Blended Citizen to prep in Peter Pan for Belmont Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Blended Citizen was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after failing to draw into the race from the also-eligible list on Friday morning. The recent stakes winner will not be idle for long.

Trainer Doug O’Neill intends to run Blended Citizen in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 12 as a prep for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on June 9. The $350,000 Peter Pan Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles.

“He acts like a stamina horse,” O’Neill said. “We were hoping to have a chance in the Kentucky Derby.”

Owned by Greg Hall and Sayjay Racing, Blended Citizen has won 2 of 9 starts and earned $196,854. He won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park on March 17, and was fifth behind Good Magic in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes on April 7.