Grade 1-placed Masen Heavily Favored in Seek Again

Juddmonte's British homebred Masen , beaten a nose in grade 1 company in his U.S. debut, looms a short-priced favorite against four rivals when racing a mile on turf in the $100,000 Seek Again Stakes May 22 at Belmont Park.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Masen enters from a gutsy runner-up effort in the Maker's Mark Mile (G1T) April 15 at Keeneland where he was caught on the wire by Shirl's Speight .

The 4-year-old son of Kingman  was a stakes winner in Ireland last year for trainer Ger Lyons, compiling a 3-1-1 record in six starts there. The bay gelding did not start again until his most recent effort in the Maker's Mark Mile, his first start for Brown and his best performance at the graded or group level. Away a bit slowly, Masen tracked closely in second as Smooth Like Straight took the lead in midstretch and just failed to last.

Masen has worked twice over Belmont's inner turf since his last outing, most recently breezing five furlongs in company with the undefeated stakes winner Unanimous Consent  in 1:02.11 on May 13.

"He came out of his race at Keeneland in good shape," said Brown. "He's moved over to Belmont and has done really well."

Masen will emerge from post 4 with Manny Franco in the irons.

Mrs. Fitriani Hay's Duke of Hazzard , a first-time gelding, is also in search of his first stateside victory for trainer Wesley Ward after chasing the pace and fading to sixth in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) last September. He was a five-time winner in Europe for trainer Paul Cole but hasn't won since winning back-to-back group races in the summer of 2019.

"I just think he's kind of getting fit now," said Ward. "It's taken quite a while to get him to this point. I don't think it's any one thing. Racehorses are funny—you just have to wait on them, and his time is now."

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Duke of Hazzard from post 2.

Woodslane Farm's Wolfie's Dynaghost  was last seen finishing a game second with a rail-skimming ride from Jose Ortiz in the Kitten's Joy Appleton Stakes (G3T) April 2 at Gulfstream Park, where the Tom Albertrani trainee was defeated a half-length by Phantom Currency .

Three Diamonds Farm's five-time graded stakes winner Field Pass  will make the third start of his 5-year-old campaign for trainer Mike Maker. Off for about three months, he most recently was third in the Henry S. Clark Stakes April 23 at Laurel Park, edged for the place by Bruno Schickedanz's Mandate , who also returns in the Seek Again for trainer Robert Johnston.

Entries: Seek Again S.

Belmont Park, Sunday, May 22, 2022, Race 3

• STK
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 2:03 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Field Pass (MD)	Dylan Davis	124	Michael J. Maker	6/1
2	2Duke of Hazzard (FR)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Wesley A. Ward	5/2
3	3Wolfie's Dynaghost (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Thomas Albertrani	8/1
4	4Masen (GB)	Manuel Franco	118	Chad C. Brown	1/2
5	5Mandate (KY)	Andrew Wolfsont	122	Robert J.W. Johnston	15/1