Charitable Man's connections expressing confidence
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from the NY Times:
Who needs Rachel Alexandra? The Belmont Stakes is going to go off for the 141st time Saturday, and someone in the field of 10 is going to relish its mile-and-a-half distance and pass the Test of the Champion. Kiaran McLaughlin believes that colt is in his barn.
He said so even before the connections of Rachel Alexandra decided against running her in the Belmont.
Charitable Man is the colts name, and he has won three of his four lifetime starts, including an impressive victory in the Grade II Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 9. The colt seemed to be packing a rocket beneath his saddle when his rider, Alan Garcia, asked for a run at the quarter pole Charitable Man blasted off down the stretch for a three-and-three-quarter-length victory.
It was his second victory on Big Sandy, as the surface of this racetrack is known. Even better, Charitable Mans pedigree says he is going to love the longer distance: His daddy, Lemon Drop Kid, won this race in 1999.
We feel weve got the horse to beat, said McLaughlin, who won the 2006 Belmont with Jazil. Mine That Bird we have a lot of respect for, Dunkirk, and other horses, but I wouldnt trade places with anyone. Weve got a fresh horse who just won impressively here four weeks ago and he couldnt be training any better. Were very confident.
On Saturday morning, McLaughlin asked Charitable Mans exercise rider, Renzo Morales, to take the colt on a slow and sensible workout. He got it the colt went four furlongs in 49 seconds. Last week, Charitable Man sizzled in a 22.97 opening quarter, and completed the same half-mile in 47.85.
He went off a little fast for our liking, so in coaching him, he went off better today and therefore, a little slower, but we were very happy with it, McLaughlin said Sunday. He doesnt need those 46-second works. Were ready to go.
McLaughlins friend and Belmont rival Todd Pletcher says he also believes Charitable Man is the most dangerous horse in the field because of his high cruising speed and front-running style.
Despite the Belmonts grueling distance, the race has not been kind to closers like the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. In fact, in 27 of the last 30 Belmonts, the winner has been within two lengths of the leader at the top of the stretch.
Last year, Da Tara led from the gate, never looked back and not only won at odds of 38-1, but also thwarted Big Browns bid to become the 12th Triple Crown champion. He did it by loping the field along in leisurely fashion. It was Charitable Mans jockey, Garcia, who engineered the wire-to-wire upset.
At this point, Charitable Man is going to be on an uncontested, easy lead, said Pletcher, who will saddle Dunkirk, who finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby. Thats my biggest concern, aside from the fact hes probably the horse to beat to begin with, and now hes got a pace advantage. Its going to be hard to catch a quality horse like Charitable Man if he gets a half in 49.
Dunkirk had his final workout Sunday as well, going a half-mile in 49.57 with jockey John Velazquez. The gray colt also is lightly raced and had showed great promise, winning two of three before a rough trip in the Derby.
He did it very easily, Pletcher said of Dunkirk, who finished second to Quality Road in the Grade I Florida Derby. Hes got terrific action, a smooth, fluid strike. I feel hes a top-quality horse and has run well in three of his four races. The Derby, to me, I have to put a line through that race. I felt he didnt handle the surface at all in that race.
Mine That Bird does not arrive from Churchill Downs, where he is training, until Wednesday. His trainer, Chip Woolley, however, understands that the Belmont track has been unkind to late runners like his gelding.
Still, Woolley is not changing a thing. He has Calvin Borel back in the irons as he was in the Derby. Mine That Bird, too, has some pedigree on his side: his father, Birdstone, stopped Smarty Joness Triple Crown bid in the 2004 Belmont with a late run.
Therell be enough pace probably to set it up O.K. because if the pace is slower, its going to put my horse closer to the pace because hes going to run his same race regardless, Woolley said.
Were going to go in there and run our same race. And if you change his running style, youre just going to hes not going to finish. And Id rather be finishing than stopping.
Woolley also respects Charitable Man.
That horse is a real monster, loves that racetrack, he acknowledged.
Still, Mine That Bird beat 18 others in the Derby, and all but Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. So Woolley refuses to paint a bulls-eye on any one horse.
Youve got to beat everybody in there, he said. Theres no way around it.
Who needs Rachel Alexandra? The Belmont Stakes is going to go off for the 141st time Saturday, and someone in the field of 10 is going to relish its mile-and-a-half distance and pass the Test of the Champion. Kiaran McLaughlin believes that colt is in his barn.
He said so even before the connections of Rachel Alexandra decided against running her in the Belmont.
Charitable Man is the colts name, and he has won three of his four lifetime starts, including an impressive victory in the Grade II Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 9. The colt seemed to be packing a rocket beneath his saddle when his rider, Alan Garcia, asked for a run at the quarter pole Charitable Man blasted off down the stretch for a three-and-three-quarter-length victory.
It was his second victory on Big Sandy, as the surface of this racetrack is known. Even better, Charitable Mans pedigree says he is going to love the longer distance: His daddy, Lemon Drop Kid, won this race in 1999.
We feel weve got the horse to beat, said McLaughlin, who won the 2006 Belmont with Jazil. Mine That Bird we have a lot of respect for, Dunkirk, and other horses, but I wouldnt trade places with anyone. Weve got a fresh horse who just won impressively here four weeks ago and he couldnt be training any better. Were very confident.
On Saturday morning, McLaughlin asked Charitable Mans exercise rider, Renzo Morales, to take the colt on a slow and sensible workout. He got it the colt went four furlongs in 49 seconds. Last week, Charitable Man sizzled in a 22.97 opening quarter, and completed the same half-mile in 47.85.
He went off a little fast for our liking, so in coaching him, he went off better today and therefore, a little slower, but we were very happy with it, McLaughlin said Sunday. He doesnt need those 46-second works. Were ready to go.
McLaughlins friend and Belmont rival Todd Pletcher says he also believes Charitable Man is the most dangerous horse in the field because of his high cruising speed and front-running style.
Despite the Belmonts grueling distance, the race has not been kind to closers like the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. In fact, in 27 of the last 30 Belmonts, the winner has been within two lengths of the leader at the top of the stretch.
Last year, Da Tara led from the gate, never looked back and not only won at odds of 38-1, but also thwarted Big Browns bid to become the 12th Triple Crown champion. He did it by loping the field along in leisurely fashion. It was Charitable Mans jockey, Garcia, who engineered the wire-to-wire upset.
At this point, Charitable Man is going to be on an uncontested, easy lead, said Pletcher, who will saddle Dunkirk, who finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby. Thats my biggest concern, aside from the fact hes probably the horse to beat to begin with, and now hes got a pace advantage. Its going to be hard to catch a quality horse like Charitable Man if he gets a half in 49.
Dunkirk had his final workout Sunday as well, going a half-mile in 49.57 with jockey John Velazquez. The gray colt also is lightly raced and had showed great promise, winning two of three before a rough trip in the Derby.
He did it very easily, Pletcher said of Dunkirk, who finished second to Quality Road in the Grade I Florida Derby. Hes got terrific action, a smooth, fluid strike. I feel hes a top-quality horse and has run well in three of his four races. The Derby, to me, I have to put a line through that race. I felt he didnt handle the surface at all in that race.
Mine That Bird does not arrive from Churchill Downs, where he is training, until Wednesday. His trainer, Chip Woolley, however, understands that the Belmont track has been unkind to late runners like his gelding.
Still, Woolley is not changing a thing. He has Calvin Borel back in the irons as he was in the Derby. Mine That Bird, too, has some pedigree on his side: his father, Birdstone, stopped Smarty Joness Triple Crown bid in the 2004 Belmont with a late run.
Therell be enough pace probably to set it up O.K. because if the pace is slower, its going to put my horse closer to the pace because hes going to run his same race regardless, Woolley said.
Were going to go in there and run our same race. And if you change his running style, youre just going to hes not going to finish. And Id rather be finishing than stopping.
Woolley also respects Charitable Man.
That horse is a real monster, loves that racetrack, he acknowledged.
Still, Mine That Bird beat 18 others in the Derby, and all but Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. So Woolley refuses to paint a bulls-eye on any one horse.
Youve got to beat everybody in there, he said. Theres no way around it.
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