Expansion headed to Manhattan

Expansion, winner of the Grade 2 Red Smith at Aqueduct last fall, is being pointed to the Grade 1 Manhattan here on Belmont Stakes Day, trainer Chad Brown said Thursday.

In two starts this year, Expansion finished fifth in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream and then fourth in the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland. Brown said he believes Expansion had significant trouble in the Elkhorn until too late.

"He just got buried on the rail," Brown said. "I think the horse is in absolute peak condition health-wise and I like the cutback to a mile and quarter from a mile and a half."

Brown said Silver Timber, his multiple stakes winning turf sprinter, is likely to make his next start in the Wolf Hill Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 5. The Wolf Hill could be a prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 Jaipur here on July 17. Silver Timber won the Jaipur last year. This year, Silver Timber won the Grade 3 Shakertown at Keeneland on April 10 and the Grade 3 Churchill Downs Turf Sprint on April 30.

Day of Destiny, a 3-year-old maiden winner in his second start, has recently resumed training for Brown in Saratoga. Brown said the horse underwent knee surgery shortly after his maiden win at Gulfstream in February. Day of Destiny is jogging at Saratoga and could be ready to run at some point during that track's summer meet.

Tiz the One, another talented 3-year-old trained by Brown, has been turned out at Dell Ridge Farm recovering from an ankle injury. Brown said the injury did not require surgery, and was detected a day before the colt was to have shipped to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby.

No excuses for Seattle Smooth

Seattle Smooth, who finished second to Funny Moon as the favorite in last Saturday's Grade 2 Shuvee, came out of the race fine, according to trainer Tony Dutrow.

Seattle Smooth, who had a five-race winning streak snapped in the Shuvee, was making her first start since winning the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps last June 13. Still, Dutrow said he didn't think Seattle Smooth needed the race.

"No, I don't think that," Dutrow said. "I'm not offering any excuses. I don't know why she did not run like she had run in the past."

Though Dutrow did not say what might be next for Seattle Smooth, he did say "we're going to go forward and see if we can do better."

Dutrow said Honest Man, who finished fourth in the Westchester on April 30, came out of his last race in good order and is a likely candidate for the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on May 31.