Super Saturday hopefuls out in force

Summer Bird will take on older horses for the first time in the Jockey Club (Photo courtesy of NYRA) Belmont Park’s Super Saturday card next weekend will play host to five prestigious Grade 1 events that will also serve as major preps for the November 6 and 7 Breeders’ Cup, and a number of contenders were putting in their final tune-ups for the big day on a busy Saturday morning at the Elmont, New York, venue. Heading the worktab were a trio gearing up for the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Belmont S. (G1) and Travers S. (G1) winner SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone), with Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard, worked five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 for the 1 1/4-mile test. “It was perfect,” said trainer Tim Ice of Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman’s chestnut colt. “Last week’s work was superb, so we wanted to slow him down a little today. He galloped out very strong and he’s right on target.” Summer Bird, who owns just seven lifetime starts, will be making his first start against older rivals in the Gold Cup. Except when running second to super filly Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro) in the Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 2, the three-year-old has dominated every other runner in his division in his past three starts.

Florida Derby (G1) hero QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality) covered five-eighths
in 1:01 3/5 under John Velazquez as he also prepares for his first start against
his elders. Like Summer Bird, the bay colt is lightly raced but in his case it
was due to being sidelined over the summer with quarter crack problems that kept
him out of the Triple Crown events.

Quality Road (outside) has won three of his five starts this year (Photo courtesy of NYRA) Quality Road reappeared in trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn at Saratoga and immediately set a new track record when taking the 6 1/2-furlong Amsterdam S. (G2). He was most recently third in the Travers when stretching back out to a route. Group 2 victor ASIATIC BOY (Arg) (Not for Sale) logged a half-mile in a bullet :47 2/5, fastest of 50 at the distance, as he gears up for the Jockey Club. The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained six-year-old was runner-up in the Stephen Foster H. (G1) and Suburban H. (G2) earlier in the year. In his last start, Asiatic Boy chased home Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward S. (G1), winding up fourth on the line. A host of others also put in their final serious moves Saturday morning for the remaining Grade 1s on Belmont’s big day. The Christophe Clement-trained GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat), who leads the turf division following four straight Grade 1 victories on the green, traveled five furlongs on the firm inner turf in 1:01. The bay four-year-old will try to make it five in a row in the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1).

“He’s doing great, he’ll be running a mile and half for the first time in his
life, but I think he should be fine with it, I hope,” Clement said. “We’ll use
this as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Gio Ponti’s stablemate WINCHESTER (Theatrical [Ire]) posted four panels in
:50 4/5 on the inner turf for a possible try in the Joe Hirsch. The bay, who
joined Clement’s barn this season, was a 7 1/4-length winner of the Secretariat
S. (G1) in 2008, but his best finish in two tries this year off a long break was
a second in the Bowling Green H. (G2) last out.

Clement also sent out dual Group 3 scorer CARRIBEAN SUNSET (Ire) (Danehill
Dancer) to work four furlongs on the main track in :51 3/5 for the $600,000 Flower
Bowl Invitational (G1). The four-year-old lass has yet to break through with a
graded victory stateside, but just missed by a head in the Diana S. (G1) two
back at Saratoga.

Multiple Grade 2 winner CRITICISM (GB) (Machiavellian) put in a five-furlong
move on the turf in 1:01 for the Flower Bowl. The Tom Albertrani charge will
try to get back to her winning ways from earlier in the season following a
ninth-place finish in the Diana.

In preparation for the $600,000 Beldame S. (G1), COCOA BEACH (Chi) (Doneraile
Court) drilled five furlongs in a bullet :59 4/5, fastest of 33 at the distance,
while stablemate MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) went in 1:01. Cocoa Beach captured
last year’s Beldame by a half-length and was second in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’
Classic (G1), but her only success in three starts this season came in the
grassy De La Rose S.

Also lightly raced this year with just two starts for trainer Saeed bin
Suroor, Music Note added to her Grade 1 tallies with a 5 1/4-length victory in
the seven-furlong Ballerina S. (G1) last out. The four-year-old miss was third
in the 2008 Ladies’ Classic.

CAPTAIN’S LOVER (SAf) (Captain Al), a dominating seven-length winner of the
off-the-turf Matchmaker S. at Monmouth Park in her first try on dirt, breezed
five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 for trainer Todd Pletcher. The bay mare will attempt to
keep her dirt record perfect in the Beldame.

At Saratoga, UNBRIDLED BELLE (Broken Vow) covered a half-mile in :48 4/5 on the
fast Oklahoma training track in advance of the Beldame. Winner of the 2007
edition of that race for Pletcher, the dark bay six-year-old was an 11-length
victress of the Obeah H. (G3) prior to a third in the Delaware H. (G2) and a
last-of-eight finish in the Personal Ensign S. (G1) in her past few.

Dual Grade 2 king MUNNINGS (Speightstown) was also on Belmont’s worktab for
Pletcher, breezing five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 for the $400,000 Vosburgh S. (G1).
After getting the best of his older rivals in the Tom Fool H. (G2), the chestnut
returned to the three-year-old ranks and ran third in the Haskell and King’s
Bishop S. (G1) in his last two.

“Every single one of them went well,” Pletcher said. “Both Unbridled Belle
and Captain’s Lover are in position for the Beldame, and we will make a decision
on their status for the race later in the week.”