Court Vision the class of Kelso; juveniles partake in Pilgrim and Miss Grillo

Court Vision the class of Kelso; juveniles partake in
Pilgrim and Miss Grillo

Court Vision is eyeing a win in the Kelso (Charles Pravata/Horsephotos.com) COURT VISION (Gulch), winless in five starts since taking the Hollywood Derby (G1) in his three-year-old finale last November, is the overwhelming class of the $250,000 Kelso H. (G2), one of three graded turf stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday. The one-mile Kelso will be Court Vision’s shortest race in some time and will mark his debut for trainer Richard Dutrow, who takes over from Bill Mott. One of the leading turf sophomores last year when beating Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) in both the Hollywood Derby and Jamaica H. (G2) at Belmont, Court Vision has struggled to regain that form this season while his rival might clinch an Eclipse Award as outstanding turf male with a victory in Saturday’s Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1). Court Vision was unplaced in both the Manhattan H. (G1) and United Nations S. (G1) in his last two and for the Kelso will wear blinkers, equipment he wore to his top victories a year ago. Court Vision put in his final breeze for the Kent on Friday, blowing out three furlongs in :36 2/5 over Aqueduct’s fast main track. The Kelso drew only four other entrants and one, READY’S ECHO (More Than Ready), was cross-entered to the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Ready’s Echo was third, 5 3/4 lengths behind Court Vision, in the Jamaica last season in his lone placing on grass. YORKTOWN (Fr) (Red Ransom), who narrowly missed in a French Group 3 last season, enters off a second-level allowance win at Monmouth  in late August and appears to be the only other legitimate contender for the upset.

Of more interest on Sunday are the two preps for the Breeders’ Cup juvenile
turf races. The
Pilgrim
S. (G3) and
Miss
Grillo S. (G3) for fillies are each worth $150,000 and will be run at 1 1/16
miles on the turf.

The Pilgrim features INTERACTIF (Broken Vow), the dynamite 4 1/4-length
winner of the With Anticipation S. (G3) at Saratoga in his turf debut. Sent off
at 15-1 that day, he is likely to be a strong favorite to repeat in the Pilgrim
for trainer Todd Pletcher. PADDY O’PRADO (El Prado [Ire]) and DEAN’S KITTEN
(Kitten’s Joy), the third- and fourth-placers in the With Anticipation, both
encountered less-than-ideal trips that day and may improve in this spot.

Not to be overlooked in the Pilgrim are BILLIONS BOY (Johannesburg) and ESKENDEREYA (Giant’s Causeway), the one-two finishers in a Labor Day turf maiden
at Saratoga. The latter is a half-brother to Balmont (Stravinsky), who captured
the 2003 Middle Park S. (Eng-G1) and Gimcrack S. (Eng-G2) as a juvenile.

Last year, Maram (Sahm) parlayed a victory in the Miss Grillo into success in
the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf for trainer Chad Brown. This
time the conditioner will be represented by ZODIAC GIRL (Aldebaran), whose form
heading into the Miss Grillo is eerily similar to that of Maram’s a year ago.
Like her stablemate, Zodiac Girl enters the Miss Grillo following a debut
victory for a $75,000 tag over the Saratoga turf.

TAPITSFLY (Tapit) and SMART SEATTLE (Smart Strike), the September 3 P. G.
Johnson S. one-two, bring solid form to the table as do last-out maiden winners
ZILVA (Successful Appeal) and HATHEER (Storm Cat), the latter a daughter of 2002
champion turf mare Golden Apples (Ire) (Pivotal). NEGLIGEE (Northern Afleet) makes her turf
debut in the Miss Grillo following a narrow second-place effort on Polytrack in
the Ontario Debutante S. at Woodbine.