Sunday, April 29, 2012
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- Westchester winner To Honor and Serve heading to G1 Met Mile; Principal Role to
- Derby contender Alpha, McLaughlin leave for Louisville Monday
- Jockey Abel Lezcano expected to be released from hospital Sunday with two broken ribs sustained in Saturday spill at
- G3
- Clement has options for G3 Beaugay, G3
- Winter Memories works for G3 Beaugay, fields coming together for both stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – To Honor and Serve returned from his Grade 3 Westchester victory in fine form and remains on target for the Grade 1, $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap on May 28, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said Sunday morning.
"He looked really good this morning," said Mott of the Bernardini colt, who has now won graded stakes at ages 2, 3 and 4. "He jogged good, his legs look good, he ate well. He seemed happy. He made us happy for such a good return. No complaints. Yeah, we're pretty happy with him."
Next Saturday, Juddmonte Farms' Principal Role will be making her
"She'd probably be much better at nine or 10 furlongs, and this is only 1 1/16 miles," said Mott. "I could have run her against the boys on Thursday [Milesius Stakes at 1 ¼ miles] if I wanted the distance, but I didn't think about it. This will get her started."
Principal Role breezed five furlongs in 1:00.96 Sunday morning over
"We had her on the grass once down in Palm Meadows," said Mott. "She put in a good work this morning. The clockers said it was pretty good. If she runs OK on Saturday, we'll look at the
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Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin reported that Kentucky Derby contender Alpha emerged from Saturday's five-furlong work in good order and that the Bernardini colt would depart as scheduled for
"He ate up. He's happy, we're ready to go," he said. "I think we leave the barn tomorrow at about 1 p.m."
McLaughlin said he would be traveling with Alpha on the cargo plane rather than taking a commercial flight.
"I'll be sitting on a tool box next to his stall," he said.
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Jockey Abel Lezcano was expected to be discharged from
"Abel is doing much better," said the rider's agent, Jean-Luc Samyn. "They are going to release him today. He broke two ribs – but they were not displaced, which is good – and has a laceration on his left ear. There was a lot of dirt in the cut and that's why they kept him overnight. It was difficult to clean and they were concerned about infection, so he is on antibiotics. I think he'll be out a month, more or less, but we'll know more after he sees the doctor again on Tuesday. He's banged up, but pretty lucky."
Lezcano is 7-9-12 from 124 starts in 2012 with more than $280,000 in purse earnings.
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After winning Grade 1 turf races in 2011 with European imports Stacelita and Zagora, trainer Chad Brown is primed to make a similar assault on major grass events in
"It's important that different people have seen that we know what to do when you send us the right horses," said Brown. "We have a program that seems to work, and I had always hoped to take on some of the European horses who had shown some talent over there."
One of the new additions to Brown's stable is Desert Blanc, who last year won a listed stakes in
"He came straight into Palm Meadows, and he trained pretty well down there," said Brown. "He's been right there in group races, and he's been holding good company over there. He's a good-looking horse, so I'm anxious to get him started. I think he could be a factor in some of these big turf races for boys."
While Brown believes Desert Blanc can be effective at the Fort Marcy's 1 1/16-mile distance, the trainer plans to race the colt, who was Group 3 placed at 1 ¼ miles, in longer races later in the year.
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"He's run as far as a mile and a quarter over there, but I think I think this is a good comeback, a mile and a sixteenth, to see where we're at with him," said Brown. "He's a versatile horse, but I'll be looking to stretch him out after this race. He should handle the mile and a sixteenth."
Brown considered running Dealbata, another 4-year-old French listed stakes winner who is unraced in the United States, in Saturday's Grade 3 Beaugay before withdrawing her from consideration following a 50.78 four-furlong breeze on turf Sunday morning at Belmont. Dealbata was bought privately by Martin Schwartz, the owner of now-retired Stacelita.
"I think [Dealbata] is going to need more time after watching her breeze," said Brown.
Yet another talented import in Brown's barn is Banimpire, a five-time group winner in
"She came up here [from Palm Meadows] and kind of took one step backwards," said Brown of the 4-year-old. "Minor stuff, just adapting. She had been doing super in
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Christophe Clement is off to a swift start at
"I may have a filly called Federation for the Beaugay, and maybe Check the Label. I'm not sure yet, I have to get organized," said Clement. "In the
Federation, a stakes winner in
The Brazilian-bred Belo Acteon finished third in his first start in this country, a turf allowance at Keeneland on April 12 and worked five furlongs over the
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Grade 1 winner Winter Memories – who breezed five furlongs over the
The
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