Sir Winston Points Toward Belmont Stakes

Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston will target the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1) after a late-closing second in the May 11 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park behind Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm's Global Campaign, according to trainer Mark Casse.

The homebred son of Awesome Again  was well off the pace in the Peter Pan and displayed an effective turn of foot in the final eighth of a mile but was unable to catch the winner. The race was his first placing in a graded stakes event. 

"He's a unique horse," Casse said. "He doesn't have a whole lot of speed and he's kind of at the mercy of everyone else in the race, but he'll run all day."

Sir Winston was on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) but did not place in three starts on the Derby trail. Casse was impressed with his fifth-place effort in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) but drew a line through his distant seventh in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, his last start before the Peter Pan. 

"I thought he really exposed himself and showed he was good in the Tampa Bay Derby," Casse said. "When he ran at Keeneland, the way the track was playing, no one that was close to the lead had a chance that day. No question he'll run a mile and a half."

Casse stated Sir Winston will stay at Belmont Park with his string of horses supervised by assistant trainer Jamie Begg. 

Trainer Stanley Hough said May 12 Global Campaign is doing well following his 1 1/4-length win in the Peter Pan.

Making just his fourth career start, the Curlin  colt appeared to clip heels at one point during the Peter Pan, though his conditioner said Global Campaign shrugged off the light contact to finish strong, winning his first graded stakes after a fifth-place finish in the March 2 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) in his stakes debut at Gulfstream Park.

"He came back good; he got jumped on a little bit from behind, probably out of the gate since I didn't see any other place where it could have been, but it's no problem," Hough said. "It just grabbed him a little bit, but other than that he came back great. He handled the distance, and we're really proud of him."

Global Campaign earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time, posting a final time of 1:46.71 to top a five-horse field. The Peter Pan, a traditional local prep for the Belmont Stakes, could set up the Kentucky-bred for a start in the "test of the champion."

Hough also said Global Campaign could possibly look at the one-mile Dwyer Stakes (G3) on Stars and Stripes Day July 6 at Belmont or even the June 22 Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown.

"He's a very talented horse, and it was good to see him get that behind him," Hough said. "Everything is on the table. I wouldn't say which spot necessarily he should go. It could be the Belmont or the Dwyer or the Ohio Derby. There's a lot of options right now. He'll go back to Churchill, he'll leave tomorrow and get there Tuesday, and we'll take it a day at a time. Obviously, the Belmont would be a great thrill. I just can't say we're pointing towards that way."

Purchased for $250,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the half brother to multiple grade 1 winner and sire Bolt d'Oro  won his debut Jan. 5 at Gulfstream. After defeating allowance company stretching out from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles on the same track in February, Global Campaign sustained a minor injury in the Fountain of Youth, grabbing a quarter, and was given some time off to recover.