Field of Eight Looks to Move Forward in Peter Pan
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Blended Citizen is among the field of eight entered for the Peter Pan Stakes
Gary Broad's Core Beliefs headlines a field of eight entered for the $350,000 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park May 12 and will make his fifth career start after finishing third behind eventual Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Justify in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 7.
Carded as Race 10, the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan is one of five stakes, including four graded, on a stacked card that is highlighted by the Man o' War Stakes (G1T).
Core Beliefs' most recent effort marked the Quality Road colt's second try at routing around two turns after he beat four others to break his maiden almost a month earlier. The Peter Eurton-trained Kentucky-bred offered two third-place finishes in sprints while being sent postward with blinkers.
"He's doing very well." Eurton said. "We're very proud of him, no complaints. We were very pleased with his last race, as it was his first race against winners, and now especially against the caliber of horse we now know we were running against in Justify. I mean he was trying to win, it wasn't like he was really far back, he was there at the three-quarters, and was running throughout, but we were real pleased with him and how he ran."
Although Eurton and his connections said he doesn't want to get too far ahead of the next start, there is a plan for the next six weeks.
"The ideal would be for him to win, come out of it liking the track and then go on to the Belmont Stakes (G1), but we're going to take it one race at a time for now," he said.
Jockey Tyler Baze, who got the call aboard Core Beliefs for the first time in the Santa Anita Derby, will make the trip to New York and will try to work out a trip from the rail.
Federico Tesio Stakes winner Diamond King—who is still under consideration for the Preakness Stakes (G1)—would enter off that three-quarter length victory at Laurel Park on April 21 should he end up running in Saturday's Peter Pan.
The son of Quality Road steadied for a third-place finish in the Swale Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Feb. 3, his second graded race start since his stakes debut in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. That start in the Kentucky Jockey Club was foiled when he clipped heels and lost rider Frankie Pennington while heading into the first turn.
Shortleaf Stable's High North shipped up from Churchill Downs this week for trainer Brad Cox. After three straight off-the-board efforts against graded stakes company, the son of Midnight Lute won the Northern Spur Stakes at Oaklawn Park April 14 when outfitted with blinkers.
The lone runner with a race over Belmont's main track, High North, was second to future graded stakes winner Avery Island in his second career start on Sept. 30. His stakes victory and equipment change could be the confidence boost the colt needed.
"He's doing real well," Cox said. "I think the blinkers helped, and I think because he was a little closer to the pace than his previous two races, I think it worked out well for him."
Blended Citizen, the also-eligible entrant in the Kentucky Derby, will instead make his tenth career start in the Peter Pan after failing to draw in to the 10-furlong classic last Saturday. He is the lone starter in the race to carry a graded stakes victory after he debuted with blinkers and prevailed by a neck in the March 17 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park prior to running fifth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2).
Belmont Park, Saturday, May 12, 2018, Race 10Entries: Peter Pan S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Core Beliefs (KY)
Tyler Baze
116
Peter Eurton
2/1
2
2Zing Zang (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
116
Steven M. Asmussen
10/1
3
3Just Whistle (KY)
Joel Rosario
116
Michael R. Matz
5/1
4
4Blended Citizen (KY)
Kyle Frey
120
Doug F. O'Neill
6/1
5
5Diamond King (KY)
Javier Castellano
120
John C. Servis
7/2
6
6High North (KY)
Florent Geroux
120
Brad H. Cox
4/1
7
7Gotta Go (KY)
Chris Landeros
116
Ian R. Wilkes
15/1
8
8Transistor (FL)
Luis Saez
116
Rudy R. Rodriguez
15/1
