Belmont Park: Wired Bryan cruises in Bongard Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Wired Bryan, a Grade 2 stakes winner against open company this summer at Saratoga, once again had statebred rivals at his mercy when cruising to a three-length victory over Empire Dreams in Saturday’s $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes at Belmont Park.

Wired Bryan won the Grade 2 Sanford and was beaten a nose by Corfu in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special within a three-week span at Saratoga. But against New York-breds, he’s been untouchable, adding Saturday’s dominant performance in the seven-furlong Bongard to his seven-length maiden win and 7 1/2-length triumph in the New York Breeders' Futurity in two previous starts with statebred 2-year-olds.

As expected, Wired Bryan, with jockey John Velazquez aboard for the first time since winning his maiden, broke alertly and sprinted right to the lead. The son of Stormy Atlantic set an honest pace of 22.86 and 45.79 seconds for the opening quarter- and half-mile over a fast and very speed-favoring track.

Wired Bryan opened a comfortable advantage once settling into the stretch and never was seriously threatened thereafter.

Empire Dreams, an improving colt racing on Lasix for the first time, rallied willingly down the center of the course to easily best the others. So Lonesome was third.

Wired Bryan is trained by Michael Dilger for Anstu Stables Inc. He completed the distance in 1:22.83 and paid $2.60.

“It’s a horse race – you never know what can happen, but he’s been holding his form real well and been a very consistent horse all year,” Dilger said. “Johnny’s ridden the horse and won on him, he’s ridden against him and beaten him, and he’s been beaten by him, so he knows the horse from every angle. We just told him to do what he thought was best. The horse is always going to break sharp. It was just a matter of whether somebody really wanted the lead or not.”

Dilger didn’t rule out another start this year for Wired Bryan but said he plans to winter the horse at Palm Meadows in southern Florida with an eye, perhaps, toward stretching him out in the Triple Crown preps at Gulfstream Park.