Freedom Child, Incognito breeze for Belmont

Freedom Child will attempt to become the first Peter Pan winner since 1992 to win the Belmont (NYRA/Coglianese Photos) Freedom Child turned in his first breeze since romping in the Peter Pan earlier this month, covering five furlongs over the Belmont Park main track Monday morning in :59 4/5 under exercise rider John Mason. “I thought he went super,” said Tom Albertrani, who trains the Malibu Moon ridgling for West Point Thoroughbreds, St. Elias Stable, and Spendthrift Farm. “The rider sat there with a nice hold of him and he looked like he was just galloping down the lane. We just wanted to let him go in hand. Typically he can get aggressive when he’s feeling good, so the rider had a nice hold of him early on. It looked like he was just running through the bridle the first three-eighths, and he just gave him a little slack down the lane. He responded well and did it all nice and easy.” Albertrani said he was considering an easy workout for Freedom Child before the June 8 Belmont Stakes.

“This week he’ll just do some light galloping and maybe a real easy work next
time or a good strong gallop out. I just don’t want him to do too much on top of
the race. Today was a pretty strong work, so we’ll just kind of let him get
there.”

In other Belmont Stakes news, Incognito worked a half-mile in :50 Monday morning and remains under consideration for the 1
1/2-mile race.

“He worked well, and Jimmy Bell (President of Darley America) was here,
so we’re going to talk about it in the next day or two and see if we give it a
shot,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “The main reason we’re even talking about it is
that he truly wants a mile and a half and you don’t get many opportunities.”

Also on Monday, trainer Chad Brown proclaimed Peter Pan runner-up Saint Vigeur “doubtful”
for the Belmont after the Smart Strike colt developed a quarter crack.

“Number one, he popped a quarter crack, so first and foremost I have to get that
addressed,” Brown said. “Number two, we were always kind of on the fence anyway.
We like the horse, we think he’s a nice horse and he ran good (when second) in
the Peter Pan, but I don’t know if he’s quite ready for a Grade 1. Those factors
and the quarter crack kind of made our decision for us. I’d say I’m 90 percent
sure I’m not going to run.”

Other Belmont contenders are Kentucky Derby winner Orb and runner-up Golden Soul;
Preakness winner Oxbow and stablemate Will Take Charge, who was seventh in the
Preakness; Giant Finish, who was 10th in the Derby, and Always in a Tiz, ninth
in the Wood Memorial.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com