Mask Seeks to Cover Field in Belmont's Easy Goer
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Photo: Dana Wimpfheimer
Mask (outside) works with Good Magic in March
Stakes action on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 9 will kick off with the second race on the card, the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles. The race proved to be the jumping off point for last year's sophomore champion West Coast.
Mask has been installed as the 5-2 favorite in this year's edition off his score in the listed Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 6 1/4 lengths at a flat mile in January. The son of Tapit broke his maiden at Belmont Park last October and was most recently eighth in the sloppy Pat Day Mile (G3) at Churchill Downs. Chad Brown trains the colt for Lane's End Racing.
Rugbyman is another with proven form over Big Sandy, with an eye-popping 14-length victory in a maiden allowance May 13 at a flat mile, his second career start. Another son of Tapit, Rugbyman accomplished that victory over a muddy track for trainer Graham Motion and owner/breeders Wertheimer and Frere.
Breaking the Rules is perfect in two starts as a Phipps Stable homebred trained by Shug McGaughey. The impeccably bred son of War Front , out of an A.P. Indy mare, scored in March at Gulfstream Park breaking his maiden and returned at Belmont Park to win a first-level allowance heat, both at six furlongs.
High North checked in fourth in the May 12 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at nine furlongs. Two races back he was the victor of the Northern Spur Stakes at Oaklawn Park at the Easy Goer distance. The Brad Cox trainee has plenty of graded stakes experience, having run fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2), fifth in the Risen Star Stakes (G2), and seventh in the Rebel Stakes (G2).
Dark Vader adds some West Coast spice to the Easy Goer. He banked a first-level allowance victory at Santa Anita Park May 11 going 1 1/16 miles for trainer Peter Eurton, leading to the cross-country ship. Dark Vader ran third in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and was fifth in the Sunland Derby (G3).
Prince Lucky, winner of the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes last December against fellow Pa.-breds, steps up after taking third behind Ax Man in the LARC Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness undercard. The mid-pack runner tried graded company in the Sunland Derby but ran ninth. Soutache also exits a Pimlico start, having run fifth in the Chick Lang Stakes after a second at Gulfstream in the Hutcheson Stakes (G3). Soutache won two divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes, the In Reality and Affirmed.
Lunar Beauty completes the field. He broke his maiden in March at Aqueduct but returned to have a troubled trip when sixth in a first-level allowance test in April.
Belmont Park, Saturday, June 09, 2018, Race 2Entries: Easy Goer S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Lunar Beauty (KY)
Manuel Franco
115
Richard A. Violette, Jr.
30/1
2
2Mask (KY)
Javier Castellano
121
Chad C. Brown
5/2
3
3Rugbyman (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
115
H. Graham Motion
3/1
4
4Soutache (FL)
Tyler Gaffalione
121
Ralph E. Nicks
12/1
5
5Prince Lucky (PA)
John R. Velazquez
115
Todd A. Pletcher
12/1
6
6Breaking the Rules (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
115
Claude R. McGaughey III
4/1
7
7Dark Vader (OH)
Corey S. Nakatani
117
Peter Eurton
9/2
8
8High North (KY)
Florent Geroux
121
Brad H. Cox
9/2
