April 24, 2024

Unanimous Consent brings unbeaten mark to Pennine Ridge

Unanimous Consent wins Woodhaven S. at Aqueduct (Photo by NYRA/Adam Coglianese/Susie Raisher)

Perfect from three starts, Unanimous Consent will seek his first graded win in Saturday’s $200,000 Pennine Ridge (G2) at Belmont Park. The Chad Brown-trained colt tops a field of seven, including a main-track only runner, in the about 1 1/8-mile turf affair for three-year-olds.

The English-bred son of Almanzor, a $204,600 weanling purchase for Klaravich Stables, rolled to a convincing win from off the pace when making his lone juvenile appearance in a one-mile turf maiden special weight at Monmouth Park last September. Unanimous Consent returned from a five-month layoff in an entry-level allowance at Tampa Bay Downs in February, scoring by 1 1/2 lengths, and the bay sophomore exits a 1 3/4-length triumph in his stakes debut, the April 23 Woodhaven at Aqueduct.

Manny Franco, who picked up the mount in the Woodhaven, will guide Unanimous Consent.

Brown will also send out Napoleonic War, a nose allowance winner over Belmont’s turf on May 5. The War Front colt rebounded from his lone career setback, a fourth in the April 8 Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland, and Flavien Prat will be up for Napoleonic War’s second stakes attempt.

Blue Grass (G1) third-placer Emmanuel will switch from turf to dirt for Todd Pletcher. A convincing frontrunning winner in his first two starts, Emmanuel has the pedigree for the turf being a son of More Than Ready and out of a Hard Spun mare, and Irad Ortiz Jr. takes over the reins.

Third in the Pilgrim (G2) and With Anticipation (G3) last year, Limited Liability opened his three-year-old campaign with a fast-closing allowance win at Keeneland, and the gray colt was flattered when third-placer Play Action Pass came back to win a Churchill Downs allowance as the favorite. Shug McGaughey trains the son of Kitten’s Joy, and Limited Liability will be rallying late with Jose Ortiz.

French debut maiden winner Elizar, now trained by Christophe Clement, comes back from a 221-day layoff with Joel Rosario. Stakes-placed juvenile Daunt, unplaced behind Napoleonic War last out, is also entered for turf.