Eye Luv Lulu Back to Defend Title in Affirmed Success

The $100,000 Affirmed Success Stakes highlights Belmont Park's nine-race card opening day April 26. Eight are entered for the six-furlong feature for older New York-breds, including Michael Dubb's Eye Luv Lulu and Harold Lerner, AWC Stables, and Nehoc Stables' Pat On the Back, the one-two finishers in last year's race.

Pat On the Back was first or second in five consecutive stakes for New York-breds before running against open company in the Dec. 1 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack, where he finished fifth beaten 3 3/4 lengths by Patternrecognition. The son of Congrats , who missed Eye Luv Lulu by three-quarters of a length a year ago, will make his 5-year-old debut Friday.

Eye Luv Lulu, an 8-year-old Pollard's Vision  gelding, is looking for his first stakes win since last year's edition of the race. He scored an allowance-optional claiming victory Jan. 5 at Aqueduct and came back Feb. 18 to run third in the Hollie Hughes Stakes behind All In The Family Racing's Bavaro and Zilla Racing Stables' Celtic Chaos, both of which are entered in the Affirmed Success.

Bavaro was a $25,000 claim Jan. 11 and earned his first stakes victory in the Hollie Hughes. The 5-year-old son of Freud  overcame a bobbled start, took over early, and scored his third straight win in the six-furlong test for New York-breds. He was third against open company in the March 9 Tom Fool Handicap (G3), but faded to 10th in the March 30 Caixa Eletronica Stakes.

Completing the field are Hudson Stakes winner Runaway Lute, second in an allowance-optional claimer April 18; Syndergaard, fifth in the Tom Fool after close runner-up finishes in the restricted Say Florida Sandy and Haynesfield stakes; Sudden Surprise, sixth in the Caixa Eletronica; and Tribecca, picked up for $40,000 as a frontrunning optional-claiming allowance winner April 10.