Tapwrit Works Toward Belmont; True Timber Confirmed

Trainer Todd Pletcher sent Tapwrit and Patch, his two likely Belmont Stakes (G1) contenders, to the Belmont Park training track May 27 in preparation for the final leg of the Triple Crown. 

Tapwrit, winner of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and sixth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) May 6, worked five furlongs in 1:02.25 shortly after 9:30 a.m. under regular jockey Jose Ortiz, in company with graded stakes winner Far From Over. The pair galloped out in 1:16 2/5, according to NYRA clockers.

Calumet Farm's Patch, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, beat his stablemate to the worktab and hit the track shortly after 7:45 a.m. The son of Union Rags   worked four furlongs in :50.24 seconds under Hall of Famer John Velazquez and in company with Outplay, a 3-year-old allowance winner.

"I thought Tapwrit worked well; he's not an overzealous workhorse but we got a good solid five-eighths into him on what I'd describe as a relatively slow training track," Pletcher said. "I thought it served its purpose and he seemed to work as he normally does. (Patch) worked fine. Neither horse are ones that overachieve in the mornings but they have that solid, grinding style that could suit the Belmont."

Pletcher added that while Tapwrit was definite to start in the June 10 Belmont Stakes, he will make a decision on Patch's status after working the colt again next week.

Owned by Bridlewood Farm, Robert LaPenta and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Tapwrit kicked off his sophomore season with a second-place finish to McCraken in the Feb. 11 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, where he returned four weeks later to post a 4 1/2-length victory in the Tampa Bay Derby. He ventured to Keeneland in April for his final Derby prep for the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2), where he missed the break and finished fifth. In the Derby, Tapwrit broke from post 16 and was pushed back at the break en route to finishing  sixth. 

"I thought Tapwrit ran great in the Derby," said Pletcher. "Everyone talked about the trouble at the start for Classic Empire, but he (Tapwrit) was the one that got clobbered first and it was a chain reaction from there. But I thought he closed pretty well and made a good account of himself. I think with a cleaner start, he would've hit the board."

Also on the Saturday worktab was Silverton Hill's Peter Pan Stakes (G3) runner-up Meantime, who went five furlongs in :59.98 under jockey Mike Luzzi in company for a possible run in the 12-furlong Belmont Stakes.

The son of Shackleford   worked with Basic Hero, going the first three-eighths in :35 1/5 seconds before Meantime pulled away from his workmate and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13, according to NYRA clockers.

"I saw what I wanted to see, it was a nice, comfortable work," trainer Brian Lynch said of the move. "Mike's body language was very relaxed, he just looked like a passenger. He didn't look like he had to ask him at any stage. I wanted to have someone following him a little bit so he can get used to getting put under a bit of pressure. He did it well within himself."

Lynch noted Meantime is also eligible for the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard. He is scheduled to breeze again next Saturday, said Lynch, who added that should Meantime run in the Belmont, Manny Franco is expected to have the mount. 

"I'm not going to run in it just for the sake of running in it," Lynch said. "His next work will really tell me. Up until then, I'm still on the fence."

Calumet Farm's True Timber is expected to run in the Belmont Stakes, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Saturday morning.

Reached by phone, McLaughlin said True Timber will return to graded stakes company after finishing third in the May 20 LARC Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. True Timber was also being considered for the Easy Goer before being pointed towards the 1 1/2-mile classic.

"We're looking at the Belmont right now," McLaughlin said. "It's three weeks off the Sir Barton, but we're OK with that. No one really knows about the mile-and-a-half but we'll find out on that day."

McLaughlin said he won't put the son of Mineshaft   through a vigorous work before the Belmont.

"He'll just work a half-mile a week out and we'll go from there," he said.