Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Silver Knott and Far Bridge look to avenge tough losses
ELMONT, N.Y. – It would be tough to find two tougher beats than the ones incurred by Silver Knott in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland and Far Bridge in last month’s Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs.
Saturday, those two horses head a solid field of seven set to run 1 1/8 miles on turf in the Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park.
Though eight were entered, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed that Sharar would run in Saturday’s $225,000 Audubon Stakes at Churchill Downs.
The Pennine Ridge field includes a trio of runners from the barn of Chad Brown – Belouni, Congruent, and Kalik – as well as Freedom Trail and Lachaise.
Silver Knott, trained by Charlie Appleby, was sent off the 7-5 favorite in the BC Juvenile Turf, where he was buried on the inside for the entire trip, found some running room along the rail in mid-stretch and was just outfinished a nose by Victoria Road, an Aidan O’Brien-trained runner who was winning his fourth consecutive race.
The Juvenile Turf was run at a mile and Appleby believes the added distance of the Pennine RIdge should only help Silver Knott, a son of Lope de Vega.
“In the Breeders’ Cup he was doing his best work toward the end there. He got caught up for a stride or two then he looked like he was trying to get back up at the wire,” Appleby said Thursday. “On pedigree, it suggests stepping up over the mile to nine furlongs should bring him further improvement.”
So should firm ground. Silver Knott comes in off an 11th-place finish in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, his second poor performance over soft turf. Silver Knott was third in last September’s Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.
“He’s by a sire and out of a dam that you’d have thought he would appreciate soft ground, but he showed us again and sort of rubber-stamped that he’s just not a soft ground horse,” Appleby said.
Richard Mullen will ride
Silver Knott from post 2.
Far Bridge won his first two starts for Calumet Farm and Christophe Clement. Thereafter, he was purchased privately by Larry Sarf’s LSU Stables and turned over to Todd Pletcher, who ran him in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Breaking from post 2 in a bulky 13-horse field, Far Bridge sat an inside trip, got through an opening along the rail and was just outfinished a nose by Webslinger.
“Maybe he hesitated a tick but I don’t think he saw that horse until it was too late because he kind of surged back in front after the wire,” said Pletcher, a three-time Pennine Ridge winner.
Pletcher’s concern Saturday is the apparent lack of pace in this field.
Joel Rosario rides from post 8.
Kalik won a first-level allowance race in front-running fashion and may try those tactics again under Irad Ortiz Jr. Kalik, who Brown trains for Robert LaPenta and eFive Racing Thoroughbreds, has won both of his starts this year, though both were on Lasix, medication he will not be permitted to race on in the Pennine Ridge.
Belouni, also trained by Brown, won the Woodhaven going a mile at Aqueduct on April 22, despite having to check at the quarter pole. He recovered quickly and split horses in deep stretch and finished like a horse that would appreciate this 1 1/8-mile trip. Jose Ortiz rides.
Congruent makes his first start for Brown after winning three times from 10 starts for trainer Antonio Sano. He has not run since finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 25, which came three weeks after he upset the John Battaglia Memorial by 3 1/4 lengths at odds of 16-1.
Lachaise, unraced since running third in the Grade 2 Pilgrim last Oct. 2, and Freedom Trail, who won the Awad Stakes last October at Aqueduct, complete the field.
The Pennine Ridge, a stepping-stone to the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby on July 8, goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 1 p.m.