Turbulent Descent seeks Acorn victory; sprints featured on Belmont undercard

Despite a victory in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks (G1), trainer

Mike Puype opted to bypass the May 6 Kentucky Oaks (G1) with TURBULENT

DESCENT (Congrats) and instead mapped out a one-turn campaign for his

stellar filly. That campaign began with a five-length romp in the

Beaumont S. (G2) at Keeneland in April, and kicks into high gear on

Saturday when the bay filly takes on five rivals in the $300,000

Acorn S. (G1) at Belmont Park.

"She won the routes, but they're not her game," Puype explained.

"She's a brilliant one-turn race horse and she wins with speed to spare

when she sprints."

Turbulent Descent started her career in October last year, breaking

her maiden during the Oak Tree meet, and quickly began asserting her

dominance against division rivals when taking the Moccasin S. and

Hollywood Starlet S. (G2) in her next two starts. She suffered her first

loss when second in the Las Virgenes S. (G1) while making her sophomore

bow and then gutted out the neck victory in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) on

March 5.

Pletcher will also be sending out SAVVY SUPREME (Distorted Humor) in the

Acorn. The bay lass ran second in her career debut at Gulfstream in February,

then broke her maiden by 5 1/4 lengths at that same track on April 2. She'll

enter Saturday's test off a half-length victory in the Classy Mirage S.

VICTORIA'S WILDCAT (Bellamy Road) will bring a win in the Eight Belles S.

(G3) into her New York bow. The Bob Hess Jr. pupil drew off to score by 2 1/4

lengths in that seven-furlong test, and just missed by a neck when trying dirt

for the first time in a Churchill maiden contest going a mile last October. IT'S

TRICKY (Mineshaft), triumphant by eight lengths in the Busher S. two back, and

SNOW FALL (War Front), recent victress of the off-the-turf Pike Creek S., round

out the Acorn field.

In addition to the Acorn, Manhattan H. (G1) and Just a Game S. (G1), a pair

of sprints -- the $250,000

True

North H. (G2) and $250,000

Woody Stephens S. (G2) -- will also be featured on the Belmont S. (G1)

undercard Saturday.

The 2010 Woody Stephens was actually the last time D' FUNNYBONE (D'wildcat)

visited the winner's circle and he'll be looking to return while going in the

six-furlong True North this time around. The Richard Dutrow charge prepped for

this start with a dueling second in the Waldoboro S. on May 11, which was won by

TRAPPE SHOT (Tapit). That chestnut four-year-old captured four races last year

by nearly 30 lengths, among them a score in the Long Branch S. The Kiaran

McLaughlin trainee closed out his three-year-old season with a second in the

Haskell Invitational (G1) and a ninth-placing in the Travers S. (G1).

In the Woody Stephens, TRAVELIN MAN (Trippi) will be cutting back in distance

to seven furlongs, the same distance over which he won the Swale S. (G2) in

April. The bay sophomore battled on the front end in the one-mile Derby Trial S.

(G3) last out before fading to sixth on the wire.