A. P. Indian to miss planned start in Belmont Sprint

A. P. Indian, who would have been a major player in next Saturday’s Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Championship, will be forced to skip the race after coming out of his June 17 breeze at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland with filling in an ankle, trainer Arnaud Delacour said.

The injury was minor, and A. P. Indian has resumed training.

“He came back with filling in an ankle after his last breeze,” Delacour said. “I sent him to New Bolton [veterinary hospital] to get checked out, and everything looks good. It was a minor setback, but we missed a little time and are going to skip the race.”

Last year, A. P. Indian won six straight stakes for Delacour and the Green Lantern Stable of Richard and Sue Masson. He started his streak in the Decathlon at Monmouth Park and the LeVine Memorial at Parx Racing, then reeled off victories in the Belmont Sprint Championship, the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt, the Grade 1 Forgeo, and the Grade 2 Phoenix.

“If everything goes well, we hope to make the Vanderbilt at Saratoga,” Delacour said.

The $350,000 Vanderbilt will be run at six furlongs July 29.

A. P. Indian, 7, has started twice this season, finishing second to Awesome Slew in the Commonwealth at Keeneland and second to Whitmore in the Maryland Sprint at Pimlico.

The defection of A. P. Indian makes Mind Your Biscuits a solid favorite in the $350,000 Sprint Championship. The seven-furlong race is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and is a Win and You’re In for the BC Sprint.

Mind Your Biscuits will be making his first start since winning the $2 million Golden Shaheen on March 25 in Dubai. Trained by Chad Summers, Mind Your Biscuits worked a visually impressive five furlongs in 58.19 seconds on June 23.

His top challengers include Awesome Slew for Mark Casse and Unified for Jimmy Jerkens. Cadeyrn, Fellowship, and Green Gratto also are expected to start.

Derby, Oaks fields in flux

The centerpieces of next Saturday’s Stars and Stripes card are the $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational and the $1 million Belmont Oaks. Since both 1 1/4-mile turf races are invitationals, the fields are still in flux as the New York Racing Association continues to invite horses.

While the fields may grow, both races have a solid core.

The Belmont Derby is particularly strong, with probable starters including Pennine Ridge winner Oscar Performance; the top two finishers from the Penn Mile, Frostmourne and Big Score; American Turf winner Arklow; and the promising Yoshida.

Other expected runners are Good Samaritan, Senior Investment, Ticonderoga, French import Called to the Bar, and the Aidan O’Brien-trained War Decree. Whitecliffsofdover, also trained by O’Brien, is a possibility.

The Oaks is expected to have four starters from the barn of Chad Brown – New Money Honey and Fifty Five, the firstand second-place finishers in the Wonder Again, and the French imports Sistercharlie and Uni.

Sistercharlie is now owned by Peter Brant, and Uni will debut for Michael Dubb.

Also expected are Beau Recall, Coasted, Daddys Lil Darling, Grizzel, and Journey Home.

The $750,000 Suburban, a Grade 2 at 1 1/4 miles, will match Shaman Ghost and Matt King Coal.

Shaman Ghost, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, has won the Pimlico Special and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in his two most recent starts. Matt King Coal is coming off an easy win in the $200,000 Mountainview at Penn National for Linda Rice. In his prior start, he finished second, beaten a neck, in the $1.25 million Charles Town Classic.

The Suburban also is expected to lure Follow Me Crev, who is based at Santa Anita with Vladimir Cerin, Keen Ice, and Watershed.

The field for the Grade 3, $400,000 Dwyer, a one-mile race for 3-year-olds, is expected to include Practical Joke, Battalion Runner, Giuseppe the Great, and True Timber.

Trainer Brown has said that Practical Joke could move on to the Haskell Invitational off a good performance in the Dwyer. Practical Joke will be making his first start since finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby. In his other two starts this year, he finished second to Irap in the Blue Grass and second to Gunnevera in the Fountain of Youth.

Last year at 2, Practical Joke won both the Grade 1 Hopeful and Grade 1 Champagne.