut.

On May 5, Bolt d'Oro faded in the stretch to finish 12th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. Ruis said he wanted to give him some time off and skip the Preakness and will now focus on the Met Mile, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Churchill Downs, instead of going in the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes.

"The time off between the Derby and the Preakness is really helping him out," Ruis said. "Today, it was the first time I worked him with Orbit. I really didn't have many horses here [at Keeneland] from my main stable. He was only supposed to work a half, but they gave him five-eighths. I was really happy the way he did it and happy with the way he cooled out, like it was no big deal. He recovered nice right away after the work."

Ruis said Bolt d'Oro will put in one final half-mile breeze on Sunday before shipping to Belmont.

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Free Drop Billy works in 59 3/5; Belmont decision expected Monday night

Albaugh Family Stables' Free Drop Billy worked five-eighths of a mile Monday morning in 59 3/5 seconds at Churchill Downs, the second-fastest of 25 works at the distance. Trainer Dale Romans said the clockers provided him eighth-mile splits of 12 3/5, 23 4/5, 35 3/5 and 47 for the half-mile before galloping out six furlongs in 1:12, seven-eighths in 1:25 1/5 and pulling up after a mile in 1:39 4/5 under exercise rider Juan Segundo.

"I was looking for him to have good energy, look good doing it and act like he was happy with what he did when he came back," Romans said of the colt that won last fall's Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. "We saw all those things. Now I've just got to speak to the powers above me and see what they want to do."

Romans said he believes Free Drop Billy, who finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby, merits a shot at the Belmont but that the ultimate decision rests with Dennis Albaugh and his son-in-law, racing manager and partner Jason Loutsch.

"If it's left up to me right now, I would say we go," Romans said. "In a big move like this, I want them to be comfortable with it too. So I'm not going to push it. I'm going to let them tell me what they want. But I don't see any reason not to go. I think he'll get the distance, is a $1.5 million classic - you don't get those but three times a year. Let's take a shot."

Loutsch said by a phone that a decision would be made Monday night when he sees Albaugh at a family barbecue.

"We wanted to get past this last big work and see how his energy level was," he said. "Obviously, we were really disappointed in his effort in the Kentucky Derby. We're going to try to erase that, hopefully it was the slop and he didn't like the track. But it seems like he had a good work this morning, lots of energy, galloped out strong. Justify looks unbeatable the way he's been training this week, but I'll give Dennis the pros and cons and let him say yes or no. This is what we're in the business for, a big race like this. We know it's a tall task, but if we can get a piece of it that would be a huge deal. It's going to be a big day of racing, and this is what we're in the game for... Anything can happen. Dale has brought in longer shots before. That's why you go in the gate and hope some day we're going to break through."

Loutsch said his only concern is that a taxing effort in the Belmont might knock Free Drop Billy out of big races later in the summer, including at Saratoga.

Also working Monday was Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth winner Promises Fulfilled, who worked an identical five-eighths in 59 3/5 following Free Drop Billy's move. Romans said he's still deciding between the Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun at seven-eighths of a mile and the $150,000 Easy Goer at 1 1/16 miles for Promises Fulfilled, who faded to 15th in the Kentucky Derby after pushing the resolute pace set by Justify.

The Romans-trained King Zachary, a Churchill Downs allowance winner after finishing sixth in Aqueduct's Grade 2 Wood Memorial, is on course to run in the Easy Goer.

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Chad Brown shores up Belmont Stakes Racing Festival contingent

Chad Brown sent out a cadre of horses Monday morning at Belmont Park in preparation for his title defense as leading trainer during next week's Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Brown, whose Gronkowski is being pointed to the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 9, will be going for his third straight "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons Award during the three-day racing Festival.

Among those breezing Monday were Michael Dubb and Madaket Stables' A Raving Beauty, who went five furlongs in 1:01.34 for the Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just a Game at a mile on the turf. The 5-year-old Mastercraftsman mare will be making just her second North American start, having negotiated some tricky traffic to win the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 12 at Belmont coming off a six-month layoff. 

"We thought enough of her to put her in stake like that, so obviously she was training well," said Brown, who also has Martin Schwartz' Grade 1 winner Off Limits under consideration for the race. "To run as well as she did off the layoff was even better than expected. We were confident she had that ability, but for her to do it the first time she ran here first time against a solid group of horses was impressive."

Brown, who has won four of the past six editions of the Grade 1 , $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan, sent out Al Shahania Stud America LLC, Sheep Pond Partners, Head of Plains Partners LLC and Covello's Beach Patrol and Convento Viejo LLC 's Robert Bruce, who covered five furlongs on 1:01.88 and 1:01.52, respectively, for the 1 1/4 mile turf race.

Beach Patrol, a 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid who finished no worse than third in six of seven Grade 1 starts last year, was second by three-quarters of a length over a yielding course in the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 5 in his only start of the year.

"He came out of the race well," Brown reported. "He's trained well since and should move forward."

Robert Bruce, a 4-year-old Chilean-bred, won the Grade 3 Fort Marcy on May 5 at Belmont in eye-catching fashion in his North American and 2018 debut.

"He's fit and ready off that one start where he was very impressive," said Brown. "He had to overcome a lot. I now see him move forward in his work heading into the Manhattan."

Breezing five furlongs over the dirt training track in 1:01.98 Monday was Peter Brant, Sharon Alesia, Ciaglia Racing and Dominic Savides' Pacific Wind, who will represent the barn in the Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps, a "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup Distaff. 

Brown also sent out Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith's Fourstar Crook (50.44 on the dirt training track) and Peter Brant's Sistercharlie (1:01.34 on the turf) for the Grade 2, $600,000 New York presented by NYRA Bets at 1 1/4 miles on the turf on Friday, June 8; Stephanie Seymour Brant's Significant Form (1:02.36 on the turf) for the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again, and John Gunther's Take Your Guns (1:01.67 on the dirt training track) for the Grade 2, 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn Invitational.

"Take Your Guns worked well today with Proven Reserve," said Brown of the 4-year-old Blame colt. "He's on target for the Brooklyn. It's a long ways to go, but he's always struck me as a horse wanted to go the distance. Last year I was trying to get him ready for the Belmont in the Peter Pan [fourth] but he got injured in the race. I always thought of him as a staying horse and he'll have his chance in the Brooklyn."

Other Belmont Stakes Racing Festival contenders for Brown include Altea, who is under consideration for the Wonder Again; Call Provision, being pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, and Engage, who worked Saturday in company with Gronkowski, for the Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun.

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Winchell seeking first victory in Triple Crown with Tenfold

David Fiske, who since 1980 has been Winchell Thoroughbreds' racing and bloodstock manager, came out to Churchill Downs to watch Preakness third-place finisher Tenfold train Monday morning, saying, "I think he looks as good or better than he did before the Preakness. He's got a great attitude, just wandering around on a loose lead and seems happy to participate."

Fiske worked for Verne Winchell, the late founder of the international Winchell's Donuts chain, and now works for son Ron Winchell. He recalls making the walkover from the backside to the paddock with Verne Winchell's Classic Go Go for the 1981 Kentucky Derby. Classic Go Go finished fourth behind the triumphant Pleasant Colony as a member of the mutuel field that at the time was used to clump long shots together to get the race down to 12 betting interests. 

Tenfold's defeat by a total of three-quarters of a length is the closest a Winchell-owned horse has been in a Triple Crown race, Fiske said.

"We were third with Gun Runner," he said of the 2016 Derby contender and 2017 Horse of the Year Winchell campaigned with Three Chimneys. "But he wasn't a homebred, and this horse is. And three-quarters of a length, that's pretty close."

Tenfold, who did not race as a 2-year-old, was making only his fourth lifetime start in the Preakness. Fiske said the close finish brought the mixed emotions of pride but also "wish we'd gotten one more race into him.

"But he's kind of a big, goofy guy. And now he's got the race in him."

"I guess it's put up or shut up time," he continued. "I've been telling people there's no better-bred Belmont horse in the crop, so we'll see if breeding means anything."

Tenfold is a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, who won the 2007 Preakness but lost the Belmont Stakes by a head to the filly Rags to Riches, and out of a broodmare sired by Winchell's superstallion Tapit, the dad of three of the past four Belmont Stakes winners. 

Tenfold had his usual gallop under exercise rider Angel Garcia. 

"He's a very good horse right now," said Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. "He put everybody on notice of that in the Preakness, and I don't think the circumstances necessarily favored him, the way the racetrack was playing and everything. I think he showed his quality. I think we're just touching the surface of his talent, who he's going to be. He is developing more personality with the added pressure, and in a very good way, just a confident sense of direction, getting stronger, eats a little more aggressively. I think he's going to be a very exciting horse down the road, as well as 12 days from now.

"This is a horse who has raced four times. Every time you lay your eyes on him, he's a little stronger. I love the direction it's going."

Ricardo Santana Jr. will be aboard in the Belmont.

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'All is well' with Belmont-bound Vino Rosso, Noble Indy

Trainer Todd Pletcher reported Monday that "all is well" with his Belmont Stakes-bound duo of Vino Rosso, who carries the colors of Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, and WinStar Farm and Repole Stable's Noble Indy. The pair had their penultimate work on May 25, covering four furlongs in a bullet 47.04 seconds, and with Pletcher keeping an eye on the weather, will have their final prep on Friday.

"Ideally, Friday is the day we want to get [the work] in," said Pletcher, whose third victory in the race came last year with tapwrit. "If the main track is fast, we will go on there."

Among Pletcher's top contenders for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are Paul Pompa's Hard Study and Repole Stable's Outplay for the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational at 1 1/2 miles.

"Hard Study has been 1 3/8 and 1 3/4 miles, so we know he handles that kind of distance without a problem," Pletcher said of the Big Brown horse, a winner of six of his last eight starts. "Outplay [third in the 2017 Easy Goer] was able to win the Curlin going 1 1/8 miles, and I'm hoping he will settle a little bit. He didn't seem to care for the slop last time."

Gainesway Stable's Blind Ambition will be looking to keep his perfect record at Belmont Park intact when he goes in the Grade 2, $400,000 Jaipur at six furlongs on the turf, a 'Win and You're In' race for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

"His two best races have been sprints on the turf here, hopefully, he'll follow that up in the Jaipur," said Pletcher. "I was hoping he would have taken to the five-eighths at Gulfstream a little better than he did. He was outfooted early. I do think that six or seven furlongs is ideal for him, but he did win at 5 1/2 at Saratoga last year."

Red Oak Stable's Unbridled Mo will be shooting for her second straight Grade 1 win in the $750,000 Ogden Phipps, a 'WIn and You're In' event for the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

"That was a great win for her to get that Grade 1," said Pletcher of the Uncle Mo mare, who took the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in her most recent start. "Hopefully she continues to perform as well as she did in that race. Last year she needed a little freshening [after winning the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland]. Fortunately, her owners are very patient and gave her plenty of time. I felt her first race back [fourth in the Grade 3 Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park] was a little short of her best, but it set her up well for the Apple Blossom. I'm hoping she's as effective around one turn as she is two."

La Providencia's Hi Happy is under serious consideration for the Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan, Pletcher said.

"We are leaning towards it," he said. "As long as he continues to do well. It think he's at his best from 1 3/8 to 1 1/2 miles, but we are hoping 1 1/4 miles works out for him."

Pletcher also said that Audible, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby, will be returning to Kentucky for a complete physical and some rest at WinStar Farm.

"Assuming nothing significant shows up, he'll be in training for either the Jim Dandy or the Haskell," he said.

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Canadian champion Holy Helena tunes up for G2 New York

Stronach Stable's multiple graded stakes winner Holy Helena breezed five furlongs in 1:01.19 on the inner turf Monday at Belmont in preparation for a start in the Grade 2, $600,000 New York for fillies and mares at 1 ¼ miles on the inner turf on Friday, June 8.

"I thought it was good, especially going by herself," said trainer Jimmy Jerkens. "She can get a little lazy, but she clipped along good."

It was the first work for the 4-year-old Ontario-bred filly by Ghostzapper since she posted a late-running, half-length victory in the Grade 3 Sheepshead Bay on May 5. 

The win was her third straight of 2018 and sixth overall in nine starts for career earnings of $1,009,333. Last year, Holy Helena rattled off three straight wins in the spring and summer, including a victory over males in the Queen's Plate on Woodbine's Tapeta course. 

She followed her 2017 Canadian classic win with a try over the Saratoga dirt in the Grade 1 Alabama, finishing eighth, before closing out her sophomore campaign with a hard-fought runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby in October, ultimately earning the Sovereign Award as champion 3-year-old filly.

Holy Helena's connections opted to make a switch to the turf this winter at Gulfstream Park, which produced back-to-back wins for the filly, including a 1 ¾-length score in the Grade 3 The Very One on March 3 prior to the 1 3/8-mile Sheepshead Bay.

"I always thought she might like the turf from the start," Jerkens said. "She did her best racing before that on the synthetic tracks in Canada. I thought when we got her down in Florida, it would be the time to try her there and she took to it. 

"Her last race was probably her best," he said of the Sheepshead Bay. "This field will be a little tougher I guess, but there wasn't much pace in the race and she still closed strong into a slow pace. She showed me a lot last time. She bobbled a little bit too at the sixteenth pole and gathered herself up right away. It was nice to see. The last race was a mile and three-eighths so a mile and a quarter might even be a little better. There figures to be at least a little bit more of an honest pace. I don't know how much more, but it should work out better in that regard."

Jerkens added that Holy Helena is likely to work in company on the dirt next Monday, her final preparation for the New York.

"She's dead fit from her last race but she was due to do something pretty substantial," he said. "She won't need a lot more. We'll probably go a half in company about four days before the race or something. Just a little half on dirt in company."

Jerkens also plans to send Centennial Farm's Rocketry to the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, a two-mile turf route on Friday. 

The 4-year-old Hard Spun colt boasts two wins at 1 3/8 miles on the turf in 2017 and is exiting a three-length optional-claiming victory at 1 ¼ miles on April 27.

"If ever a horse acts like a long-winded, long-distance horse, it's him," said Jerkens. "He's very deliberate early and then he just grinds from there on, so it should be his kind of race. If anyone would like two miles, it'd be him."

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Albertrani looking forward to G1 Manhattan with Sadler's Joy

Reporting that multiple graded stakes winner Sadler's Joy emerged from his five-furlong breeze on Saturday in good order, trainer Tom Albertrani was looking forward to running Woodslane Farm's 5-year-old homebred in the Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day, Saturday, June 9.

In his penultimate work for the 1 ½-mile turf route, Sadler's Joy worked solo in 1:03.87 on the main track.

The son of Kitten's Joy is coming out of the Grade 1 Man o' War on May 12, where he put in a late-charging run but came up just shy of Hi Happy, who won by a half-length. Despite the runner-up finish, Albertrani said he is pleased with his charge's talent and dependability. During his career, Sadler's Joy has finished worse than fourth only once in 17 starts. He kicked off his 2018 season with a victory in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park on March 3 and followed with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pan American before heading into the Man o' War.

"He's been doing well coming out of the Man o' War," said Albertrani. "It's just a matter of him getting up in time or not. In the Man o' War, it just looked like we ran out of room right there at the end, but the horse has been so consistent. He's got a beautiful late kick that gets him there so timing is very important."

In last year's edition of the Manhattan, Sadler's Joy raced six wide in the upper stretch to finish third, 1 ½ lengths from victory, and Albertrani is hoping for better racing luck in this year's running.

"We were fortunate we participated last year [in the Manhattan] and nearly came up with the victory," said Albertrani. "It came down to the same thing, a little better trip, a little better pace and that could have made a difference, but he ran great. We're just hoping to get a little closer this year."

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Catholic Boy breezes for return to turf in G3 Pennine Ridge

Multiple graded stakes winner Catholic Boy is on target for his start in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Pennine Ridge at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, said trainer Jonathan Thomas on Monday. 

That morning, the chestnut son of More Than Ready breezed four furlongs in 48.09 over Belmont Park's inner turf in company with a 5-year-old allowance winner.

"We were pleased with his breeze this morning," Thomas said. "We thought he was relaxed and finished up nicely. His time was good, and he recovered well so his preparation for the Pennine Ridge is good. I think the course here will flatter him, and the distance is a little more to his liking than the sharp mile.

"They kind of finished on equal terms but it was sharp. I always like him to start off a little behind, and he kind of joined up at the quarter pole. They came home in 23 flat, a good gallop out. The turf was a little bit soft today, but otherwise it was good and the weather looks like it should comply."

Catholic Boy found good company in his running partner, which is important, Thomas said, as the Kentucky-bred is known to be a tough mate in the morning.

"She's a New York-bred filly that's off an extended layoff that has won twice," said Thomas. "The plan is to run her on Sunday, but she's a very good work filly. You kind of need a horse that can finish with him to ensure a good work. In two key works that he's had before, he kind of destroyed his workmates, but I like him to keep his composure. It actually went really well today."

The breeze was the first since arriving from Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida.

"It's his first work off the farm, but Bridlewood has become more of a training center," Thomas said. "It would mimic more like Palm Beach Downs. There's a farm component to it, but the training area is like a true training area. He breezed on the turf there, and had a main track work there last week in 1:02 with a good, long gallop out. It's gone well. We're not really cranked, cranked for this. We gave him a little time, but the timing is coming up well, and it's a good spot to get started for the summer."

Catholic Boy broke his maiden at Gulfstream in his first start then returned over a month later and rallied to win the Grade 3 With Anticipation at Saratoga. A fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar was topped with 4 ¾-length win in the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct, his debut race on dirt.

The start of his 3-year-old year began on the Triple Crown trail with a runner-up finish to Flameaway in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, but a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby landed the colt back to turf racing. 

Even away from the Kentucky Derby trail, Catholic Boy will still face a tough group next Saturday with one foe being the undefeated Analyze it for owner William H. Lawrence and trainer Chad Brown, winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 2016-17.

"The only hindrance in the Pennine Ridge is that Analyze It is an absolute beast," Thomas opined. "He's a tremendous horse trained by a tremendous trainer, but that's what happens when you run in New York in these races. It's okay. We're really pleased with our horse and where we stand. We're trying to learn a little bit, and it gives us a look for the Belmont Derby, and to see if this is the direction we want to take."

Analyze It flashed his speed to win his debut by 6 ¼ lengths at Belmont then followed up with wire to wire 4 ¼-length win in the one-mile Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar. The Point of Entry colt stalked cheap speed in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes and won by 5 ¼ lengths over a yielding 1 1/6 miles at Keeneland.

"He got the race he needed," Brown said. "He's had plenty of time since and we hope he takes another step forward. All around, he's a real special horse."

Also expected for Saturday's Pennine Ridge are Hawkish, Untamed Doman, Channel Cat, Irish Territory, Up the Ante, and Archaggelos.

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Bravazo bucking and squealing during gallop

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, whose 14 victories in Triple Crown races is matched only by Baffert, said fast-closing Preakness runner-up Bravazo could work as early as Wednesday.

"I'm going to check the weather for the next few days," Lukas said. "It could be Wednesday or Thursday. I'll play it by ear."

Calumet Farm's Bravazo joined Justify, Preakness third-place finisher Tenfold and Free Drop Billy on the track Monday during Churchill Downs' special 7:30-7:40 a.m. slot restricted to Belmont Stakes horses.

Bravazo had a routine 1 3/8-mile gallop under exercise rider Danielle Rosier, but because of the rising heat Lukas did not have them jog to the front side first before starting the gallop.

"I didn't want to go quite as far, although he did," Lukas said. "He was full of himself. He bucked and squealed when he was going by the grandstand. He jumped straight in the air and squealed, felt pretty good. I was going to go a mile but he didn't want to pull up. He's not easy to pull up. His energy is good, everything's good.

"The secret to training racehorses is to be able to read the horse, figure out what he needs or doesn't need. I'm just going day to day, reading him, looking at his energy level, the way he's traveling. He just did it with a lot of gusto. He was into it this morning. He's absolutely flourished this spring. Some 2-year-olds kind of hit a plateau and they stay the same, whereas some of them just get better every week."

Bravazo, who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby, finished a half-length behind Justify in the Preakness Stakes. Bravazo won the Fair Grounds' Grade 2 Risen Star but then was eighth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, with Lukas believing that disappointing effort impacted his Kentucky Derby performance.

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Madison's Luna seeks to rebound in G2 Woody Stephens

Phil Bauer earned his first graded-stakes victory as a trainer three years ago when Channel Marker took the Jaipur Invitational for turf sprinters on the same afternoon that American Pharoah captured the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Now, with another Triple Crown on the line with Justify, Bauer will be back running on the undercard with another Rigney Racing horse. This time it's in the Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs with Madison's Luna. The talented son of Tapit captured Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Hutcheson in his second start before stubbing his toe when 10th in Churchill Downs' Pat Day Mile on Derby Day.

"We thought the Pat Day Mile was going to be tough," Bauer said. "The Woody Stephens looks like it will be even tougher. I don't think he's a distance-limited horse. Just put a line through that other race. He came back and was all bug-eyed. I think just the overall experience, the 14 horses, the slop, the 150,000 fans. He didn't act like a fool in the paddock or anything like that. But I don't think he put himself into the race. He acted like a horse that didn't really exert a lot of energy cooling out, just maybe was overwhelmed mentally. But he's come back and trained well since. It's all systems go."

Julien Leparoux, aboard for the five-length Hutcheson win, regains the mount on Madison's Luna.

Bauer said he hasn't run a horse at Belmont Park since Channel Marker's victory. 

"It's very similar, a Triple Crown on the line," he said. "It was fun. We had not necessarily a subpar effort [but a defeat] with Channel Marker the race before. He ran in the Turf Sprint on Derby Day. He ran fine, but it was a real speed-biased track that day. But we went up to New York really confident in him, with the added distance. And he punched home for us and got us the win.

"You don't know until you run against them. Obviously, there are some horses with some powerful numbers in the Woody Stephens. But we feel this horse has a lot of upside. He's a happy horse and doing really well right now. If you want to dance the big dances, you've got to run against the big boys."