The Pennine Ridge Stakes tops the Belmont Park bill on Saturday and sophomores will get a chance to shine. The $200,000 Grade 3 turf event will be run at nine furlongs and a full field is in prospect.
Last year Camelot Kitten sat middle of the pack in the Pennine Ridge Stakes and exploded in the stretch to win this stakes with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.
Bonus Points is entered as a main track only horse. This means that he will not run unless there is inclement weather and the race comes off the grass. These kinds of runners must be given a long look because they are often disregarded. That can be a mistake. Looking forward to the summer meeting at Saratoga bettors need to pay strict attention to main track only runners. With weather always a big factor in northern New York, main track only horses can become the value plays in a lot of events. As far as Bonus Points is concerned in the Pennine Ridge Stakes, he must be respected. The Todd Pletcher student has been consistent and is Grade 3 placed. He looked very good in his last race winning the $100,000 Parx Derby and he has trained forwardly for this race.
There are eight turf preferred runners in the Pennine Ridge Stakes and Prize Fight starts from the rail. They say styles make fights and Prize Fight’s style is to stalk and pounce when it counts. He has not raced since April 2 but he won off an October to February layoff so he has shown he can fire fresh. He has been legged up in Kentucky for this race for trainer Mike Maker but must find a way to turn the tables on his arch rival Muggsamatic.
That Kathleen O’Connell trainee has won half of his eight starts. He was agile enough to break his maiden for a $35,000 maiden tag sprinting and is coming off his best performance. In his April finale Muggsamatic shocked the state-bred Sophomore Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay.
Bowies Hero did his impression of Ground Control to Major Tom in his last race. The colt had not been seen in the afternoon since a troubled trip in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He was forced to steady that day and never got a chance to show his best talent. He returned to the racing game on May 6 in the $81,000 Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita and came from second to last to win going away with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. He has trained solidly for this with three clever works accentuated by a best of the morning 1:00 2/5 drill last Monday. The son of Artie Schiller has won three of his five starts and is trained by Phil D’Amato. This conditioner may not be a household name but he has been around the game forever and was an assistant to Southern California legend Mike Mitchell.
Makarios took time to figure it out but the light has gone on now and it is shining brightly. His trained Nick Zito has always been patient and Mararios graduated in his fourth start. He returned to run third beaten just a length and a half in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes and then beat entry-level allowance rivals in his last race.
Oscar Performance could not have even won an Emmy in his last two races. He was off slowly and bumped at the break in both of his starts this year. Last year, Oscar Performance not only won the Golden Globes, he cashed in three of his four starts including a 6-1 victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Trained by Brian Lynch, Oscar Performance has the home-court advantage as he won the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes on this inner Belmont Park turf course last year.
Ticonderoga has fired every time and was compromised when six wide in his last race. His trainer Chad Brown knows a little about the Pennine Ridge Stakes. He won this event last year with Camelot Kitten and has won with 33% of his starters at this Belmont meeting. This runner needs help on the front end and is pretty much at the mercy of how the race sets up and if he can find a lane to rally into in time.
Secretary At War is coming to the Pennine Ridge Stakes right. He acted up before his debut and left his race behind the gate. In his second start, this runner fought hard to make the lead at the top of the stretch despite breaking from post 12 and just could not close the deal. After graduating at Gulfstream Park in March, Secretary At War was clever coaxed on the lead by jockey Junior Alvarado when winning the $98,000 Woodhaven Stakes.
Good Samaritan has been helping his owners pad their pockets as he has won two of his four starts and has never been out of the money. After winning the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine last year, this son of Harlan’s Holiday shipped to Santa Anita and was closing vs. Oscar Performance but had to settle for third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He drew the disadvantageous outside post in his 2017 debut but came flying late to run second beaten a length in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.
The first thing most astute handicappers look for when trying to unravel a horserace is pace. Who will be on the lead, who will be mid-pack and who will have to come from behind are the essential keys to unlocking the puzzle.
The Pennine Ridge Stakes this year does not have a lot of speed in the line-up. The rail runner Prize Fight has some semblance of zip but is more of a stalking type. Secretary At War flashed legit splits breaking his maiden but got away with a pretty soft situation in his last win. That leaves Oscar Performance as the one to catch and beat.
This runner seems to have commanding speed but he doesn’t need the lead to win. He set fast splits when he won the Grade 1 on Breeders’ Cup Day and he has been able to adapt to a firm turn course or a yielding turf course. He is coming out of the same race that last year’s winner of this race exited. Look for jockey Jose Ortiz to send hard and try to steal the Pennine Ridge Stakes.
