'Wizard' Should Conjure Quick Pace in Belmont Derby

The Pennine Ridge Stakes (G2T) has been a reliable barometer of success for the next logical step on the stakes calendar, the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T).

Going back to 2014, four horses have run in the Pennine Ridge and then in the following month captured the Belmont Derby, with two of them winning both races.

Those numbers could go up July 8 with the top three finishers in the Pennine Ridge returning to Belmont Park for the 1 1/4-mile opening leg of the New York Racing Association's Turf Triple.

Yet even if the Chad Brown-trained Kalik , who prevailed in the 1 1/8-mile Pennine Ridge, serves up an encore victory, chances are the Belmont Derby will have a different look to it.

In the June 3 Pennine Ridge, the Collected   colt capitalized on a lack of speed in the race and posted a gate-to-wire win by a length in his stakes debut. 

On Saturday, that should not be the case. Especially with the presence of Wizard of Westwood  in the field of 11 3-year-olds. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the son of Tu Brutus  is coming off a front-running 1 1/2-length score in the 1 1/4-mile Cinema Stakes June 11 at Santa Anita Park.

In the Cinema, Andrew and Rania Warren's Wizard of Westwood posted fractions of :47.97 and 1:12.61, a quicker pace than the :49.05 and 1:13.17 he posted on the front end in the shorter 1 1/8-mile Singletary Stakes when he was second by a head.

"He's a legitimate horse in this field. He's shown that he has a touch of class and plenty of ability," McCarthy said. "On paper there should be a good pace. My horse has been prominent in all of his starts. He has won at a mile and a quarter so I'm not worried about the distance. We'll put it in (jockey) John Velazquez's hands. It's a $750,000 purse and you don't get too many chances to run for that much money."

While Brown said after the Pennine Ridge that Kalik does not have to be on the lead, the Ontario-bred son of the Street Cry mare Coronation Street also led from start to finish in his previous race, a May 7 allowance race at Belmont Park, so at the very least he should be close to a more keenly contested pace.

Owned by Robert LaPenta, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, and Madaket Stables and bred by Peter Berglar Racing Interests and Anderson Farms, Kalik was bought for $200,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Seeking a fourth straight win in Saturday's Turf Triple opener, he has won three of five starts with earnings of $224,675. 

Brown, who will also send out Klaravich Stables' maiden winner Redistricting , is searching for his initial Belmont Derby win.

The prospect of a faster pace and more distance will be sweet music to the ears of the connections of LSU Stables' Far Bridge  who rallied from fifth in the Pennine Ridge to finish second for trainer Todd Pletcher despite the modest fractions of :49.17 and 1:13.01 and some traffic issues in the stretch.

"He lost position around the turn and then had to weave his way through traffic. He closed well, he just lost critical position," Pletcher said. "He didn't run the turn very well that day and that kind of cost him the position he needed to be within striking range behind a slow pace." 

Prior to the Pennine Ridge, the son of English Channel missed by a nose in the American Turf Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs while making his first start for LSU and Pletcher.

Europe will be represented by a pair of starters in Godolphin's Sliver Knott and King Power Racing's The Foxes .

Silver Knott, a Lope de Vega  colt trained by Charlie Appleby, was beaten a nose in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) then rallied belatedly for third in the Pennine Ridge, a head behind Far Bridge.

The Foxes, a multiple group 2 winner, was fifth last time out in the 1 1/2-mile Epsom Derby (G1) for trainer Andrew Balding. 

"He's a high-class horse. He won the Royal Lodge (Stakes, G2) last year and this year he won our main Derby trial at York," Balding said about the son of Churchill . "He ran a good race in the Derby, but we felt he didn't get the mile and a half. Obviously, the option to drop back to 10 furlongs was attractive. Hopefully, it's a good fit for him."

The field also includes the top two finishers in the Audubon Stakes at Churchill Downs in D. J. Stable's Webslinger  and Mendelssohns March .

Trained by Mark Casse, Webslinger took the Audubon by 1 1/4 lengths after registering a 22-1 upset victory by a nose over Far Bridge in the American Turf. The Constitution   gelding owns a record of 4-2-1 in eight starts on turf.

Casse also entered Jersey Derby winner Boppy O .

Mendelssohns March won his career debut on turf in February via disqualification but was bumped at the start and finished ninth in the American Turf. Trained by Ken McPeek and owned by Harold Lerner, Nehoc Stables, AWC Stables, and Team Stallion Racing Stable, the son of Mendelssohn   was also sixth on dirt in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1).