Belmont Park: Mentor Cane pointed to Amsterdam
ELMONT, N.Y. - The 3-year-old sprint division might have picked up an intriguing new player in Mentor Cane, who returned from a six-month layoff to win a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race by five lengths last Saturday at Belmont Park.
Mentor Cane, a son of Mizzen Mast, ran the distance in 1:15.26 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 97.
“We always liked him,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “Obviously, that kind of race you can’t predict. It was a very powerful race. That certainly surprised us. We thought he was going to run well. He’s a strong horse.”
Shirreffs said he would point Mentor Cane to the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam at Saratoga on July 28 and then the Grade 1 King’s Bishop there on Aug. 24.
“He doesn’t need practice,” Shirreffs said. “He has one thing on his mind – as you saw – running.”