Economic Model, Destin gear up for summer stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Led by stakes winners Economic Model and Destin, a bevy of New York-based 3-year-olds put in workouts Saturday at Belmont Park as they gear up for the second half of the season.

Economic Model, the winner of the Easy Goer Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard, will get his second half of the year started in this coming Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont. On Saturday, he worked four furlongs in 48.94 seconds in company with Connect. The pair got their final quarter in 23.54 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.47 and six furlongs in 1:13.51.

Connect, a maiden winner on the Belmont Stakes undercard, is pointing to the $100,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga on July 29.

Economic Model is 3 for 5 with a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. His only poor performance was a last-place finish in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.

“It’s starting to prove out now that the Tampa race was just a matter of the horse not caring for the track,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He did no running in the race. Outside of that, the horse has been very consistent, showed up every time. He continues to gain strength, get stronger in his works.”

Also Saturday, Brown worked Gift Box and My Man Sam. Gift Box, a 4 1/2-length winner of an allowance race here May 26, is being pointed to the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 30 at Saratoga.

“Gift Box continues to do well,” Brown said. “He’s a horse we learned appreciates time between his starts. I remain comfortable training him up to the Jim Dandy based on what I’m seeing.”

My Man Sam, the Blue Grass Stakes runner-up who has not raced since finishing 11th in the Kentucky Derby, worked four furlongs in 48.80 seconds over the Belmont training track. He went in company with Billy’s Kitten.

Brown had thought about running My Man Sam in the Ohio Derby on June 25 but wasn’t happy with the colt’s energy level. That has changed in the last few workouts.

“From what I saw the last two weeks, particularly today, I think his energy level is coming back and he’s moving in the right direction,” Brown said.
Brown said My Man Sam’s next start will be at Saratoga either in a first-level allowance race, the Curlin, or the Jim Dandy.

Destin, the Tampa Bay Derby winner, worked four furlongs Saturday in 48.24 seconds over the training track, his first breeze since losing the Belmont Stakes by a nose to Creator.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Destin likely will make his next start in the Jim Dandy.

“The Travers is the main goal, and probably the best of way getting there is to run in the Jim Dandy, but it’s not etched in stone,” Pletcher said. “That’s what we’re leaning towards.”

Pletcher said he thought Destin was very enthusiastic in Saturday’s work, which was done in company with Caribbean.

“I thought he was full of run throughout,” Pletcher said. “I wanted to keep him from doing too much. He’s coming off a mile-and-a-half race, and he’s not running until the end of the month.”

Stradivari, fifth in the Belmont, worked four furlongs in 49.40 seconds in company with Circus Performer. Pletcher said Stradivari is likely to run in the Curlin.

“We were pretty aggressive with him after trying to play catch-up and running in the Preakness and Belmont,” Pletcher said. “Maybe taking a half-step back with him might be the best way to get to the Travers. The Curlin can be a tricky race. It can come up with a good horse or two, but that’s the way we’re leaning.”

Anchor Down, the runner-up to Frosted in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, worked four furlongs in 49.40 seconds Saturday and is being pointed to this Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship.

Prior to the Met Mile, Anchor Down won the Grade 3 Westchester going a mile here. The Belmont Sprint Championship is run at seven furlongs.

“He seems to like Belmont; he’s run well here pretty consistently throughout his career,” Pletcher said. “His last two races at Belmont have been pretty good. This race, while not ideal, might be the best option.”

Among the horses Anchor Down will face in the Belmont Sprint Championship is Private Zone, the winner of that race last year.