Belmont Derby: McPeek enters Classic Causeway and Tiz the Bomb
ELMONT, N.Y. – Classic Causeway, the speedy colt who won the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby before running poorly in both the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby, will try turf for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Park Derby.
Trainer Ken McPeek took over the training of Classic Causeway from Brian Lynch following the Kentucky Derby. The colt has since finished third in the Ohio Derby.
McPeek believes Classic Causeway’s speed could be dangerous at the Belmont Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.
“I like the distance of the race because it gives him a chance to relax,” said McPeek, adding that Classic Causeway’s sire, Giant’s Causeway, “was a fantastic grass horse.”
“The colt has a really big grass foot on him,” McPeek said. “Obviously, it’s a Grade 1. It’s important if we could win a Grade 1 with this colt. Shortening him up [on dirt], I don’t see him relaxing.”
Julien Leparoux will ride Classic Causeway, who McPeek said has galloped over the Oklahoma turf course in Saratoga.
Tiz the Bomb, also trained by McPeek, returns to the turf in the Belmont Derby for the first time since he finished second to Modern Games in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last November. Prior to that, he had won two stakes on the grass. This year, Tiz the Bomb won two stakes over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park sandwiched between a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
“We gave him a Kentucky Derby chance,” McPeek said. “He ran respectable, but he’s certainly not as good on the dirt as he is on the grass.”
Dylan Davis rides Tiz the Bomb.
A field of 13 was entered in the Derby. In addition to the McPeek pair, others in the field include Emmanuel, Grand Sonata, Implementation, Limited Liability, Machete, Napoleonic War, Nations Pride, Royal Patronage, Stolen Base, Stone Age, and Sy Dog.
◗ First Captain, the Pimlico Special winner, heads a field of five entered in the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban. Dynamic One, the Blame Stakes winner; Max Player, last year’s Suburban winner; Untreated, third in the Pimlico Special; and Forewarned complete the field.
◗ Hot Peppers, winner of the Jersey Girl Stakes on June 12, and Pretty Birdie, a two-time stakes winner, head a field of seven entered for Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.