Belmont Park Racing Festival Notes 5.25.18

by NYRA Press Office

• Belmont decision for Free Drop Billy hinges in part on Sunday workout
• Dark Vader could be a force in Easy Goer
• Mind Your Biscuits sharp in final work for G1 Met Mile
• Bravazo gallops at Churchill Downs; Tenfold visits starting gate

Belmont decision for Free Drop Billy hinges in part on Sunday workout

Trainer Dale Romans said a decision on whether to run Free Drop Billy in the 150th Belmont Stakes won't be made before Albaugh Family Stables' colt has a timed workout Sunday at Churchill Downs. Free Drop Billy worked a bullet half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Monday, the fastest of 51 workouts at that distance.

Romans has said the longer the distance the better for Free Drop Billy, which makes the 1 1/2-mile Belmont particularly appealing. But he also believes the colt will excel on the turf.

"We're pointing that way as of now," Romans said of the Triple Crown finale. "We'll just see how it goes the next few days. We'll see how he works this weekend and we'll all talk about it."

Free Drop Billy won last fall's Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, then was a disappointing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. In his four starts this year, he was second in Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Holy Bull to eventual Florida Derby winner and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Audible, third in both Aqueduct's Grade 3 Gotham and Keeneland's Grade 2 Blue Grass before finishing 16th in the Kentucky Derby.

"He's a Grade 1 winner. He doesn't have to apologize to anyone for being there," Romans said. "He's a good horse. I don't think he liked that muddy track in the Derby. He seems to be a little sensitive to surface."

If Free Drop Billy runs in the Belmont, he'll be ridden by Robby Albarado. Another option is to wait for the Belmont Derby Invitational on grass on July 7, Romans has said.

Churchill's all-time winningest trainer also is looking at the Woody Stephens for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs for Gulfstream's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth winner Promises Fulfilled and the $150,000 Easy Goer at 1 1/16 miles for King Zachary. Both races are on the Belmont Stakes card.

"They're both good horses. King Zachary is a horse I think you'll be hearing a lot from," he said. "He's as talented as anybody we have."

Romans said he believes King Zachary has the talent to compete in the Belmont Stakes but doesn't think the son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2007 Belmont runner-up Curlin has the physical foundation to tackle 1 1/2 miles at this time.

"It's not the caliber of horse," he said. "He's not ready for a mile and half... .Promises Fulfilled is just a fast horse. We'll shorten him up and see what he does. I'm going to nominate to the Easy Goer with him, too. There's a chance we can show up with two in that race."

Free Drop Billy went out at 9:30 a.m. for a routine gallop under regular exercise rider Juan Segundo.

Dark Vader could be a force in Easy Goer

Grade 3-placed Dark Vader remains a possibility to make his New York debut and is under consideration for the $150,000 Easy Goer on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9, trainer Peter Eurton said by phone Friday.

The 3-year-old Tale of Ekati colt is not nominated to the Triple Crown, meaning the ownership group that includes Burns Racing, Ciaglia Racing and Sharon Alesia would have to pay $50,000 to run in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

With Dark Vader still looking for his first stakes win, Eurton said he could be looking at softer landing spots, including the 1 1/16-mile Easy Goer or the Grade 3 Affirmed at the same distance on June 10 at Santa Anita, where he is currently training.

"I'm going to nominate him to that 3-year-old stake [Easy Goer] that's on the same day. I could see running him in the Affirmed in California. We haven't made up our minds just yet, but the Easy Goer could be a good spot," Eurton said.

The Ohio-bred started his 3-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis before a fifth-place effort in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby on March 25. After the misfire on the New Mexico-based track, Eurton kept him local, and Dark Vader responded by winning an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles on May 11 at Santa Anita.

"He hasn't done any good yet for us shipping, that's why we kept him in town for the last race. He ran huge," Eurton said. "He does ships well, he just hasn't had any luck yet. He hasn't really gotten his race yet. I think the big key is when he gets his trip. When he gets into the race early, that's the key for him."

Gary Broad's Core Beliefs, another talented 3-year-old in Eurton's barn, will not be making a return trip to New York for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival after running second in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 12. But Eurton said the Quality Road colt will be looking for prime opportunities in the summer, including targeting the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 28 at Saratoga Race Course.

Core Beliefs, who ran third behind Bolt d'Oro and Triple Crown-threat Justify in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 7, finished 1 ½-lengths behind Blended Citizen in the Peter Pan, contested at 1 1/8 miles on Big Sandy, before returning to his home base in California.

"He came out of it very good," Eurton said. I don't want to put him [back] on a plane just yet. We could consider the Affirmed, but there's a vast amount of opportunities looking through July, August and September."

In addition to the Jim Dandy, Eurton also mentioned the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park as a summer possibility.

Mind Your Biscuits sharp in final work for G1 Met Mile

Mind Your Biscuits wrapped up his major preparations Friday morning for the Grade 1, $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap on June 9. The two-time Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner blazed a strong six furlongs in 1:11.66 over the main track at Belmont Park under jockey Joel Rosario, who was told to "hold on tight" before being legged up on the chestnut by trainer Chad Summers.

"When you're going a mile stretching out from six furlongs, you have to put some air into them," Summers said. "That was the plan today, he worked three-quarters and I couldn't be happier. I had him in 11 and four[-fifths] from the three quarter-pole, galloped out 23 and 4, I'm happy.

"I'll blow him out once, I'm not sure what day yet, just like a quarter and out three eighths," he added. "He showed me today he's sitting on go, and you see him how he's cooling out right now, so it's bubble wrap time already. It'll be 15 days with bubble wrap."

Summers said he holds the Met Mile as his favorite among the races with long history in New York. It is also one he would like to win, and just over two weeks from race day, the young trainer is already thinking race strategy for his late-running son of Posse.

"If Bolt d'Oro doesn't go, Bee Jersey is loose on the lead by himself," said Summers. "When he's loose on the lead he's dangerous. He's won three races in a row for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, and then you have McCraken breezing 58s. Everybody seems like they're coming into this race in good form. Everyone's going to show up and to win a race like the Met Mile you have to earn it, and that's what we're hoping to do."

Earlier in the week it was announced that Mind Your Biscuits, the all-time leading money earning New York-bred would be sent to Japan for stud duty at the end of this year. The earner of $3,719,286 from 21 career starts will stand at Shadai Farm on the island of Hokkaido in Japan.

Bravazo gallops at Churchill Downs; Tenfold visits starting gate

Preakness runner-up Bravazo, who would join Justify as the only horses to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year, galloped Friday morning with Danielle Rosier aboard at the special 7:30 a.m. training slot reserved for Belmont Stakes horses training at Churchill.

Tenfold, who finished third in the Preakness by a total of a half-length, went to the starting gate to stand, as is trainer Steve Asmussen's norm on Thursdays. The son of Curlin jogged to the gate under Angel Garcia while accompanied by assistant trainer Scott Blasi and his pony. After backing out of the gate, Tenfold had a light gallop.

Tenfold resumed training by jogging around the track Wednesday, a day earlier than the other Belmont contenders at Churchill. Blasi said they prefer to send the horses back to the track after three days off following a race and then give them some easy days such as Tenfold had Friday.