Blue Pigeon, Iced Over seek better trips in rematch

ELMONT, N.Y. – The richest race on Wednesday’s card at Belmont Park is the first, an $80,000 second-level allowance race scheduled for a mile on turf in which Kenzadargent looms large at a short price.

Perhaps the more interesting race on the program is the eighth, a $62,000 first-level allowance for New York-breds scheduled for a mile on turf in which there are several contenders in the overflow field. Fourteen were entered for the turf, along with an additional entrant for the main track only, but only 12 will be permitted to start.

Blue Pigeon and Iced Over were a head apart when second and third behind Ocala Jim in a race similar to this at Saratoga on Aug. 23. Both Blue Pigeon and Iced Over had difficult trips in that 1 1/16-mile race.

Blue Pigeon, trained by Christophe Clement, made a bold inside move down the backstretch, but jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. had to wait both around the turn and again in upper stretch. When Ortiz was able to get Blue Pigeon off the rail and somewhat in the clear, the gelding responded by splitting horses and finishing very well.

“He was unlucky the last time he ran; he had a bit of a rough race,” said Clement, who is off to a 6-for-20 start at the Belmont fall meet. “He’s doing very well; he should be very competitive.”

Blue Pigeon outfinished Iced Over, who stumbled at the break and was much farther back than he had been in his previous races, which included a maiden victory against New York-breds at Saratoga on Aug. 4.

Gridley Here, trained by Ken McPeek, returns to turf after getting beaten a neck by Beyond Empire in a first-level statebred dirt allowance race at Saratoga on Aug. 27. Gridley Here’s lone career victory from six starts came at a mile over Belmont’s turf last fall.

Adams Note, beaten three lengths in a two-turn, one-mile race at Saratoga last out, is another worth considering.

KEY CONTENDERS

Blue Pigeon (Last 3 Beyers: 75-75-79)

◗ He was the beaten favorite in his last two starts at Saratoga, including a difficult trip in a recent try at this level on Travers Day. Once clear, he finished very well to be second.

◗ Last fall at Aqueduct, Blue Pigeon was beaten a neck by So Lonesome, who most recently won the Albany Stakes for New York-breds on dirt.

Iced Over (Last 3 Beyers: 75-72-70)

◗ He had a win and a third in two starts against New York-breds after racing against open claimers at Churchill Downs.

◗ He stumbled badly at the start of his last race but still managed to rally and finish third.

◗ He gets a rider switch to Cornelio Velasquez from Manny Franco.

Gridley Here (Last 3 Beyers: 81-58-73)

◗ He returns to turf after a solid runner-up effort on dirt. McPeek said he could not find a suitable dirt race for Gridley Here.

◗ He won a one-mile New York-bred maiden turf race last October over this course.