Texas Red Provides Dwyer Stakes Star Power

While the field includes a two-time grade II winner and several promising 3-year-olds, all eyes will be on Texas Red when the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner makes his first start in more than five months in the $500,000 Dwyer Stakes (gr. III) July 4 at Belmont Park.

After closing out last season with a 6 1/2-length victory in the Juvenile, Texas Red opened this season with a close second to Lord Nelson in the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 1 at Santa Anita Park, but the son of Afleet Alex   was knocked off the Triple Crown trail by a foot abscess.

SHULMAN: Texas Red Off the Kentucky Derby Trail

Campaigned by a partnership that includes his trainer, Keith Desormeaux, as well as Erich Brehm, Wayne Detmar, Lee Michaels, and Gene Voss, Texas Red entered the Juvenile off a third-place finish in the FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I), a race won by eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Texas Red worked four times at Santa Anita in June to prepare for his comeback in the Dwyer. Regular rider Kent Desormeaux has the mount.

Texas Red is not the only graded stakes winner returning to the races in the mile Dwyer, as grade II winner Blofeld will make his first start since finishing third in the William Walker Stakes April 25 at Churchill Downs. Glencrest Farm and JSM Equine's Blofeld, by Quality Road  , won his first three starts, including scores in last year's Futurity (gr. II) and Nashua (gr. II) stakes.

The expected field of seven 3-year-olds includes three sophomores entered off recent allowance wins in Paul Pompa Jr. and All American Horses' Tommy Macho, Andrew Sulley's Hollywood Angel, and WinStar Farm's Speightster.