Appleby sends out Warren Point in Man o' War redo
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ELMONT, N.Y. – One of the few disappointments for England-based trainer Charlie Appleby in North America last year was Yibir’s third-place finish as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont Park.
Saturday, Appleby will look to make amends when he sends out Warren Point in this year’s Grade 1, $600,000 Man o’ War, one of three graded stakes on Saturday’s 11-race card at Belmont.
Warren Point doesn’t bring in quite the résumé as did Yibir, who in 2021 won the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Still, Warren Point has a solid record of four wins from seven starts. He is coming off a second-place finish in The Amir Trophy, a Group 1 stakes in Qatar, where he was beaten a half-length by Russian Emperor.
Chris Connet, an assistant to Appleby, said Warren Point “just met traffic at the wrong time,” in The Amir Trophy.
“He was following the right horses, they didn’t quite fire, the winner got first run on him, and he’s a good horse in his own right,” Connet said.
Warren Point came over with Ottoman Fleet, who won last weekend’s Fort Marcy for Appleby and Godolphin. Warren Point was able to get a workout on the turf, going five furlongs in 1:00.88 here Sunday.
Frankie Dettori rides Warren Point from post 2.
The Man o’ War attracted a pair of 9-year-old stalwarts in Channel Maker and Red Knight. Channel Maker, a nine-time stakes winner, won this race in 2019. Channel Maker, trained by Bill Mott, typically does his best running on the front end and does appreciate some give in the ground. There was some rain forecast for Saturday morning.
Red Knight, formerly trained by Mott, now in the barn of Mike Maker, won the Grade 3 William McKnight at Gulfstream Park in January and was beaten a head by Verstappen in the Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 22 at Keeneland.
Verstappen, trained by Brendan Walsh, has won three of his last four starts, including the Elkhorn at 16-1 in his graded stakes debut.
Declan Cannon, aboard Verstappen for his last four starts, is in from Kentucky to ride him Saturday,
Howe Street finished sixth as the favorite in the Elkhorn. Two starts back, he did win an allowance at Gulfstream going 1 3/8 miles. Trainer Jorge Abreu, still in search of his first graded stakes win, is removing blinkers from Howe Street’s equipment.
Soldier Rising makes his 5-year-old debut in this spot for trainer Christophe Clement. Soldier Rising is still in search of his first stakes win, but came within a head of Channel Maker in the Grand Couturier here last summer and was beaten just one length by since-retired stablemate Gufo in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer last August at Saratoga.
“It’s a very ambitious spot to bring him back, but he wants to go long on turf and we’re back in New York,” Clement said.
Clement believes the Aqueduct turf course was speed-favoring last fall when Solider Rising finished fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and ninth in the Grade 2 Red Smith.
Value Engineering, who won Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream before finishing eighth in the Elkhorn, and Strong Tide complete the field.
The Man o’ War is carded as race 5 (3:07 p.m. Eastern) on an 11-race card, that includes the Grade 3 Peter Pan and Grade 3 Runhappy.
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