Celtic Striker pointing for Peter Pan Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Celtic Striker, who won a match race in Thursday’s Easy Goer Stakes by 19 3/4 lengths over Sonneman, will target the Grade 3, $100,000 Peter Pan Stakes on July 16, opening day of the Saratoga meet.

The Peter Pan has typically been run in early May for 3-year-olds to use as a prep for the Belmont Stakes on the first Saturday in June. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Belmont was run June 20 and the Peter Pan could now be used as a prep for the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 8.

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The Peter Pan could get lost in the shuffle of a glut of stakes for 3-year-olds run over a short period of time. There is the Indiana Derby on July 8, the Blue Grass on July 11, and the Haskell on July 18.

“I think that’s a good spot,” trainer Ray Handal said Friday. “I can get him up there early and train over the track. Until yesterday, we’ve never run him out of his own stall.”

The Easy Goer scratched down to a two-horse race from its original six-horse field. Jockey Manny Franco used Celtic Striker’s speed to his advantage over the late-running Sonneman, who had to be used early by jockey Jose Ortiz.

“Physically, he’s always been super talented,” said Handal, who trains Celtic Striker for Conner Foley’s Imperial Racing. “His mental game is what’s taken a little while to put it all together and focus on racing. I put blinkers on him to get focused and he’s just starting to figure out what his job is.”

Celtic Striker, earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure for the Easy Goer.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch