Three-Year-Olds Chase $400K Purse in Hill Prince

While the New York Racing Association's Turf Triple ended last month, the Oct. 23 Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) will offer a rich prize for 3-year-olds who may not be ready for a classic distance at the moment.

Though the scope of their distance limitations may change in January when they turn 4, most of the 11 starters in Saturday's stakes at Belmont Park are accomplished at a mile or a mile-and-a-sixteenth. Yet in what might be a sign of things to come, they will stretch out to 1 1/8 miles in the Hill Prince while battling for shares of a lucrative $400,000 purse.

Reflective of that are two of the favorites, Public Sector  and Never Surprised , who will race beyond 1 1/16 miles for the first time. Back on Sept. 4, the Chad Brown-trained Public Sector defeated Never Surprised by a length in the mile-and-sixteenth Saranac Stakes (G3T), which, like the Hill Prince, was restricted to 3-year-olds.

Repole Stable's Never Surprised, a son of Constitution   trained by Todd Pletcher, set the pace in the Saranac before Public Sector forged past him in the stretch, and figures to find softer fractions Saturday that may be helpful while traveling an extra half-furlong.

"He's a natural speed horse and he's aggressive," Pletcher said. "The key to success would be for him to be able to settle and relax enough to get the mile-and-an-eighth."

In four starts, all on turf, Never Surprised has two wins and two seconds.

Bred by Golden Pedigree, he was bought for $200,000 from the Select Sales consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Klaravich Stables' Public Sector has also been a gem of consistency. In eight career starts, the son of Kingman  has four wins and three seconds with the lone glitch being 12th last year in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T). 

He's been on a roll lately, winning the Saranac and the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) in his last two starts.

Brown will also send out two other starters in Peter Brant's Sifting Sands , a Dubawi  colt who registered a narrow victory in the Better Talk Now Stakes in his last start, and Jeff Drown and Don Rachel's Founder , an Upstart   ridgling who was fifth in the Saranac.

Speaking of the Turf Triple, the 1 1/8-mile distance will be a cutback for Soldier Rising , who was second by 2 1/2 lengths at a classic 1 1/2-mile distance for trainer Christophe Clement in the Sept. 18 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes, the final leg of the series. 

A son of Frankel  owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables, and Michael Caruso, Soldier Rising made his United States debut Aug. 7, finishing second in the middle leg of the Turf Triple, the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T).

In contrast to the others in the field, Soldier Rising has yet to race at a distance shorter than 1 1/8 miles. He won his debut at the nine-furlong distance in France last year.

The field also includes Slicked Back , who was third in the Jockey Club Derby and second in the New Kent County Virginia Derby (G3T), and He'spuregold , who was fourth in the Saranac.

Entries: Hill Prince S. (G2T)

Belmont Park, Saturday, October 23, 2021, Race 9

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Inner turf
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 4:52 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Hilliard (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Michael J. Maker	30/1
2	2Slicked Back (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Brad H. Cox	8/1
3	3It Can Be Done (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Gregory D. Sacco	20/1
4	4Founder (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Chad C. Brown	10/1
5	5War Bomber (IRE)	Dylan Davis	118	Norman McKnight	12/1
6	6Original (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	John P. Terranova II	15/1
7	7He'spuregold (NJ)	Edwin Gonzalez	118	Kelly J. Breen	20/1
8	8Sifting Sands (GB)	Manuel Franco	118	Chad C. Brown	8/1
9	9Public Sector (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	5/2
10	10Never Surprised (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
11	11Soldier Rising (GB)	Joel Rosario	118	Christophe Clement	3/1