Neptune's Storm Heads North For San Francisco Mile
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Neptune's Storm takes the 2019 Cinema Stakes at Santa Anita Park
After a rare off-the-board finish, grade 2 winner Neptune's Storm will be sent north for the $250,000 San Francisco Mile Stakes (G3T) June 14 at Golden Gate Fields.
Trained by Richard Baltas, Neptune's Storm made his season debut May 25 in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) on the Santa Anita Park turf, but after moving to the lead a half-mile into that test, the 4-year-old Stormy Atlantic gelding faded to seventh.
That ended a stretch of 12 consecutive races in which Neptune's Storm won or placed, including three stakes wins last year, topped by the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park.
Video: Hill Prince S. (G2T)
Neptune's Storm will make his Golden Gate debut Sunday, and jockey William Antongeorgi III will be aboard for the first time.
The gelding won't be alone in making the journey from Southern California to Northern California for the mile turf test for 3-year-olds and older. Trainer Neil Drysdale has entered grade 3 winner Simply Breathless, who won last year's Golden Poppy Stakes on the Golden Gate course, and Majestic Eagle, a grade 3 winner who enters off a sixth-place finish in the Feb. 8 Thunder Road Stakes (G3T) on the Santa Anita turf.
Trainer Doug O'Neill, who won the 2019 San Francisco Mile with Blitzkrieg, has entered Murad Khan off three straight turf sprint races, including one win and a third-place finish in the San Simeon Stakes (G3T).