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ELMONT, N.Y. – Forty Under, winner of the Pilgrim Stakes, worked a half-mile in 48.57 seconds Friday morning over the Oklahoma dirt training track at Saratoga in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The track, which had some moisture in it, was labeled “good.”

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart put Forty Under in company with Prince of New York, a maiden New York-bred, and said he got the desired result from both horses.

“I was really happy with him today,” Englehart said of Forty Under. “He showed more energy than in his works in the past.”

Englehart said Prince of New York “worked a little better today” than he had prior to finishing eighth in his only start.

Englehart said Forty Under would have one more work at Saratoga before vanning to Churchill Downs on Oct. 22 with two more of his horses, including Aveenu Malcainu, a recent New York-bred allowance winner who is pointing to the $200,000 Cherokee Run Stakes, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds on Nov. 3.

On Thursday, Opry worked a half-mile in 50.32 seconds over the Belmont main track for trainer Todd Pletcher in preparation for the Juvenile Turf. Opry won the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga and finished fourth as the favorite in the Pilgrim.

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ELMONT, N.Y. – Carrick, the Grade 1 Secretariat winner who finished a well-beaten sixth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, will be pointed to the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Dec. 1, trainer Tom Morley said.

Morley said the soft turf at Belmont Park for the Joe Hirsch compromised Carrick, a 3-year-old colt.

“I could tell after 10 strides we were in trouble,” Morley said.

Morley said Carrick came out of the race “absolutely fine” and that after the Hollywood Derby, Carrick would be put away and target a 4-year-old campaign.

“I think anything he did at 3 is a major bonus,” Morley said. “He’s going to get even better, and hopefully he does what I think he’s going to do next year.”

Trainer Chad Brown was back at Belmont Park on Friday morning following another trip to Europe for the Tattersalls auction of yearlings. Brown said he “bought plenty of horses” for clients Peter Brant and Seth Klarman.

Last year, Brown bought a dozen, including Newspaperofrecord, who has won both of her starts this year, including the Miss Grillo Stakes, and has emerged as the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Brown said he bought more colts this year than last.

“I was really happy with the selection of horses offered, really good group of horses,” Brown said. “I felt like we were able to get a large number that we were happy with.”

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ELMONT, N.Y. – A soft turf course and 1 1/2 miles proved no hurdle for Hello Don Julio in the Laurel Turf Cup last month. Thus, owner-trainer Michael Dilger has no problem giving the 6-year-old gelding the opportunity to handle those same conditions again in Sunday’s $100,000 Point of Entry Stakes at Belmont Park.

As an added bonus, Hello Don Julio looms the primary speed in the field of seven that would run on the turf. Secret Passage was entered only if the race is moved to the main track.

Hello Don Julio finished seventh, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, in the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes here in June. He became the fifth horse out of that race to subsequently win a stakes race when he took the Laurel Turf Cup. Ridden by Channing Hill at Laurel, Hello Don Julio sparred on the lead with Final Copy for the opening 1 1/4 miles before pulling away late from that rival and holding Cooptado at bay to win by three-quarters of a length.

“He showed us he was able to step up to a mile and a half, which he had never done before,” Dilger said. “He also seemed to handle the softer going that day as well, two things we might not have been fully sure of before that race.”

On paper, Hello Don Julio looks like he could have the lead to himself in the Point of Entry under John Velazquez.

“He just has a high cruising speed,” Dilger said. “It always puts him on or close to the pace, but he doesn’t need to have it. In his last race, he was quite happy to be second on the rail with a horse on his outside and not get overly upset about it.”

Patterson Cross looks like the main competition to Hello Don Julio. He is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer. Last year, he lost three graded stakes at Gulfstream Park by a combined margin of 1 1/2 lengths.

KEY CONTENDERS

Hello Don Julio, by Afleet Alex
Last 3 Beyers: 98-100-100

◗ Wheels back 22 days after winning the Laurel Turf Cup and has run well on similar short rest in the past.

“He’s a feel-good horse,” Dilger said. “He lets you know when he’s doing well and ready to run.”

◗ Velazquez, a two-time winner on this gelding, is back aboard for the first time in five races.

Patterson Cross, by Arch
Last 3 Beyers: 95-98-99

◗ Drops out of the Grade 1 Northern Dancer where he was beaten just 1 1/4 lengths.

◗ Finished only three-quarters of a length behind Hello Don Julio when those two were second and fourth in 1 5/8-mile allowance at Saratoga. Rocketry, third in that race, came back to win the Temperence Hill Stakes.

Just Howard, by English Channel
Last 3 Beyers: 63-90-97

◗ A Grade 3 winner on turf, he has proven capable over soft ground, but must prove adept at this marathon distance.

◗ Picks up Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Graham Motion, who entered the weekend 0-5-2 from 16 starters at meet.

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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – European invader Thundering Blue seeks his first Grade 1 victory as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in Saturday’s Grade 1, $800,000 Canadian International Stakes for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/2 miles on Woodbine’s turf.

The 5-year-old Thundering Blue will make his first North American start following a victory in the Group 3 Stockholm Cup International Stakes in Sweden on Sept. 23. Trainer David Menuisier said the orientation of the turf course in Sweden should set Thundering Blue up nicely for a run at Woodbine.

“Obviously, we don’t have courses as tight as this in the U.K.,” he said. “So, that’s why Sweden was a massive thing for us, to take him over there, because I think the track is quite similar [to Woodbine’s]. We were super pleased with the way he handled Sweden, so we are pretty confident with him handling the track here.”

The 2018 campaign has been Thundering Blue’s best. He’s won three of his seven starts this year, and recorded his first group stakes victory in the Group 2 York Stakes on July 28.

“His Group 2 win at York was magical as it was his first attempt in a pattern race,” Menuisier said. “He spent the whole of his career in handicaps. He went from below-average handicapper to a very talented one in the space of 12 months, giving us the feeling he was a pattern-class horse. The Group 2 win confirmed what we thought of him.”

Following his victory at York, Thundering Blue finished third behind Roaring Lion and Poet’s Word in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York.

“The real pinnacle was to finish in the frame against a regal opposition, beating the winners of the 2,000 Guineas, Dubai World Cup, Dubai Duty Free, Irish Derby, and St James’s Palace Stakes,” Menuisier said.

Key Contenders

Thundering Blue, by Exchange Rate
Beyers: NA-NA-NA

◗ Thundering Blue will leave the gate from post 2 in the Canadian International, and will likely be taken to the back of the pack early on.

“The draw’s not always the biggest thing we think about,” said Kim Johnstone, wife and assistant to Menuisier. “He always pulls himself to the back, anyway.”

Spring Quality, Quality Road
Last 3 Beyers: 55-100-102

◗ The 4-1 second choice will be looking to bounce back quickly off a seventh-place run in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park on Sept. 29.

“He ran very disappointingly over what was extremely soft ground,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I don’t think he handled it at all. I kind of geared his whole season toward the fall. He’s pretty lightly raced, which makes me feel comfortable running him back fairly quickly.”

◗ He won the Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont Park in June.

Funtastic, by More Than Ready
Last 3 Beyers: 96-102-96

◗ He could be an early pace threat while making his first start since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 25.

“It was disappointing,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He got a little bit banged up in the race – some cuts, stitches here and there – so maybe that contributed to it, I’m not sure. But he’s back to 100 percent health.”

◗ Earlier in the year, Funtastic stepped up off an allowance win to take the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park on June 30.

Johnny Bear, by English Channel
Last 3 Beyers: 98-95-95

◗ He captured the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes for the second year in a row with an off-the-pace rally under jockey Luis Contreras.

◗ He did not handle the soft going in last year’s running of the Canadian International, but the outlook is good for a firm turf course for Saturday.

Tiz a Slam, by Tiznow

Last 3 Beyers: 94-95-96

◗ He dueled for the lead early with Hawkbill in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf last time out on Sept. 15, but gave way in the late going to finish sixth, beaten just two lengths. He should be up close to the pace again Saturday.

◗ He’s recorded two graded stakes wins this year, including a win at this distance on the grass in the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes on July 22.

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ELMONT, N.Y. – On paper, Saturday’s $100,000 Floral Park Stakes for female turf sprinters at Belmont Park came up a strong race. Owing largely to Mother Nature, it remains to be seen how strong the race will play out on the track.

Lady Alexandra, who would have been a major player in the Floral Park, is going to scratch and run in the Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine, trainer Graham Motion said. Lull, a multiple graded stakes winner, will scratch if the turf course is soft. An inch of rain was expected Thursday into Friday.

If neither of those two run, Tillie’s Lily and Fire Key appear to be the headliners.

Tillie’s Lily won her first four starts, including an allowance race here in June. She got sick at Saratoga and missed the Caress Stakes in July, then had a meltdown in the paddock and finished sixth in the Smart N Fancy Stakes at the Spa on Aug. 26.

“If you could have scratched in the paddock, I would have scratched in the paddock,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “She got badly wound up, then she broke poorly and went from last to second down the backside and blew up.”

Thomas said the Floral Park became the target for Tillie’s Lily following that debacle. Thomas also entered Orecchiette, who has won her last three starts over Belmont’s turf course. In between, she finished second in a stakes race at Suffolk Downs.

Thomas’s biggest concern is that both of his fillies have similar front-running styles, something jockeys Manny Franco, on Tillie’s Lily, and Dylan Davis, on Orecchiette, will have to figure out.

Fire Key made up for a disastrous trio of races by rallying from off the pace to win the Sensible Lady Stakes at Laurel last out. Fire Key had some excuses for her three losses, which came by a combined 58 1/2 lengths. She caught a bog in the Caress, then got bumped around in an off-the-turf allowance race. Lastly, she had to avoid a fallen horse in the Smart N Fancy.

Following the Sensible Lady, Fire Key came back with a solid work on the turf here Sunday.

“She feels good, acts good. I think she’s sitting on another [big] race if the turf is to her liking,” trainer Pat Kelly said.

KEY CONTENDERS

Tillie’s Lily, by Distorted Humor
Last 3 Beyers: 84-90-89

◗ Blew out swiftly, three furlongs in 35.53 seconds, here on Monday.

Fire Key, by Friesan Fire
Last 3 Beyers: 90-28-46

◗ Pulled off an 11-1 upset in the Sensible Lady.

◗ Was really reaching out nicely in the stretch of her most recent workout, which came over the turf course here Sunday.

Jc’s Shooting Star, by Miracle Man
Last 3 Beyers: 70-75-83

◗ Was basically eliminated in the Smart N Fancy Stakes when she had to avoid a fallen rival nearing the top of the stretch.

◗ Three of her five wins have come at Belmont.

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ELMONT, N.Y. – Some talented competition and Mother Nature look to be formidable foes for Got Stormy when she returns from an 84-day layoff in Saturday’s $200,000 Pebbles Stakes for 3-year-old turf fillies at Belmont Park.

Got Stormy, a daughter of Get Stormy trained by Mark Casse, has won her last three starts, all over firm courses at Penn National, Belmont, and Woodbine. But Belmont’s turf figures to be on the soft side on Saturday.

“I don’t know,” trainer Mark Casse said when asked how Got Stormy might handle a soft turf course. “So far, she hasn’t found a turf course she doesn’t like.”

Got Stormy has been off since winning the Ontario Colleen at Woodbine on July 21, her third stakes win in 50 days. Casse said when Got Stormy shipped to Saratoga she got sick and it took a while for her to get back to 100 percent. He had planned a trip to the Del Mar Oaks in August, but scrapped those plans.

Though the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth for 3-year-old fillies is Saturday at Keeneland, that race is at 1 1/8 miles.

“A mile is her preferred distance, and she’s done well at Belmont,” Casse said.

Casse will also run Closer Still, who is winless in six starts this year, but who Casse felt was a bit unlucky in her last two starts.

Trainer Chad Brown sends out the trio of Significant Form, Altea, and the French import Stella di Camelot.

Signficant Form may not have cared for the soft turf when fifth in the Grade 2 Lake Placid or the 1 1/4-mile distance when fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks.

Adding to the contentiousness of the field are Cool Beans, a recent allowance winner; Victorine, fourth in the Sands Point; and Monte Crista, winner of the Riskaverse at Saratoga.

KEY CONTENDERS

Got Stormy, by Get Stormy
Last 3 Beyers: 90-88-90

◗ Must prove she can fire fresh over less-than-firm ground.

◗ An illness prompted this 12-week layoff, but her last few works have been good.

◗ Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for two of her four wins, is back aboard for the first time in three starts.

Cool Beans, by Candy Ride
Last 3 Beyers: 88-82-82

◗ Improving filly comes off front-running score in Saratoga allowance and could play out as the primary speed in this field.

◗ Ran second – and was ultimately put up to first – when she and Significant Form debuted in summer of 2017 at Saratoga.

Significant Form, by Creative Cause
Last 3 Beyers: 81-91-92

◗ Won the Grade 3 Miss Grillo over this course as a 2-year-old, but her recent form indicates she may be tailing off.

Altea, by Siyouni
Last 3 Beyers: 86-87-90

◗ Beaten only a length by Cool Beans when she lacked running room in a Saratoga allowance.

◗ Ran well over soft ground as a 2-year-old in France.

Monte Crista, by Cape Blanco
Last 3 Beyers: 87-80-80

◗ She is 4 for 5 on turf, including a solid score in the Riskaverse Stakes at Saratoga last out.

◗ Has a tendency to break slowly, which could be detrimental leaving from post 10 in this spot.

This story originally appeared on DRF.com. 

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