Belmont: Compliance Officer eyes open company

Compliance Officer won the $125,000 Kingston Stakes by three-quarters of a length in his 6-year-old debut on Sunday at Belmont Park.

It was the seventh win from eight starts for Compliance Officer in the last year, or since he was claimed for $25,000 by Thomas La Marca and trainer Bruce Brown.

Brown said Monday that Compliance Officer came out of the race in excellent shape and with the next New York-bred stakes on this circuit not until August at Saratoga, he would look to point Compliance Officer to an open stakes race.

Among the options are the Grade 2, $150,000 Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs on July 1; the Grade 3, $150,000 Poker Handicap here on July 4, or the Grade 3, $100,000 Red Bank at Monmouth Park also on July 4.

“I’m leaning toward the Poker because it’s at his home track,” Brown said. “He obviously loved it here and with so many races run at the same time it could thin things out; there are only so many horses to go around.”

Compliance Officer indeed picked up from where he left off last year. He earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory in the Kingston, the same figure he earned winning the Claiming Crown Emerald last Dec. 3 at Fair Grounds.

Bush weighs options for Get Stormy

Get Stormy, a three-time Grade 1 winner, worked five furlongs in a pedestrian 1:04.74 Monday morning over the Belmont turf course.

With jockey Eddie Castro in the irons, Get Stormy went off extremely slowly, going his first three furlongs in 40.24 but came home a final quarter in 24.50.

“I haven’t breezed him in three weeks, which is why I would have liked to have done more,” trainer Tom Bush said. “I can come back next week and do more. I’ve got time.”

Bush said he is considering one of three spots for Get Stormy’s next race, including the Grade 1, $500,000 Manhattan here on June 9, the Grade 2, $200,000 Red Bank at Monmouth on June 10, or the Poker.

Get Stormy began his year with a victory in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap before finishing fourth in the Maker’s Mark Mile and, most recently, ninth in the Woodford Reserve at Churchill.

Believe You Can on target for Mother Goose

Trainer Larry Jones, in town to run Firehouse Red in the Sands Point Stakes, said Monday that Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can remains on target for the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes here on June 23, though she has not worked since the Oaks.

“She’s doing really good,” Jones said. “She hasn’t done anything but gallop. We’ll start cranking up soon.”

Jones said that the Grade 2, $200,000 Dwyer Stakes here on June 30 is a good possibility for Peter Pan Stakes winner Mark Valeski’s next start.