Pennine Ridge a Steppingstone to Turf Trinity

As much as the $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3T) remains an important prep for the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park, it has become a steppingstone to something much bigger than a single grade 1 stakes.

In the initial year of the New York Racing Association's Turf Trinity for 3-year-olds, the June 1 stakes now serves as a fashionable lead-in to the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby Invitational as well as two other equally rich prizes beyond it, the Aug. 4 Saratoga Derby at Saratoga Race Course and the Sept. 7 Jockey Club Derby at Belmont Park.

A well-matched field of eight 3-year-olds coming out of a variety of races was drawn for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile stakes on Belmont Park's inner turf course. 

Two that promise to attract plenty of attention are Klaravich Stables' Value Proposition and Peter Brant's Demarchelier. Both colts are trained by Chad Brown and will be making their stakes debuts, which should provide valuable insight about their Turf Trinity potential.

There are also three horses exiting the American Turf Stakes Presented by Ram Trucks (G2T) at Churchill Downs: The Elkstone Group's Social Paranoia (third in the May 4 stakes), Juddmonte Farms' Seismic Wave (fourth), and Bloom Racing Stable's Henley's Joy (eighth).

Add in Woodhaven Stakes winner Clint Maroon from St. Elias Stable; Bryan Hilliard's Swamp Rat, who was beaten a head in the DRF Bets Sophomore Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs; and Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Magnificent McCool, who was fifth in a Keeneland allowance race on the turf, and you have a field full of horses hopeful of proving themselves worthy of competing in the Turf Trinity.

Clint Maroon may prove to be the one to catch around the tighter turns of the inner turf course in Saturday's race as he comes off a frontrunning, four-length score at Aqueduct Racetrack for trainer Todd Pletcher in the April 20 Woodhaven, which served as his stakes debut as well as his third straight win.

A gelded son of Oasis Dream out of the El Prado mare Lady Aquitaine, Clint Maroon was purchased by J.J. Crupi and Marco Bozzi for $164,668 from the Newsells Park Stud consignment at the 2017 Arqana Deauville August Yearlings Sale. He was bred in Great Britain by the Sahara Group.

Demarchelier is 2-for-2 after posting a maiden win at Aqueduct at 2—in which he defeated Seismic Wave—and an April 12 allowance race at Keeneland. In his 3-year-old debut, the son of Dubawi showed he will probably appreciate more distance as he rallied from seventh to prevail by three-quarters of a length over Award Winner at 1 1/16 miles.

The bay colt is out of Loveisallyouneed, a Sadler's Wells mare who is a full sister to group 1 winners Yesterday and Quarter Moon. He was sold by Newsells Park Stud for $592,487 at the 2017 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Value Proposition has only raced once but has experience on the course at Belmont Park. The son of Dansili was sixth early but registered a 4 1/4-length triumph in an April 27 maiden race at 1 1/16 miles.

Bred in Great Britain by Meon Valley Stud, he is out of Dash To The Front—a Diktat mare—and is a half brother to multiple group 1-winning filly Speedy Boarding.

"Both horses are training well, and the distance should be good for them," Brown said. "We're using this race as a prep for the Belmont Derby Invitational if they prove that they're good enough."

Juddmonte's Kentucky homebred Seismic Wave, trained by Bill Mott, should appreciate the added distance of the Pennine Ridge. The son of Tapit  was 10th at the eighth pole in the 1 1/16-mile American Turf after rallying eight wide and then closed to be fourth at the finish, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths by Digital Age.

The past two winners of this race went on to take the Belmont Derby Invitational.