Pletcher Sends Out Trio For June 11 Brooklyn Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will send out a trio of contenders looking to navigate a full lap around Belmont Park's Big Sandy and thwart Lone Rock 's repeat bid in the $400,000 Brooklyn Stakes (G2) June 11 on Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) Day.

First Constitution , Portos , and three-time graded stakes winner Fearless  comprise three of the seven-horse field. Like the Belmont Stakes, the Brooklyn will be contested at the famed 12 furlongs as one of nine graded stakes on a loaded card.

Repole Stable's Fearless did not win his first stakes race until his 5-year-old campaign last year when capturing the WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (G2). After capping 2021 with a four-length victory in the Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) in December at Gulfstream Park, Fearless started his 6-year-old year with consecutive runner-up efforts to Speaker's Corner  in the Fred W. Hooper Stakes Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G3) and the Gulfstream Park Mile, respectively.

The Ghostzapper   gelding won the aptly named Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) by six lengths in early April before running second in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at the same distance last out April 23. He will be stretched out to 12 furlongs for the first time.

"We had to go in two back-to-back (one-turn) mile races against Speaker's Corner—who is an awfully nice horse— and he ran well every time," Pletcher said. "He's training well and we're eager to try him at this mile-and-a-half distance because he certainly gives us the impression he'll stay that far. He just keeps going. You can see in his mile-and-an-eighth races that he just gets into that good cruising speed."

The Chilean-bred First Constitution, owned by Don Alberto Stable, WinStar Farm, and Twin Creeks Racing Stables, handled the stretch out in distance last time, winning the Jan. 22 Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and placing third in the April 2 Excelsior Stakes at the Big A. Last out he went gate to wire for a four-length victory in the Flat Out Stakes over a sloppy and sealed Belmont track May 6.

"It seems like he relishes longer distances," Pletcher said. "I thought his race in the Flat Out was good. He seems to be an effective galloper so we're going to try and stretch him out another eighth."

Wertheimer and Frere's Portos ran second to his stablemate in the Flat Out in his first stakes action since April 2021 and will also look to stretch out in marking Pletcher's third entrant.

Attempting to take the win for the second year in a row is Lone Rock, who has won 16 of his 40 career starts with earnings of more than $1.3 million but did not win a graded stakes until last year's Brooklyn. The gelded son of Majestic Warrior  added another graded score by capturing the Nov. 6 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2) at Del Mar.

Others in the field include Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava' Resort & Casino (G1) runner-up Warrant  and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) winner Max Player .

Entries: Brooklyn S. (G2)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 11, 2022, Race 5

• Grade II
• 1 1/2m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 1:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lone Rock (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	122	Robertino Diodoro	2/1
2	2Max Player (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
3	3Warrant (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Brad H. Cox	3/1
4	4Portos (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1
5	5First Constitution (CHI)	Jose Lezcano	118	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
6	6Locally Owned (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	Thomas Morley	20/1
7	7Fearless (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1