The Man o’ War Stakes takes the Belmont spotlight Saturday and the Grade 1 event has lured a classy field of runners. The $400,000 fixture will be run at a mile and three eighths on the Widener turf course.
The Man o’ War Stakes was first run in 1959 and the race is named for a true legend.
Man o’ War, of course, was one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He only lost once in 21 starts and was selected by the Bloodhorse magazine as the Number 1 horse on the List of the 100 Top U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.
His only loss came at Saratoga, where he had a poor start and was beaten by a colt ironically-named Upset. He was the odds-on favorite in every start of his career. The runner had speed and was usually forwardly placed. He won the Belmont Stakes by twenty lengths and retired as the leading money-earner in American history. Back in those days, weight was a major factor in winning races. There were many handicap races, where the racing secretaries would weigh each entrant with the goal to have them finish together. I’ve never been a major proponent of the weight factor as it is not imperative in these racing days but one cannot discount what Man o’ War did.
As a two-year-old, Man o’ War carried 130 pounds six times. He carried as much as 138 pounds conceding as much as 34 pounds to a rival. If he had raced at the age of 4, he undoubtedly would have been asked to carry 140 pounds or more.
This year’s Man o’ War Stakes has enticed eight runners. They will come in from Gulfstream Park, Keeneland and Ireland. Five of the starters have won Group or Graded races.
From the rail out the field starts with Sadler’s Joy. This son of Kitten’s Joy took several races to learn. The light bulb finally went on and since graduating, he has been solid. He has won three of his four races since earning his diploma and is fresh from taking the Grade 2 Pan American at Gulfstream Park last month with a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. The Tom Albertrani student has won half of his eight starts and has earned over $300,000.
Charming Kitten is a world traveler. The veteran is unbeaten at Belmont and he faced some nice runners when he was in Ireland last year. Trained by Mike Maker, he could have been compromised by the yielding course at Keeneland last time and has every right to move forward off of that race.
Wake Forest and his trainer Chad Brown are hoping for that déjà vu feeling. The runner won the Man o’ War Stakes last year when he came from second to last and won as the favorite. The pro is coming off a win in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida. The star has only run two bad races. Both came in Chicago at Arlington Park and a case could be made he just does not like that race course. Wake Forest also exits a potent race. The ninth and eleventh finishers in his last race won Grade 3 races next out.
Zhukova is the wild card in the Man o’ War Stakes as she is an Irish-bred daughter of Fastnet Rock. She has beaten males in the past and is a multiple Group 3 winner. She appears to like a little give to the ground and won her last race on a yielding course in Cork. This mare is trained by Dermot Weld, who is a legend in his native land. Weld is a former jockey who has won the Belmont Stakes, several Group 1s in Europe and the Melbourne Cup. He won the Melbourne, which is Australia’s biggest event, twice.
Highland Sky has not raced since February but he is in the good hands of Barclay Tagg, who won the Kentucky Derby with Funny Cide. If Highland Sky is to win the Man o’ War Stakes, it will be his first Grade 1 victory. He did run his eyeballs out in defeat last July in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby but fell a neck short of success. He has trained consistently for this race and could be a bit of a price.
Patterson Cross is conceding many victories to his rivals today. He has only won twice and the win vs. winners came in an optional claimer. The Bill Mott student has run well in his last three races but in each race, he was beaten by one of today’s opponents.
Twilight Eclipse could be getting a little long in the tooth at 8 but he has brought back a lot of checks in his career. He has won eight times but has settled for minor awards sixteen times. He only won once last year and it was in a much softer spot. The concern about this runner is that he can be his own worst enemy at times since he has limited speed.
Taghleeb may have needed his last race. In that event the Mike Maker trainee was a close fourth as the beaten chalk in his first effort since January. He did win in a second off the layoff run last year but he is another that is speed challenged.
The pace of racing on grass is sometimes hard to evaluate. Generally, runners go a bit slower early and leave something in reserve. The way this race shapes up is that it is anybody’s guess who will make the lead. None of the entrants in this race are frontrunners and it may just become a rider’s race. In that case, it will be up to the jockeys to make quick decisions and take advantage of what is going on early in the race.
With that thought in mind, Wake Forest seems to be the right horse. He showed early in his career that he can put wins together and he will be ridden by Javier Castellano. That pilot is arguably the best jockey in the country. He has won the Eclipse Award the last four years and his mounts have led the nation in earnings during that timeframe.
If Wake Forest is your ticket in the Man o’ War Stakes, grab a hot dog and a beer early, find a quiet spot and be patient with the meal. Look for Wake Forest to emerge from the trees at the top of the stretch and then extend his winning margin.
