Cafe Americano should appreciate 1 1/4-mile distance of Belmont Oaks

ELMONT, N.Y. – Cafe Americano is not as accomplished as her Chad Brown-trained stablemates Cambier Parc and Newspaperofrecord, but she may have as good a chance to win Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

On Sunday, Cafe Americano worked a half-mile in 48.35 seconds over the Belmont Park turf course, breezing in company with the Grade 1-winning older male Robert Bruce and more than holding her own. She had a head on him at the wire, though Jose Ortiz did have a hammerlock on Robert Bruce in the stretch.

Still, the work was solid enough for Brown to greenlight Cafe Americano for the Belmont Oaks, which at 1 1/4 miles will be her stakes debut. Cafe Americano, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro owned by Peter Brant, won a one-mile maiden race at Gulfstream Park in February and a first-level allowance here going 1 1/8 miles on June 1.

“I know she’s lightly raced, but Peter and I were just talking about it – she’s developing rapidly. As her pedigree would suggest, the longer the better for her.” Brown said Sunday in his Belmont office following the work. “Our whole purpose to try and get her into the race as a lightly raced horse is the distance of the race. It really makes sense for her.”

Brown will have three of what is expected to be a nine-horse field for the Oaks. Cambier Parc and Newspaperofrecord, the one-two finishers in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 6, worked five furlongs in company in 1:00.10 on Saturday over the Belmont turf.

Others expected for the Oaks include Concrete Rose, Coral Beach, Dyna Passer, Jodie, Olendon, and Just Wonderful.