Charitable Man Shows No Mercy in Peter Pan; Eyes Belmont
Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren Jr.’s favored Charitable Man stormed by front-running Hello Broadway at the head of the lane and then held off Imperial Council for a 3¾-length victory Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park in the 56th running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan for three-year-olds at nine furlongs.
The victory, which came in 1:47.13 on the fast main track under jockey Alan Garcia, was the third in four starts for the son of Lemon Drop Kid. Lemon Drop Kid, third in the 1999 Peter Pan to Best of Luck, came back to win the Belmont Stakes by a head over Vision and Verse, ending the Triple Crown hopes of Charismatic.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said that Charitable Man will point to the 141st running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6. There, he will try to become the sixth horse to complete the Peter Pan/Belmont Stakes double, joining A.P. Indy (1992); Danzig Connection (1986); Coastal (1979); Cavan (1958) and Gallant Man (1957).
“(After the Blue Grass) he cooled out in five minutes,” said McLaughlin, as Charitable Man returned $5.40 to his backers in the crowd of 5,264. “He disliked the Polytrack. We figured that, and Mr. Warren was very kind enough and patient enough not to wheel him right back in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness. He settled well. (Jockey) Alan Garcia deserves a lot of credit. He did everything right and rode a great race. We’ll talk with Mr. Warren about the possibility of the Belmont. We’ll take a look and see how the Preakness goes (on May 16). But he is definitely bred to get a mile and a half and he likes this track and he did it the right way today, so we’ll look at it.”
Charitable Man broke from post 3 in the seven-horse field, as Hello Broadway, breaking from his inside, took the lead. Racing with blinkers for the first time, Hello Broadway opened a huge lead after going the first quarter of a mile in 23.38 and a half mile in 44.89. As he rounded the turn, however, Charitable Man struck the lead. The field began to close in and Imperial Council loomed the biggest threat.
Jockey Edgar Prado and Imperial Council, who was much calmer in the paddock than in previous starts, thanks to the addition of a pony, had a clear run at the leader in the lane, but Charitable Man and Garcia pulled away for a victory that will likely send him to the 1½-mile Belmont Stakes – the “Test of the Champion.”
“He broke good today,” said Garcia, who won the Belmont Stakes last year aboard Da’Tara. “He was on the lead, and then he wanted to kind of slow a little bit. I saw the number 2 (Hello Broadway), run away from him and I thought, `Okay, let me see,’ and I thought it was going to be a clear trip. Quarter for quarter, I feel the other horse (Imperial Council) coming a little bit and then (Charitable Man) switched the lead and he started running - he took off. (When Hello Broadway was in front) I thought he was going to come back – I was sitting there, I knew it was a comfortable pace, comfortable time, but I didn’t think that horse could keep going the way he was running.”
Imperial Council finished a length and three-quarters ahead of third-place finisher Brave Victory.
“It worked out fine,” said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey of Imperial Council. “I thought around the turn he had it, but he was second-best today. We’ll take a look at a race like the Dwyer (Grade 2, $200,000, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16th miles, July 4) next for him.”
Hello Broadway faded to fourth, with Scorewithcater, who defeated Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird twice this year at Sunland Park, N.M., Al Khali and Stately Character trailing.
The Peter Pan was the third leg of Belmont Park’s new guaranteed $350,000 late Pick 4 on Saturday afternoon. The total pool was $471,730.