AMERICAN
GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS
| MAN O’ WAR S.
(G1), 9TH-BEL, $600,000, 3YO/UP, 1 3/8MT, 5:17 P.M. EDT, 7-10 |
|
| 1 |
INTERPATATION, 8, G, by LangfuhrIdealistic Cause, by *Habitony O-Mavorah Elliot; B-Larry Cassaday & Jack O. Thompson (Ky) |
| 2 |
BEARPATH, 4, c, by DynaformerSong ‘n Silk, by Unbridled’s Song O-Lothenbach Robert J.; B-Whisper Hill Farm (Ky) |
| 3 |
STRIKE A DEAL, 6, h, by Smart StrikeShag, by Dixieland Band O-Santulli Richard; B-Bee Zee LLC (Ky) |
| 4 |
EXPANSION, 5, h, by Maria’s MonLa Sylphide (Swi), by Barathea (Ire) O-Gary L. and Mary E. West; B-Darley (Ky) |
| 5 |
MISSION APPROVED, 6, h, by With ApprovalFortunate Find, by Fortunate Prospect O-Chatterpaul Naipaul Chatterpaul Terikcha; B-Dr. William F. Coyro Jr. (NY) |
| 6 |
GRAND COUTURIER (GB), 7, h, by Grand LodgeLady Elgar (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells O-Keller Marc; B-Tom Wilson (GB) |
| 7 |
MIDNITE SILVER, 4, c, by Silver DeputyFastria, by Fast Play O-Hoyer Robert Weaver David; B-Addis Margaret (Md) |
| 8 |
GIO PONTI, 5, h, by Tale of the CatChipeta Springs, by Alydar O-Castleton Lyons Farm; B-Kilboy Estate Inc. (Ky) |
Dual champion GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat) is the top choice in the $600,000
Man o’ War S. (G1) at Belmont Park this Saturday. Trained by Christophe Clement,
this gem of consistency stamped himself the top turf performer in the United
States last
season with a quartet of Grade 1 tallies in succession, including a fine score
in this race a year ago. The five-year-old faced a better field in
2009 than he will see here and while he comes in off of five straight defeats
(four of which are runner-up efforts), the bay is tons the class in here. Ramon
Dominguez will break from the outside post atop the prohibitive favorite.
Dixie S. (G2) victor STRIKE A DEAL (Smart Strike) stopped after making a
useful middle move in the Manhattan (G1) and could be overlooked in the gimmicks due to his
ultimate finishing spot. The Alan Goldberg trainee is a threat to run a big one
in his third off the bench and has the tactical speed to get a jump on many
of his rivals, so we’ll pencil him in for the runner-up spot.
EXPANSION (Maria’s Mon) has risen to new levels since since entering the Chad Brown barn
and stretching out in distance four starts ago. His third in
the Manhattan was a fine showing from the 11 post and the improving
five-year-old, who took the Red Smith H. (G2) last fall, could possibly continue
to show more in his third start off the freshening. He probably won’t have much
chance with the favorite but could surely finish in the top three under Javier
Castellano.
Multiple Grade 1 turf runner GRAND COUTURIER (GB) (Grand Lodge) is a winner
at the track/distance and might be rounding up to a good effort for
conditioner Bobby Ribaudo, but the fact remains that the seven-year-old needs
some give in the turf to be most effective. If it rains, he has a big top-three
chance.
Grade 3 hero BEARPATH (Dynaformer) is another who has hit his best stride
when running at marathon distances. The Ian Wilkes charge has major class
concerns in this spot, but he likes some moisture on the lawn and is another one to consider for the gimmicks if the turf
is good or yielding.
With the exception of one race, Grade 1 victor INTERPATATION (Langfuhr) has
not proven to be of this caliber and we can’t back the gelded eight-year-old. MIDNITE SILVER (Silver Deputy) loves Belmont and exits
a nice allowance/optional score over the course, but this is a tough task for the Maryland-bred. Recent claim MISSION
APPROVED (With Approval) will likely tire after setting the pace.