Marconi, You're to Blame Meet in Brooklyn Invitational

A trio of Todd Pletcher trainees headline a competitive nine-horse field for the $400,000 Woodford Reserve Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (G2) June 8 at Belmont Park. You're to Blame, Marconi, and Biblical are entered for the 1 1/2-mile event, which is the last of 13 races on the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) card.

Bortolazzo Stable's You're to Blame leads Pletcher's contingent after six straight finishes on the board, including the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup Stakes (G3) at Parx Racing in September. The 5-year-old Distorted Humor  horse has run twice this year. He captured a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming event April 14 at Gulfstream Park, then rallied to miss Tenfold by a neck in the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) going 1 1/4 miles May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.

"He showed us last year that he handles this distance well. We weren't really sure if we were going to come here after the Pimlico Special; it was going to be a matter if he told us he was ready to run back in three weeks," Pletcher said. "His energy level has been really, really high, and he came back with a good breeze, so we felt like he was going to be hard to hold on the ground for another month until the Suburban (G2). We feel like running him is the right thing to do."

Marconi, owned by Bridlewood Farm and Coolmore's Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor, enters the Brooklyn off back-to-back stakes scores and is in search of his first graded win. Connections had high expectations for the son of Tapit  and went to $2 million for him from Eaton Sales' consignment to the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

The gray/roan colt broke his maiden going 1 1/8 miles by 5 1/2 lengths second time out at 2 but disappointed in three starts on the Kentucky Derby trail as a sophomore. He returned from a 10-month layoff in February and ran fourth going a mile in allowance optional claiming. Back around two turns, Marconi swept the March 29 Skip Away Stakes at Gulfstream and the May 9 Flat Out Stakes at Belmont.

"He seems like he's doing great. He ran well in the Skip Away and handled the mile and three eighths of the Flat Out very well," Pletcher said. "We kind of had this race in mind all along, thinking that the mile and a half would suit him. He seems to be maintaining really good form, and we're happy with him."

China Horse Club's Biblical is aiming for his first stakes score in the Brooklyn. He was seventh in the Skip Away before running third—beaten 8 3/4 lengths by Sonneteer, another Brooklyn entry—in the Champions Day Marathon Overnight Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance April 30 at Churchill Downs.

"He didn't run too badly going a mile and a half for the first time at Churchill. He was just a touch keen," Pletcher said. "I think if we can work out a better trip and get him a little more settled, he's a horse that's shown hints of having enough ability to be competitive in a race like this. He just needs to step up a notch. He's been a bit inconsistent, but he's training like he's sitting on a good race, so we'll give it a try."

Other Brooklyn runners include Woodford Racing's Campaign and Centennial Farms' Rocketry. Campaign made the grade at this distance last out in the Tokyo City Cup Stakes (G3) April 14 at Santa Anita Park, and Rocketry has finished behind Marconi in his two starts this year. Last season, Rocketry won the Temperance Hill Invitational Stakes and Marathon Stakes Presented by TAA (G2).

Realm, Forewarned, and 2017 Brooklyn winner War Story complete the field.

Entries: Woodford Reserve Brooklyn Invitational S. (G2)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 08, 2019, Race 13

• Grade II
• 1 1/2m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 8:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Marconi (KY)	Jose Lezcano	117	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
2	2Campaign (KY)	Javier Castellano	119	John W. Sadler	7/2
3	3Sonneteer (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	117	J. Keith Desormeaux	10/1
4	4War Story (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	115	Jorge Navarro	5/1
5	5Biblical (KY)	Luis Saez	117	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
6	6Rocketry (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	James A. Jerkens	7/2
7	7You're to Blame (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	119	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
8	8Realm (VA)	Junior Alvarado	115	Barclay Tagg	15/1
9	9Forewarned (OH)	Manuel Franco	117	Uriah St. Lewis	30/1