SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Carloun will try to rebound from a last-place finish in the Carolina Cup Hurdle Stakes when he takes on seven rivals – three of whom beat him in that race – in Wednesday’s Grade 1, $150,000 Beverly Steinman Hurdle Handicap, the first race of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. The rain and chill of the weekend is expected to be a distant memory come Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to soar near 90 degrees under partly sunny skies. Carloun used his speed to win three consecutive races last summer, including the Grade 1 William Allison Sport of Kings against just three opponents at Middleburg, Va. In his seasonal debut in the Carolina Cup at Camden in South Carolina, Carloun took some early pressure, retreated, and pulled up before finishing the race. “He didn’t jump off like he normally does,” trainer Keri Brion said. “He normally just takes off running, and he didn’t do that. He galloped away from the flag and they were able to be near him. Normally, he doesn’t let horses be near him. No matter how fast they try to go, he goes faster.” :: DRF Belmont Stakes Packages: Save up to 52% on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Brion said Carloun has trained like a horse ready for a rebound performance on Wednesday. He will have a new rider in Paddy O’Hanlon, as regular pilot Stephen Mulqueen has a broken foot, Brion said. “If he shows up like he has in the past, I think he really looks tough in there,” Brion said of her horse. “You got to respect Awakened. He’s coming off a long layoff, but he’s a class horse.” Awakened won the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard in the summer of 2023 but is 0 for 4 since. His last run came in the 2024 Steinman, which was run at Aqueduct after it got rained out here. Trainer Jack Fisher said the now 8-year-old gelding by Curlin needed time off for tendonitis. Awakened twice finished third behind his champion stablemate Snap Decision in group stakes last year. Fisher also sends out Proven Innocent, who in 2022 won an allowance over jumps going this same 2 3/8-mile distance. He comes in off a fourth-place finish in the Commonwealth Cup at Great Meadow in Virginia on May 3. “I’m throwing mud against the wall and see what sticks,” Fisher said. Fisher said the key to the race might be if Little Trilby, trained by Ricky Hendriks, is able to put some pressure on Carloun early. Little Trilby was pulled up May 10 after setting the pace in the Green Pasture Stakes at Percy Warner in Tennessee. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.