Brown has more than just numbers in Poker
ELMONT, N.Y. – The Poker is one of the few turf stakes at Belmont Park that isn’t on trainer Chad Brown’s résumé. On Sunday, he’ll have a better than 50 percent chance to change that when he sends out half the field in the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker at a mile over the Widener turf course.
Brown doesn’t just send out three of the six runners for the turf, he has the probable top two choices in Projected and Catapult. Those two ran second and fourth behind World Approval in the Grade 2 Dixie at Pimlico on May 20.
Projected had the smoother trip of the two, while Catapult was steadied and checked a couple of times.
“Catapult was fighting the restraint of the rider early,” Brown said. “It wasn’t a good trip for him. Probably should have just went to the lead.”
That might be the plan Sunday because the Poker field appears to lack true speed. Projected came from off the pace to win an allowance race at Keeneland, beating next-out stakes winners Divisidero and Pleuven.
Night Prowler, Brown’s third entrant, won multiple graded stakes at age 3. Over the last two seasons, he has gone just 1 for 5.
Lubash, the 10-year-old New York-bred warrior, will be making his 54th career start in the Poker. He finished fifth in this race in 2013. Bolting, a Kentucky-bred son of War Front who has raced exclusively in France, and Ballagh Rocks complete the field for turf. Weekend Hideaway was entered for the main track only.