Reporting Star Heads Commonwealth Turf

Bettors will have a challenge sorting out the improving horses from the ones who displayed earlier talent and could be ripe for a rebound in the Commonwealth Turf Cup Stakes (gr. IIT) Sept. 24 at Laurel Park.

High weight in the two-turn, one-mile contest has been assigned to Merriebelle Stable's Reporting Star, a 6-year-old Florida-bred son of Circular Quay—Classic Beauty, by Sword Dance, who will be toting 122 pounds. Reporting Star has not won since April 2 when he took the grade III Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Since then he's been knocking heads with some of the East Coast's best turf runners, such as Divisidero, World Approval, Slumber, Ring Weekend, Middleburg, and Jay Gatsby.

Reporting Star was unplaced in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT) at Churchill Downs, Red Bank Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Monmouth Park, and the Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course in his last three starts.

He owns the highest Equibase Speed Figure on turf among the other Commonwealth competitors, has won or placed in nine graded stakes, and doesn't face as deep a field of proven graded stakes runners—but there are plenty of dangerous challengers showing improvement.

One of those to watch is Force the Pass, a 4-year-old son of Speightstown  —Social Queen (Dynaformer) who has placed in three stakes, two of them graded, in his previous four starts. Owned by Colts Neck Stables and trained by Alan Goldberg, he will be ridden by red-hot jockey Jose Ortiz. Force the Pass hasn't won since July 2015, when he took the grade I Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths.

Others deserving closer inspection include Macagone, a 5-year-old gelded son of Artie Schiller  —Isabel Away (Skip Away), who is New York homebred racing for Trinity Farm and trained by Michelle Nihei. The gelding comes into the Commonwealth off a gate-to-wire victory in a $80,000 allowance race at Saratoga. Nihei won a stakes with Macagone at Aqueduct Racetrack back in April, lost the horse to another trainer, and got him back for the Saratoga meet. He ran a five-furlong bullet work in 1:01.33 at Saratoga Sept. 16. Macagone will tote 118 pounds, including Forest Boyce.

Finishing third in the same Saratoga allowance race was March, a 4-year-old colt by Blame  —Lifeinthefastlane (Unbridled's Song), who is owned by Robert LaPenta. The allowance race was March's first start since Nov. 28, 2015, when he finished second by a head to Chiropractor in the Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) at Del Mar. March is trained by Chad Brown and will be ridden by Manuel Franco. He'll carry 118 pounds.

Another intriguing entry is Top of Mind, a 4-year-old gelded son of Curlin  —Over the Edge (Thunder Gulch), who after eight starts on dirt is undefeated in his past two on turf. Hillwood Stable's Rodney Jenkins trainee steps into graded company for the first time.