Changes in scenery and equipment may put Neptune's Storm over the top in Hill Prince

ELMONT, N.Y. – The change of scenery is by necessity. The change of equipment is by design. Trainer Richard Baltas hopes both changes combine to put Neptune’s Storm over the top when it comes to winning a graded stakes.

Baltas is removing the blinkers from the Southern California-based Neptune’s Storm when he runs in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Hill Prince Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park. Neptune’s Storm is coming off neck losses in both the Grade 3 La Jolla and Grade 2 Del Mar Derby this summer at Del Mar.

“I thought he should have won the Del Mar Derby,” Baltas said Thursday by phone from California. “He was too eager. When he made the lead, he couldn’t hold the rest of them off. Maybe he needs to settle a little more. When I first got him, he was a little bit lazy. Now, he’s just the opposite.”

Baltas first got Neptune’s Storm in the spring and he immediately won two listed stakes – the Singletary and the Cinema, both at Santa Anita. The Cinema was at the Hill Prince distance of 1 1/8 miles.

Baltas said he sent Neptune’s Storm to New York because there wasn’t a suitable race for 3-year-olds on the turf in California. Ricardo Santana Jr. rides Neptune’s Storm from post 8 in the nine-horse field.

A Thread of Blue, winner of the Saratoga Derby in August, and Henley’s Joy, winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Derby in July, are both cutting back in distance for the Hill Prince. A Thread of Blue could be the primary speed of the race under Luis Saez. He stole the Saratoga Derby on the front end at 1 3/16 miles before fading to fourth in the Jockey Club Derby at 1 1/2 miles here on Sept. 7.

Henley’s Joy was a perfect-trip winner of the Belmont Derby before running fifth in both the Saratoga Derby and Jockey Club Derby.

Digital Age is also cutting back in distance and could be the horse to beat for trainer Chad Brown. He won the Columbia Stakes at Tampa going a mile and the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill going 1 1/16 miles before finding the distances of NYRA’s Turf Trinity series just a little too far.

Digital Age is trained by Chad Brown, who also sends out Standard Deviation, winner of two listed stakes at Monmouth Park, including the Jersey Derby.

Seismic Wave may have also been compromised by the longer distances in the Belmont Derby and Saratoga Derby. He ran an improved race, with trouble, when finishing third behind Global Access in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga on Aug. 31. Global Access came back to win the Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine last Saturday.

Uncle Benny, trained by Jason Servis, attempts 1 1/8 miles for the first time. He has won two stakes going six furlongs at Belmont and was beaten only a half-length going a mile in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs.

Though he ran a bit spotty, Bourbon War finished second in the Better Talk Now Stakes for trainer Mark Hennig in his turf debut.

Taos, a listed winner in France, completes the field.