BELMONT Brown’s 3-year-olds fitter for rich races

ELMONT, N.Y. – Losses by Analyze It and Significant Form at short prices last month left trainer Chad Brown perhaps a bit disappointed but not deterred from running both 3-year-olds in seven-figure races at longer distances this Saturday at Belmont Park.

Analyze It suffered his first defeat when beaten a neck by Catholic Boy at odds of 1-2 in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge at 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park on June 2. Analyze It will represent Brown in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational at 1 1/4 miles.

Significant Form, the 4-5 favorite, could not catch La Signare in the Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes on June 7. She and Mighty Scarlett will be Brown’s two runners in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational. The Oaks is also run at 1 1/4 miles, an eighth of a mile farther than the Wonder Again.

“For both of them to lose at a mile and an eighth, it fairly opens up some question marks in terms of their distance capabilities,” Brown said. “I don’t dispute that. Having trained the horses coming into these races, I remain optimistic and confident that they can do it. I feel like these two horses are coming into these races a little fitter, a little sharper with some more recency under their belt, having had these two prep races. That’s what I’m going on.”

Analyze It, a son of Point of Entry, won his first three starts at distances of a mile to 1 1/16 miles. In the Pennine Ridge, it looked like he had put away Catholic Boy, only for Catholic Boy to come back and nail Analyze It on the wire.

On Sunday, Analyze It completed preparations for the Belmont Derby with a fivefurlong work in 1:02.76 over the Belmont turf. He worked in company with the older horse Projected.

As many as 12 horses were expected for the Belmont Derby when entries closed and post positions were drawn Wednesday.

Significant Form was beaten a length in the Wonder Again, unable to catch a loose-on-thelead La Signare.

Brown said that Significant Form “had a clean trip, had every chance to win.”

“I just know she’s capable of better,” he said.

On Saturday, Significant Form worked five furlongs in 1:00.50 over the Belmont turf in company with Mighty Scarlett, who finished third in the Wonder Again in her first start against winners.

La Signare and Toinette, who beat the Brown-trained Rushing Fall in the Edgewood at Churchill Downs, are likely to be among the choices in the Oaks. La Signare worked a halfmile in 49.01 seconds Sunday, while Toinette went six furlongs in 1:18.22 with a strong finish and a solid gallop-out.

Tapwrit drills for Suburban

Tapwrit, the 2017 Belmont Stakes winner, worked a sharp five furlongs in 1:00.71 on Sunday and was visually impressive galloping out a mile in 1:37.80 while preparing for Saturday’s Grade 2, $700,000 Suburban Stakes.

Tapwrit worked with Patch, who is possible for the Whitney or Woodward at Saratoga.

“I thought it was an excellent work,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Did it very well, in hand. Seems like he’s doing well. He’s become a better, more impressive breeze horse, little more straightforward, focused.”

Tapwrit in his first start this year finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind winner Timeline, in an allowance race at Belmont.

Breeders’ Cup Sprint qualifier

Limousine Liberal, third in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, and Whitmore, second in the Grade 2 True North, head the field expected for Saturday’s Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship.

The Belmont Sprint offers a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Limousine Liberal is a multiple stakes winner at the Belmont Sprint distance of seven furlongs. He finished 5 1/4 lengths behind Bee Jersey and Mind Your Biscuits in the Met Mile.

“He ran real well,” trainer Ben Colebrook said. “Didn’t have the cleanest trips.”

Colebrook said Limousine Liberal was probably just thirdbest anyway and that with a cleaner trip he might have finished a closer third.

Whitmore was beaten just a neck by Imperial Hint in the True North at 6 1/2 furlongs. The seven furlongs may be stretching him a bit far.

Mendelssohn back for Dwyer

Trainer Aidan O’Brien could send as many as six horses to Belmont Park for Saturday’s Stars and Stripes program, with the most intriguing being Mendelssohn for the Grade 3, $300,000 Dwyer Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile.

Mendelssohn won the United Arab Emirates Derby by 18 1/2 lengths in Dubai but then finished last, beaten 73 1/4 lengths by Justify, in the Kentucky Derby. O’Brien was quoted in the European press as saying that Mendelssohn was not ready for the Kentucky Derby experience, a 20-horse field with swift early fractions.

Mendelssohn could be using the Dwyer as the first race of a three-leg U.S. campaign that could include the Pennsylvania Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.