Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Seize the Grey has Belmont in sights
summer. McPeek also planned on shipping the Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna from Churchill to Saratoga by Wednesday.
McPeek said he has not ruled out the Belmont for Mystik Dan, but will wait 10 days to two weeks before making that decision. McPeek said he is training Thorpedo Anna to either the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on June 7, or the $2 million Belmont Stakes on June 8. Thorpedo Anna is not Triple Crown-nominated, but could be supplemented to the race for $50,000.
“I’m going to consider it. I’m going to look at the math on it,” McPeek said. “I’m going to get her ready for Belmont weekend and we’ll either run in the Acorn or the Belmont.”
Regarding Mystik Dan, McPeek said, “He’s had two hard races in a row. Just want to see how he’s moving and how he’s acting. He’s no worse for wear. He seems to be fine.”
Catching Freedom, third in the Preakness after finishing fourth in the Kentucky Derby, shipped back to Churchill early Sunday morning. Future plans for him are not yet determined, but the Belmont Stakes would seem unlikely.
Tuscan Gold, fourth in the Preakness, could be under consideration for the Belmont, trainer Chad Brown said after the race. Brown felt Tuscan Gold “hated the racetrack,” which was muddy and sealed.
Uncle Heavy, who finished sixth, also didn’t appear to handle the track, according to trainer Butch Reid.
“He came back good and tired,” Reid said. “We’ll look for a little lesser company and try to get his confidence back.”
Trainer Bob Baffert said Imagination, who faded to seventh after chasing the pace, would return to Southern California. Baffert said in hindsight jockey Frankie Dettori should have put Imagination on the lead.
“He was working so well sitting off a horse, we had that in our mind,” Baffert said. “He broke so well. If Frankie had to do it again he would have let him run. You live and learn. I don’t know if he would have beaten the winner; the winner was really good yesterday. He still has to catch up to these horses.”
Neither Imagination nor Muth, the Arkansas Derby winner who was scratched from the Preakness due to a fever, will run in the Belmont. Baffert said Sunday that Muth has started to respond to treatment, but he will delay his return to Southern California until Saturday. Baffert said he would like to point Muth to the Haskell on July 20 at Monmouth Park.
Mugatu, who finished last in the Preakness, displaced his palate and bled, according to a social media post from his trainer Jeff Engler.
Thus, possibles for the Belmont Stakes include Antiquarian, Dornoch, Fierceness, Honor Marie, Mystik Dan or Thorpedo Anna, Seize the Grey, Sierra Leone, The Wine Steward, and Tuscan Gold.
Sierra Leone, ‘Marie’ work
Kentucky Derby runner-up Sierra Leone returned to the work tab Saturday in Saratoga, working a half-mile in 48.20 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.
Sierra Leone worked in company and on the inside of Domestic Product, the Tampa Bay Derby winner who finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby.
“I thought the horse worked super,” Chad Brown, trainer of Sierra Leone, told New York Racing Association publicity. “I’m very, very pleased with him. He’s settled into Saratoga nicely.”
Sierra Leone won the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes before going off the second betting choice in the Kentucky Derby. Under Tyler Gaffalione, Sierra Leone rallied wide in the stretch but lugged in and bumped with Forever Young. Sierra Leone finished a nose behind Mystik Dan and a nose in front of Forever Young. There was no inquiry in the Derby but the Churchill stewards fined Tyler Gaffalione $2,500 for his ride six days later.
At Churchill on Saturday,
Honor Marie, who finished eighth with a troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby, worked a half-mile in 49.20 seconds over the main track. He went in company with Anthem King.
“He’s had a really good couple of weeks since the Derby, surprisingly after the trip he had,” trainer Whit Beckman said. “He had an easy half, just to get him back on the tab. Everything’s good, he’s moving well, looked great, very happy with him.”
Florent Geroux worked Honor Marie on Saturday. Geroux worked Honor Marie several times this winter at Fair Grounds and may be in line to ride Honor Marie in the Belmont after Ben Curtis, who had ridden the horse in the Kentucky Derby and Louisiana Derby, suffered a broken collarbone in a training at accident at Delaware Park on Saturday morning, according to Beckman.
Beckman said he is inclined to train Honor Marie at Churchill as long as possible, but will monitor the weather both in Kentucky and Saratoga before making a final decision regarding that.