Belmont Derby, Belmont Oaks will each have three Chad Brown entries

ELMONT, N.Y. _ Trainer Chad Brown plans to run three horses in both the $1.25 million Belmont Derby and the $1 million Belmont Oaks, the two Grade 1 turf events on next Saturday’s stakes-laden Stars and Stripes program at Belmont Park.

In the Derby, Brown plans to send out Beach Patrol, Call Provision, and Camelot Kitten. In the Oaks, a race Brown has won the last two years, he will send out Last Waltz, Noble Beauty, and Pricedtoperfection. Both races are run at 1 1/4 miles over Belmont’s inner turf.

Five of those six horses put in workouts Sunday morning on the inner turf course.

Camelot Kitten, winner of two graded stakes since being equipped with blinkers, worked five furlongs in 1:02.98 in company with Call Provision, a New York-bred who was beaten a neck when third to Camelot Kitten in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge on June 4.

Brown noted that neither Camelot Kitten nor Call Provision “is known to be a spectacular work horse. They’re steady horses; it was their par workout.”

Camelot Kitten is a full brother to Bobby’s Kitten, who finished eighth in this race in 2014 but who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint later that year. Camelot Kitten has already won at 1 1/8 miles, and Brown believes the horse has improved with the addition of blinkers.

“It’s July of their 3-year-old year on grass going long,” Brown said. “These horses are very young still; they’re improving and he’s a horse that’s really improved the last two starts with blinkers and maturity.”

Call Provision, a son of Lemon Drop Kid, will make just his third career start in the Derby. He won a maiden race versus New York-breds in April before getting beat just a neck while running a bit spotty in the Pennine Ridge.

“He was wide, green, on and off the bridle, he was coming on again late and it looks like he wants a mile and a quarter,” Brown said of Call Provision. “He always struck me as a horse that, if he catches a soft course, he’s really going to move up.”

Beach Patrol was beaten just a neck by Camelot Kitten in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill on Kentucky Derby Day. He was purchased privately a few weeks later by Sol Kumin’s Sheep Pond Partners, and in his first start for his new connections Beach Patrol finished sixth in the Grade 3 Penn Mile.

“We only got him three days before the race, and in hindsight it clearly wasn’t the right thing to do,” Brown said. “Since then the horse has breezed three times for me and each breeze has gotten better. He had great form when Phil D’Amato had him. He was really an improving 3-year-old, which prompted the purchase, so we’re optimistic the horse can get back on track running out of his own barn with a little bit of rest now.”

As of Sunday, a field of 13 was expected for the Belmont Derby. The other 10 runners include Airoforce, Applicator, Aquaphobia, Deauville, Highland Sky, Humphrey Bogart, Long Island Sound, Ralis, Surgical Strike, and Toughest ‘Ombre.

On Sunday, Highland Sky worked five furlongs in 1:04.10 over the Belmont inner turf, but got his last quarter in under 23 seconds.

Brown has won the first two runnings of the Belmont Oaks, including last year with Lady Eli. Saturday, he’ll have three midrange-priced runners led by Noble Beauty, who finished a decent second to Auntie Joy in the Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs just three weeks ago.

“She ran well off a slow pace and was one of the few horses who made up any ground, and it really looked at the wire like she wanted an extra eighth,” Brown said.

Noble Beauty worked a half-mile in 50.15 seconds Sunday morning in company with recent stakes winner Ancient Secret.

Last Waltz, beaten twice by potential Oaks favorite Time and Motion, worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 in company with Elysea’s World. Last Watlz was beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Time and Motion in the Wonder Again, her first race equipped with blinkers.

“I particularly liked her with the blinkers on, and I think she’s going to appreciate a mile and a quarter and I think she figures to be in the mix here for a piece of this purse,” Brown said.

Pricedtoperfection, second as the favorite to Sweet Victory in the Penn Oaks last out, has been training in Saratoga, where on Saturday she worked a half-mile in 48.88 seconds over the Oklahoma dirt track.

Brown said he initially had Pricedtoperfection _ a sister to Grade 1 winner Miss Temple City _ pegged as a miler, but now believes the horse may want to run farther than that.

“The last couple of starts she gave me the impression she wants more ground,” Brown said. “She’s behind on numbers, she hasn’t run a number good enough in her career to win a race like this, but she just acts like a horse that’s sitting on a big race to me.”

There are 13 horses being considered for the Oaks. The other 10 include Auntie Joy, Ballydoyle, Catch a Glimpse, Coolmore, Decked Out, Harmonize, Land Over Sea, Magnanime, Secure Access, and Time and Motion.

On Sunday, Time and Motion worked five furlongs in 1:01.37 over the Belmont turf course.

Entries for the Stars and Stripes program _ which also includes the Grade 2 Suburban, Grade 3 Dwyer, Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship, and Grade 3 Victory Ride were to be taken on Wednesday.