Classy Field of Juveniles to Line Up at Belmont Park
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hit It a Bomb is a half brother to River Tiber
River Tiber, a $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is slated to head a field of classy 2-year-olds in his first start for trainer Wesley Ward and the Coolmore connections of Michael Tabor, Susan Tabor, and Derrick Smith in a June 12 maiden special weight at Belmont Park.
The War Front colt out of Liscanna is a full brother to Connolly's Red Mills Cheveley Park (G1) winner Brave Anna and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner Hit It a Bomb .
River Tiber has been training at Keeneland since the first week of April and posted seven timed works on the main track. He worked four furlongs in :48 4/5 in his most recent breeze June 6.
He will face seven others—excluding one main-track-only entrant—in the five-furlong turf test. The field is a mix of colts, geldings, and fillies.
The morning-line favorite at odds of 8-5, River Tiber drew post 2 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
Among the competition is Ward's other entry, Wink, a Midshipman filly who is making her first start for Stonestreet Stables. She will be ridden by Javier Castellano from the rail.
Trainer Mark Casse brings an interesting entry in Mrs Frankel, an Irish-bred daughter of Frankel whom Team Casse bought for $320,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Her dam is a half sister to group 2 winner and St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) and Darley July Cup (G1) third Gregorian.
The filly will leave from post 8 and was assigned program odds of 3-1 as a coupled entry with Casse's other charge, the main-track entrant Make Mischief, a filly by Into Mischief .
Graham Motion entered Wertheimer and Frere homebred Alda, a Munnings half sister to French group 2 winner Alignement. At morning-line odds of 5-1, the filly will go from the outside post.