Belmont Park will kick off the Holiday Weekend with a trio of stakes races,
including the $300,000
Suburban
H. (G2) and $150,000
Dwyer S.
(G2), and both graded events have attracted short fields. Six well-matched
older horses, including RODMAN (Malibu Moon), COLIZEO (Distorted Humor) and HYMN
BOOK (Arch), will contest the 126th running of the Suburban at 1 1/8 miles, and
Jerome S. (G2) hero ADIOS CHARLIE (Indian Charlie) tops a field of seven
three-year-olds in the 1 1/16-mile Dwyer.
Rodman, who exits a fast-finishing second to Tizway (Tiznow) in the
Metropolitan H. (G1), has been installed as the 2-1 favorite on the morning
line. A claimer earlier in his career, the Michael Hushion climbed the ranks to
capture the Queens County H. (G3) in December 2009, but was forced to miss the
2010 season due to a foot injury, followed by a bout of colic. The six-year-old
returned in February, recording a runner-up in an allowance/optional claimer,
and then rolled to a 3 1/2-length, wire-to-wire score in the Irish Tower S. in
April.
Overlooked at 36-1 in the Met Mile, Rodman dropped well off the pace before
closing with a rush in the stretch, checking in 5 1/2 lengths clear of third
while never seriously challenging the winner, and the chestnut will look to keep
improving off the highly-encouraging effort in the Suburban. He’ll pick up a new
jockey in Javier Castellano.
“We were thrilled with his race,” Hushion said. “It was a very good effort,
and he seems to have come out of the race well. We’re hoping for another good
performance.”
A Grade 3 winner at three, Colizeo opened 2011 with a four-length romp in the
Challenger S. at Tampa Bay Downs. He finished third as the favorite in the Skip
Away (G3) at Gulfstream Park in his next start and exits a good second in the
William Donald Schaefer Memorial (G3) at Pimlico, missing by only a neck in a
near wire-to-wire performance. Todd Pletcher trains the well-traveled colt, who
has compiled a 5-3-3 mark from 15 starts at eight different tracks, including a
three-length score in the Star of Cozzene S. at Belmont last October, and the
four-year-old will likely show speed from the start Saturday under new rider
Cornelio Velasquez.
“I’m hoping the race he won at Belmont indicates he likes Belmont,” Pletcher
said . “We’re stepping up a notch here, but it’s a logical step given what he’s
shown.”
Pletcher’s go-to-rider, John Velazquez, will depart Colizeo for Hymn Book,
who will make his graded stakes debut following a victory in the off-the-turf
Three Coins Up S. on May 19 that netted him a 114 BRIS Speed rating. The
lightly-raced five-year-old has raced primarily on turf, recording an overall
mark of 9-5-2-1, but the gelding is two-for-three on the main track for Shug
McGaughey.
“He’s doing well and his last race was good; the numbers were supposedly
really good on him,” McGaughey said. “It might be an ambitious place, but we’ll
see.”
Rounding out the field is stakes winner FLAT OUT (Flatter), a good second in
the Lone Star Park H. (G3) two back and set to make his New York debut off a
sixth in Stephen Foster H. (G1) at Churchill Downs; last year’s Suburban
runner-up CONVOCATION (Pulpit), who exits a third in the Easy Goer S. on June 5;
and ICABAD CRANE (Jump Start), a multiple New York-bred stakes winner who will
make his second straight start against open rivals following a third in the
Schaefer.
Adios Charlie is the one to beat in the Dwyer. A 6 3/4-length maiden winner
when making his second career start in late March, the Stanley Hough pupil
jumped straight to stakes company with a superb 2 1/2-length tally in the
one-mile Jerome H. (G2) on April 23. The bay colt tried nine furlongs for the
first time in the May 14 Peter Pan (G2), surging to a clear lead in midstretch
before coming up a head short in second. Adios Charlie has been freshened 49
days for Saturday’s cutback in distance.
“As the Triple Crown races unfolded, it might have been nice to be involved,
but everything has worked out for this horse,” Hough said of the 6-5 choice on
the morning line. “I think the way it unfolded, I couldn’t be any happier. There
are a lot of races for three-year-olds, and a lot of choices, and I really like
the way he is coming into this race.”
Adios Charlie has recorded five consecutive “bullet” workouts in Saratoga in
preparation for the Dwyer. He will tote top weight of 122 pounds, including
Rajiv Maragh, as the 6-5 morning-line favorite.
DOMINUS (Smart Strike) is another lightly-raced sophomore with a promising
future. A 5 1/4-length maiden winner at Santa Anita two starts ago, the Steve
Asmussen runner recorded an excellent second when making his stakes bow in the
Derby Trial S. (G3) on April 30. He dueled through a wicked pace battle in the
latter, drawing off to a clear lead in the stretch before being caught in the
final strides, and his supporters will be hoping for continued forward progress
in the Dwyer.
Julien Leparoux will be in to ride the 2-1 second choice on the morning line.
The remaining Dwyer contestants are outsiders. COOL BLUE RED HOT (Harlan’s
Holiday), a recent allowance winner at Belmont, will make his stakes bow for
trainer Angel Penna Jr. TECH FALL (Birdstone), who shows a 2-2-0 line from four
career starts at Delaware Park and Parx Racing, will make his first foray into
stakes waters for Tony Dutrow. ROCKING OUT (Include) exits a third in the
Ziggy’s Boy S. at Belmont, and Monmouth shippers MALIBU GLOW (Malibu Moon) and
HARLAN’S HELLO (Harlan’s Holiday) finished third in the Spend a Buck S. and
fourth in the Pegasus S. (G3), respectively.
The $60,000
Recording S. will feature eight three-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on
the inner turf. CELESTIAL KITTEN (Kitten’s Joy) and PARTING WORDS (Artie
Schiller [Ire]), the respective second- and third-place finishers in the Sands
Point S. (G2) on May 30, both rate as top contenders, and the Pletcher-trained
SKATING (Awesome Again) will draw support off her close third in the recent
Little Silver S. at Monmouth Park.