Brown Duo Tops Belmont's Pennine Ridge

As one Triple Crown series nears its conclusion, another will feature a key prep race this weekend.

With the June 11 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) poised to bring down the curtain on the famed Triple Crown for 3-year-olds on dirt, the June 4 Pennine Ridge Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park should provide some keen insight as to what awaits next month when the Caesars Turf Triple for 3-year-olds kicks off.

Since 2017, two Pennine Ridge winners have gone on to capture the first leg of the Turf Triple (the July 9 Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes, G1) and the about 1 1/8-mile stakes also produced the 2019 winner. In 2020, the Belmont Derby was shifted to October due to the pandemic, yet the Pennine Ridge winner (Decorated Invader ) was victorious in his next start, taking the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T).

So, against that backdrop, the Pennine Ridge figures to be heavily scrutinized as a harbinger of success in the upcoming Belmont Derby and, as one would expect, the most attention will be focused on two 3-year-olds trained by Chad Brown.

The four-time Eclipse Award winner will send out the duo of Klaravich Stables' undefeated Unanimous Consent  and Peter Brant's Napoleonic War  in search of his third Pennine Ridge win.

Unanimous Consent, a son of Almanzor , will be tackling graded stakes company for the first time after winning the April 23 Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. He prevailed in allowance optional claiming and maiden wins at Tampa Bay Downs and Monmouth Park, respectively, before that.

Out of the Fastnet Rock  mare Fast Lily, he was bought by bloodstock agent Mike Ryan on behalf of Klaravich and Brown for $204,475 from the Jamie Railton consignment at the 2020 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Napoleonic War, a homebred son of War Front  , is coming off a nose victory in a May 5 allowance optional claiming race for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park. Prior to that, he was a troubled fourth, beaten by only 1 1/2 lengths, in the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.

Among the other main contenders in the field of seven (including a main track only entrant) is Stuart Janney III's homebred Limited Liability .

After placing in grade 2 and 3 stakes at 2, the gray son of Kitten's Joy   began his 3-year-old season by rallying from last in a field of 12 to capture an April 16 allowance test at Keeneland.

"He ran good and you could kind of tell at the eighth pole that he was probably going to get there. It was a good race," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "Any time they win, it helps their confidence. The older he gets, the better he'll get."

Adding some international flavor will be Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Morris Bailey's Elizar , who will be making his United Stakes debut for trainer Christophe Clement. By Dariyan , he posted a victory in his lone start, an Oct. 26 maiden race at Chantilly in France.

WinStar Farm and Siena's Farm Emmanuel  will make his grass debut Saturday after finishing third in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) last time out for trainer Todd Pletcher. The son of More Than Ready   has put in a pair of turf works, highlighted by a bullet five furlongs in 1:02 May 22 and a :48 breeze May 29, in preparation for the about 1 1/8-mile trip over the inner turf course.

"He's had two breezes now over the course. I thought the one (May 29) was particularly good. He's got a lot of turf in his pedigree so it's something that's been on the back of our minds, but he had been doing well enough on the dirt that we felt like we had to continue on the Derby trail," Pletcher said. "He ran a solid race in the Blue Grass. That form held up pretty well. But we want to see where he fits on the grass and open up some options with him."

The field also includes Daunt  and Gilded Age , the MTO entrant.

Entries: Pennine Ridge S. (G2T)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 04, 2022, Race 9

• Grade II
• About 1 1/8m
• Inner turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 5:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Gilded Age (KY)	Rider TBA	118	William I. Mott	5/2
2	2Daunt (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	118	Robert Ribaudo	15/1
3	3Limited Liability (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Claude R. McGaughey III	6/1
4	4Napoleonic War (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Chad C. Brown	3/1
5	5Elizar (FR)	Joel Rosario	118	Christophe Clement	6/1
6	6Emmanuel (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2
7	7Unanimous Consent (GB)	Manuel Franco	120	Chad C. Brown	8/5