Devamani entered for tag in turf feature
After running hot and cold in a series of graded stakes during the past year and a half, Devamani comes up tagged for $80,000 in Thursday’s Belmont feature, a third-level allowance with a claiming option scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.
Devamani ran arguably the best race of his life when taking the Grade 2 Knickerbocker over yielding ground at Belmont in October 2020. Following a six-month absence, he finished fourth in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy last May and then captured the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes in June, after which he went to the sidelines again.
When returning to action Feb. 5, Devamani wound up sixth in a quality edition of the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes, from which Shirl’s Speight exited to take the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland. He finished on the edges again in fifth most recently in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic at Fair Grounds.
Trevor McCarthy will ride Devamani for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who also entered Sifting Sands.
Sifting Sands put together a productive 2021 campaign, including back-to-back victories at Saratoga in a first-level allowance and the restricted Better Talk Now Stakes. He ran seventh in the Grade 2 Hill Prince in October at Belmont and has been idle since an eighth-place finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in late November at Del Mar.
Manny Franco, who was aboard for the Spa scores, has the mount on Sifting Sands.
Forty Under also is ducking out of graded stakes company to compete for $80,000. Trained by Mike Maker, the 6-year-old won the listed Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes on Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds, after which he missed the board in a pair of graded stakes there.
Safe Conduct got his 15 minutes of fame when winning last year’s $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine. The 4-year-old is winless in four starts since that 1 1/4-mile Tapeta route for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds and has been freshened since coming up empty after leading the way in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida on March 5 at Gulfstream.
Trainer Phil Serpe is optimistic that a more mature Safe Conduct could have a say in the outcome.
“He was always a big horse, even as a 2-year-old, and a very aggressive horse with a lot of energy,” Serpe said. “He’s settled down a little bit, which is good, and he’s filled out. It’s not that he’s gotten taller, but he’s filled out. Turf horses really get to be their best when they’re 4 and 5 years old and fully grown.”
Kinenos closed furiously for second after getting away slowly the last time he saw action in a Sept. 16 allowance/optional claimer here going a 1 1/4 miles. At this stage of his career, 1 1/16 miles seems on the short side for the Brad Cox trainee.
Rounding out the field in the third race are It’s a Gamble and main-track-only entrants Zoomer and Pioneer Spirit.