Outside Post for Beach Patrol in Hill Prince

After a narrow victory in the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT), Beach Patrol will try for a second straight graded stakes win against other 3-year-olds on the turf Oct. 8 in the Hill Prince Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park.

While the Hill Prince carries grade III status, its $500,000 purse is actually higher than this year's Secretariat, which offered $450,000.

Beach Patrol secured his first graded stakes win—breaking through at the highest level—when he edged Long Island Sound by a head in the Secretariat. Long Island Sound, sent back to Europe after that race by trainer Aidan O'Brien, followed with a victory in the Paddy Power Diamond Stakes (Ire-III) at Dundalk.

On Saturday, Beach Patrol will be making his fourth start for owners James Covello, Sheep Pond Partners, and Head of Plains Partners, who purchased the son of Lemon Drop Kid   earlier this season and moved him to trainer Chad Brown.

Before the Secretariat, Beach Patrol also delivered a nice run in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) where he finished third behind Deauville and Highland Sky on the Widener turf. Saturday's race will be contested at 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf.

In his Secretariat start Beach Patrol showed more early speed than he had in recent efforts, tracking from a close third early. Beach Patrol, highweight at 123 pounds, will start from the outside in the expected field of 10 in a race that, on paper, doesn't have much early speed. 

Kent Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner American Patriot, who will start from post two with Mike Smith aboard for the first time, also may race near the lead early. WinStar Farm's American Patriot is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Brown also will send out Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred Camelot Kitten, who will start from the rail in search of his fourth graded stakes this season; and lightly raced Annals of Time, a promising son of Temple City  .