Gift Box, Connect, Swipe Entered in Curlin

Gift Box and Connect, strong winners of entry-level allowance races in their last starts for trainer Chad Brown, are among a field of eight 3-year-olds entered in the $100,000 Curlin Stakes July 29 at Saratoga Race Course.

The 1 1/8-mile Curlin, held a day before the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) at the same distance for 3-year-olds at Saratoga, is race nine on a 10-race Friday program.

W.S. Farish's Gift Box (Twirling Candy  ) ended his three-race 2-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes (gr. II) behind Mohaymen and Flexibility. He returned May 26 and easily won a one-turn 1 1/16-mile event at Belmont Park.

Paul Pompa Jr.'s Connect (Curlin  ) raced once at 2, broke his maiden in his next start May 7 at Belmont, and impressively captured a one-turn 1 1/16-mile allowance race June 11 at Belmont. The Curlin will mark his first attempt around two turns.

The Curlin also drew Big Chief Racing's Swipe (Birdstone  ), who will stretch out around two turns again following a dull seventh-place finish in the July 9 Dwyer Stakes (gr. III) and a closing third in a six-furlong allowance race at Belmont after throat surgery for a breathing issue. Swipe, trained by Keith Desormeaux, finished second to 2-year-old male champion Nyquist in four consecutive starts last year.