Freedom Child gallops, Incognito breezes in advance of Belmont

Freedom Child will try to parlay his Peter Pan romp into Belmont victory (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)

With the threat of rain overnight, trainer Tom Albertrani
opted to give Grade 2 Peter Pan winner
Freedom Child a strong gallop Sunday morning
over Belmont Park’s fast main track.

The Malibu Moon ridgling covered six furlongs on the main track,
opening up through the lane under a hold by rider Luis Saez.

“We just let him stretch his legs,” Albertrani said. “I was
listening to the weather and it sounds like there’s going to be some heavy rain
coming tonight. I was hoping to wait until tomorrow, but I said, ‘Let’s just get
it done today while we’ve got a good track.’

“Actually, he went really good. On
the clock, he probably went a couple of 13s, and a 12, and a 13 in between the quarter-pole and the mile-pole. It was a good, strong gallop out.
We just wanted him to do it easy.”

Albertrani proclaimed major preparations over for Freedom Child, who romped
when wiring the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan on May 11 by 13 1/4 lengths over a sloppy,
sealed track. That was his second stakes attempt, as the chestnut threw in a
subpar 10th in the Wood Memorial on April 6.

Incognito will have to show major improvement to factor in Saturday’s Belmont (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin also pronounced his Belmont hopeful,
Incognito, ready for
Saturday’s race after the A.P. Indy colt breezed four furlongs on Belmont’s fast
dirt
training track in :48 1/5 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Incognito began the work just off Irsaal, drew alongside
his stablemate entering the stretch and finished within a head of his workmate.

“He galloped out well and worked with a nice horse, Irsaal,”
McLaughlin stated. “He basically hasn’t missed any days of training or racing all
year. We weren’t there to get him fit. Just what we wanted.”

Incognito, who will be carrying the colors of Godolphin
Racing for the first time in the Belmont, is exiting a fifth-place finish in the
Peter Pan. Prior to that he recorded a pair of wins when breaking his maiden
over Aqueduct’s inner dirt on March 16 and taking an optional claimer on the Big
A’s main track April 13.