Artie Schiller vs. Timo, again

ELMONT, N.Y. - If Artie Schiller were a dirt horse, jockey Richard Migliore might be thinking he was riding a Triple Crown winner.

"He gives me a feeling very few horses have given me," Migliore said. "His turn of foot is so explosive, he can put it in another gear."

That explosiveness is on the turf, where in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park.

With rain in the forecast for Saturday, four horses were entered as main-track-only entrants, including Master David, who was expected to run in Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

Artie Schiller and Timo have faced each other three times with Artie Schiller winning twice. Timo's victory came on this course and at the Hill Prince distance of nine furlongs last fall in the Pilgrim Stakes.

Artie Schiller was dominant winning the Woodlawn, running alongside Timo from the half-mile pole to the top of the stretch when Migliore went inside while Edgar Prado took Timo outside. Artie Schiller kicked strongly in the stretch to win by 3 3/4 lengths. Timo missed second by a neck.

"I always felt like I was galloping among everybody and when I asked him to pick it up there was another gear," said Migliore, who will ride Artie Schiller from post 6.

Timo has won 4 of 8 starts on turf, including the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland. Trainer Billy Badgett didn't feel Timo got the best of trips in the Woodlawn and is making a rider switch to John Velazquez, who was aboard for the Pilgrim score.

"We just had a bad trip the other day," Badgett said. "We were wide the whole way, and way too close to the pace. I think he'll like this track a little better, with wider turns."

War Trace and Good Reward are both sons of Storm Cat out of Grade 1-winning mares. War Trace, who is out of the Grade 1-winning turf mare Memories of Silver, has flashed a tremendous late kick winning two of his three turf starts. He gets a switch to jockey Jerry Bailey.

Good Reward is out of the Grade 1-winning dirt mare Heavenly Prize. He rallied from 12 lengths back to win an entry-level allowance at Keeneland.

Big Booster and Kennel Up complete the field on turf. West Virginia, Forest Grove and Ecclesiastic join Master David as main-track-only entrants.