Sole Volante Pointed to Belmont, Ete Indien to Haskell

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 05/20/2020 - 12:59
Link: 
Sole Volante Pointed to Belmont, Ete Indien to Haskell
Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Joe DiOrio
Sole Volante wins the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs

With the schedules for the 2020 Triple Crown and other major stakes for 3-year-olds finally firming up, Patrick Biancone is stepping up training for Sole Volante and Ete Indien at Palm Meadows Training Center, Gulfstream Park's satellite facility in South Florida. 

"I gave them an easy time in April. They should be perfectly ready and fresh and happy for the second part of the year," said Biancone, who backed off on the training of his graded stakes-winning 3-year-olds due to the disruption of racing at most tracks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sole Volante is being pointed to the June 20 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and Ete Indien is a candidate for the July 18 TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park. Both have worked twice this month, breezing an easy half-mile on dirt May 6 before covering the same distance on turf May 17.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Andie Biancone, and Limelight Stables' Sol Volante closed from 11th to finish second behind King Guillermo last out in the March 7 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2). The gelded son of Karakontie  who had beaten King Guillermo in the Nov. 30 Pulpit Stakes on Gulfstream's turf course finished third in his dirt debut in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man Stakes before a blowout victory in the Feb. 8 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. 

"He's training fantastic. He's stronger; he's put on weight; he's grown up," Biancone said. "Everything is good with him."

Although supremely confident in Sole Volante's ability to run classic distances, Biancone strongly approves of the decision by the New York Racing Association to cut back the traditional 1 1/2-mile distance to 1 1/8 miles for the Belmont, which will be the first leg of the Triple Crown this year instead of the final leg. 

"In a normal year, I would have been delighted to run a mile and a half instead of a mile and an eighth. On the other hand, coming off a layoff, I think it was a good move by NYRA," Biancone said. "The mile and a quarter at Belmont is a bad race—you start on the turn. They had no choice but to make it a mile and an eighth. The mile and an eighth is perfect. I think the mile and a half is too challenging for everybody."

Ete Indien, who is owned by Linda Shanahan, Sanford Bacon, Dream With Me Stable, D P Racing, Horse France America, and Patrick L. Biancone Racing, most recently finished third behind Tiz the Law after setting the pace in the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream March 28. The son of Summer Front  also began his career on turf. He finished second behind Tiz the Law in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Feb. 1 in his second dirt start before scoring an 8 1/2-length score in the Feb. 29 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream.

"Ete Indien, I'll wait for the Haskell with him," Biancone said, "but maybe he will have a race before then. I don't know yet."