Comebacking Win Win Win part of large, deep field in First Defence Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Sunday’s $80,000 First Defence Stakes at Belmont Park seemed like a logical and potentially soft spot for trainer Mike Trombetta to bring Win Win Win back to the races. While the seven-furlong turf stakes is logical, it is anything but soft.

In this post COVID-19 world, where horsemen are playing catchup with some of their runners, the First Defence drew a field of 14 for the turf, 12 of whom are stakes winners.

“I’m not surprised,” Trombetta said. “I know how hard it is to get these horses in, especially the ones that don’t have [allowance] conditions. We all have the same problem. There’s a fraction of the races that used to be available.”

In the First Defence, Win Win Win will be making his first start since he won the Manila Stakes here last year in his first try on turf. He ran a mile in a very fast 1:31.56. Trombetta and owner Charlotte Weber, whose Live Oak Plantation owns Win Win Win, opted to put the son of Hat Trick away, noting the colt was starting to show fatigue from having been in training for two years.

Win Win Win has nine workouts since March 28 and Trombetta said, “He’s definitely ready to run.”

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While the First Defence has a lot of horses, it does not have a lot of speed. The mare Jakarta could potentially be the speed if she runs. Jakarta, who won the off-the-turf Powder Break Stakes going a mile at Gulfstream Park on May 16, was also entered to run in Saturday’s Grade 3 Intercontinental Stakes against her own sex going seven furlongs.

If Jakarta doesn’t run Sunday, Vici or Skyler’s Scramjet, who has never raced on turf, could be the speed.

Seismic Wave and Sombeyay are logical contenders in the First Defence. Seismic Wave, trained by Bill Mott, is 2 for 2 going a mile, including a victory in the English Channel Stakes here last October. He was entered in an allowance at Gulfstream last Sunday but scratched when that race came off the turf.

Sombeyay, trained by Todd Pletcher, won the Grade 3 Canadian going a mile at Gulfstream in February and was second to stablemate Social Paranoia in the Grade 3 Appleton on March 28.

Therapist, a New York-bred son of Freud, will be making his first start since a fourth-place finish in allowance company last October. Therapist is 2 for 3 at seven furlongs, including a victory in the Elusive Quality Stakes here last year. He will have to overcome the outside post in this bulky field, but does have Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons.

“He loves seven-eighths at Belmont,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “Irad rides him great. We’re not ducking anybody.”

Trainer Chad Brown sends out the uncoupled entry of Flavius, fourth in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale, and Delaware, a Group 3 winner in Europe last year.

Completing the field are Nicodemus, trying turf for the first time; Honor Up, a dirt stakes winner who won on turf in 2018; Hawkish; Majestic Dunhill; and Lonhtwist.