Sir Winston to Restart Season in Flat Out at Belmont
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coglianese Photos
Sir Winston wins his season debut in January at Aqueduct Racetrack
Tracy Farmer's Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Sir Winston will head a field of eight other older horses in the $80,000 Flat Out Stakes June 11, going 1 3/8 miles at Belmont Park.
It will mark the first start for the Awesome Again colt since his Jan. 31 4-year-old debut in a one-mile allowance-level test that he won by 2 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct Racetrack. Plans had Sir Winston travel overseas in March for the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1), which was subsequently canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Casse said the Flat Out will be a starting point for Sir Winston, who has trained extensively at Belmont, en route to richer goals later this summer.
"He's doing well now, he's happy, the distance won't hurt him, and we all know that he loves Belmont. We're just trying to get started," said Casse.
Sir Winston will be reunited with Joel Rosario from post 4 in Thursday's stamina test.
To capture the Flat Out, Sir Winston will have to topple a trio of challengers from the barn of Todd Pletcher in Legit, Moretti, and You're to Blame.
Bortolazzo Stable's You're to Blame boasts a record of 6-6-4 in 27 starts with purse earnings of $657,178. The 6-year-old son of Distorted Humor broke through the graded level in the Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx Racing in September 2018. The stamina-tested horse, a rallying second last year in the 1 1/4-mile Pimlico Special (G3), will be piloted by John Velazquez from post 8.
Repole Stable's Legit, a 5-year-old son of Curlin , will travel beyond 1 1/16-miles for the first time in the Flat Out. Legit graduated at first asking by 7 1/4 lengths in April 2018 at Gulfstream Park and followed up with a four-length score in May of that year at Pimlico. After missing all of his 4-year-old season, Legit has made three starts in 2020 including finishing second May 17 at Gulfstream in an optional-claiming mile in his most recent start.
Irad Ortiz Jr. retains the mount from post 5.
Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Moretti graduated in December 2018 at Aqueduct but was off-the-board in his follow-up effort in the Withers Stakes (G3). The 4-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt, out of grade 1 winner Rigoletta, is a half brother to the ill-fated 2017 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Battle of Midway.
Javier Castellano will pilot Moretti from post 3.
Centennial Farms' Rocketry, a 6-year-old son of Hard Spun , will kick off his season in the Flat Out. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the long-distance specialist blasted to a memorable victory in September 2018 in the Temperence Hill at Belmont, setting a track record of 2:40.18 for 1 5/8 miles, besting a record formerly held by Man o' War.
Rocketry followed that effort by making the grade in the Marathon Stakes Presented by TAA (G2) at 1 3/4 miles in November 2018 at Churchill Downs.
Jose Ortiz has the call aboard Rocketry from post 2.
Barbara Hutnyk's Adventist, the 2019 Greenwood Cup winner and last-out Bernardini Stakes winner at the Big A, drew the outside post under Manny Franco for trainer Uriah St. Lewis.
Belmont Park, Thursday, June 11, 2020, Race 9Entries: Flat Out S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Prompt (KY)
Junior Alvarado
118
William I. Mott
20/1
2
2Rocketry (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
James A. Jerkens
7/2
3
3Moretti (KY)
Javier Castellano
120
Todd A. Pletcher
8/1
4
4Sir Winston (KY)
Joel Rosario
124
Mark E. Casse
8/5
5
5Legit (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Todd A. Pletcher
8/1
6
6Expert (KY)
Jose Lezcano
118
Domenick L. Schettino
10/1
7
7Blugrascat's Smile (NY)
Eric Cancel
118
Gary Sciacca
15/1
8
8You're to Blame (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Todd A. Pletcher
12/1
9
9Adventist (KY)
Manuel Franco
124
Uriah St. Lewis
9/2
