Brown’s hand strong on turf

ELMONT, N.Y. – More than four inches of rain fell here on Tuesday and more was forecast for Friday afternoon, putting into question which surface Friday’s $100,000 Oyster Bay Stakes will be run on.

Scheduled for seven furlongs on Belmont Park’s Widener turf, the Oyster Bay drew an attractive field of 12 males. If forced to the dirt, it will likely lose many, but will pick up main track-only entrants Wendell Fong and Lil Commissioner, both of whom are lkely to enter Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler Handicap.

On turf, trainer Chad Brown has a strong hand with Value Proposition, Flavius, and Emaraaty. Value Proposition is coming off a solid 2 3/4-length victory in the Red Bank at Monmouth Park on Sept. 4. That was a two-turn mile race.

Brown said the turnback to a one-turn seven-furlong race “is a good trip for him.”

The last time Value Proposition raced seven furlongs, he was beaten a head by Casa Creed in the Elusive Quality Stakes here on April 24. Casa Creed came back to win the Grade 1 Jaipur in his next start.

Value Proposition is a threetime winner on good or yielding ground, including a maiden victory going 1 1/16 miles here in April 2019. Luis Saez rides from post 11.

Flavius won the Lure Stakes at Saratoga in August. He then shipped to Kentucky Downs where he finished fifth in the Mint Million, a race he had won the previous year when it was known as the Tourist Mile.

“He made an early move into a big pace and it didn’t work out,” Brown said. “He’s been back here training well.”

In 2020, Flavius was beaten three-quarters of a length in the First Defence Stakes going seven furlongs here.

Emaraaty is coming off an allowance win at Saratoga on Sept. 3. He has mixed results on less-than-firm ground.

Pulsate has run three solid races on the turf this year, with his two most recent efforts being a win in the Lucky Coin at Saratoga and getting beat a length by Arrest Me Red in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational on Oct. 2. That Pulsate won a race at Aqueduct in December when that turf was less than firm and that he got beat just a head in an allowance over good ground in July here eases any concern trainer Robert Ribaudo would have regarding course condition.

“I’m not worried about that, I just hope there’s enough pace for us,” Ribaudo said. “Lately, all of his races have been packed with sprinters and now the competition is coming off mile and mileand-a-sixteenth races and they fit into the seven-eighth races better than our horse.”

Pace does seem to be lacking in the race, with perhaps Ballydooley the primary speed from the rail.

If on dirt, Wendell Fong would return from a near-eight-month layoff in the Oyster Bay, new trainer Chad Summers said. Wendell Fong has not raced since finishing second in the Grade 3 Tom Fool when trained by Natalia Lynch. Wendell Fong has been with Summers since May, and after being turned out for a while has been working steadily since late August.