Belmont Stakes: Seize the Grey shows plenty of energy in six-furlong drill

Though he won’t be going for the Triple Crown, Seize the Grey will be aiming for his third win in five weeks when he runs in the $2 million Belmont Stakes on June 8 at Saratoga.

To hear Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas tell it, Seize the Grey has appeared to thrive from the busy schedule that includes wins in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 4 at Churchill Downs and the Preakness on May 18 at Pimlico.

On Wednesday at Churchill Downs, Seize the Grey tuned up for his start in the Belmont by working six furlongs in 1:13 under jockey Jaime Torres. Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols timed Seize the Grey in fractions of 24.60 seconds and 48.20, and caught him galloping out seven furlongs in 1:26.

“I wanted to see his energy and how willing he was to do it,” Lukas said. “He was well into the bridle. Jaime Torres worked him, and he said at no point did he ask him but he felt like if he did he would have responded beautifully. That’s all we wanted to see.”

Seize the Grey, a son of Arrogate owned by My Racehorse, has made 10 starts – five at age 2 and five this year – the most of any member of the prospective Belmont Stakes field. Lukas said Seize the Grey has taken his races well.

“He’s really rebounded well from the Preakness,” Lukas said. “I’m beginning to think the Preakness wasn’t a very hard race on him, the way he cooled out after the Preakness and the way he’s responded since. I think we’re in good shape to keep the Belmont honest at least.”

Lukas, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner, said Seize the Grey would ship from Churchill to Saratoga on Saturday, arriving in early evening. Lukas said he is unlikely to work Seize the Grey again before the Belmont.

“I don’t know that I have to do anything. The horse is dead fit. I might just leave him fresh,” Lukas said. “Conditioning, after this work this morning, is not a concern of mine.”

In other Belmont developments:

◗ Florent Geroux has picked up the mount on Honor Marie for the Belmont Stakes, trainer Whit Beckman confirmed Wednesday. Ben Curtis had ridden Honor Marie in the Louisiana and Kentucky derbies, but is sidelined after suffering a broken collarbone in a training accident on May 18 at Delaware Park.

Honor Marie is scheduled to work Saturday at Churchill Downs and will ship to Saratoga the following day, arriving early Monday morning, according to Beckman.

◗ Friday figures to be a busy day for Belmont Stakes workers at Saratoga, with Todd Pletcher likely to work his quartet of Antiquarian, Fierceness, Mindframe, and Protective, and trainer Danny Gargan expected to work Fountain of Youth winner Dornoch.

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