Chilean champ Il Campione to bypass Manhattan

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has shuffled his lineup for Saturday’s Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont Park, subtracting one major player and adding two lower-profile contenders.

Already set to run Big Blue Kitten in the Grade 1 race at 1 1/4 miles on turf, Brown was strongly considering making the Manhattan the North American debut of the Chilean champion Il Campione. However, Brown has decided to hold Il Campione out of the Manhattan and point him to the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes on June 13. Meanwhile, he has decided to add Hyper and Slumber to the Manhattan mix.

In Chile, Il Campione won eight of 10 starts with one second-place finish, running distances from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/2 miles. In his only other race, Il Campione dumped the rider at the start of the St. Leger in Chile last December.

Purchased privately by Lane’s End, Il Campione, a son of Scat Daddy, came to Brown shortly after he won the Chilean Derby in February. He trained well enough for Brown to consider putting him in the Manhattan, but Brown has opted to take a more conservative approach.

“It’s his first race for us,” Brown said. “He was brought here to campaign over a two-year span. Hopefully, there are more outstanding races to win. I think he fit with those horses, but he’s just starting his career over here.”

Brown said the Poker, at one mile, “is a slightly easier spot at a kinder distance.”

“It might be a better starting point for him to move forward off of,” Brown said.

Big Blue Kitten, a three-time Grade 1 winner, kicked off his 7-year-old season with a 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy at Belmont on May 2.

Hyper, who like Big Blue Kitten is owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, came off an 18-month layoff to run third in the Grade 1 Man o’ War. Slumber, still seeking his first stakes win, was beaten a neck in the Bowl Game Stakes last October. He is winless in three starts this year, with two second-place finishes.

Grade 1 winners Finnegans Wake, Twilight Eclipse, and Jack Milton are other contenders in the Manhattan field. Magic Artist, War Dancer, Biz The Nurse and General a Rod also were expected to be entered.