Focus remains on Chief Wallabee in reshuffled Curlin Stakes
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The field has changed a bit, but the horse to beat remains the same as Chief Wallabee now meets seven rivals in the Sunday’s $150,000 Curlin Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.
The Curlin, restricted to 3-year-olds who have not won a graded stakes, was originally carded with six horses for Wednesday, but that day’s card was scrapped due to heavy rains. The race was opened up to original nominees and supplements, redrawn on Wednesday, and three new horses were entered while one original entrant was not.
Trainer Bill Mott has been pointing Chief Wallabee to the Curlin since the day after the horse finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes. After sending Chief Wallabee out against the crème de la crème of the 3-year-old division in four consecutive graded stakes – all defeats – Mott was just looking for a winnable spot for his colt, who finished fourth in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. The Curlin certainly looks like that.
“We need to give this horse a little better chance to win,” said Mott, who has won the Curlin twice, most recently in 2023 with Scotland. “I’d say, in the last four races, we probably ran against horses that are the best five 3-year-olds in the country, really.”
Chief Wallabee, a son of Constitution owned and bred by Mike and Katherine Ball, was fast-tracked onto the Triple Crown trail after winning his debut over The Puma in a seven-furlong maiden race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 10. In the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby, Chief Wallabee was narrowly beaten by Commandment. In the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, Chief Wallabee finished fourth behind Golden Tempo.
“Commandment, that horse is a pretty damn nice horse, and Golden Tempo, at 10 furlongs, he’s the best 3-year-old in North America,” Mott said.
The Curlin, at 1 1/8 miles, can be used as a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 29. Mott isn’t necessarily using it for that purpose, as he doesn’t think Chief Wallabee is a true mile-and-a-quarter horse.
Mott thought Chief Wallabee had a perfect trip in the Belmont Stakes.
“He was second by a head at the eighth pole and he gets beat eight lengths, which tells you that added furlong wasn’t for him,” Mott said.
Chief Wallabee, who originally had post 4, will now break from post 6. Blackout Time, runner-up to Ted Noffey in last fall’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, looms the main threat.
Blackout Time, wasn’t good enough to make it to the Triple Crown races and then was dealing with foot issues in the spring and early summer, including an abscess that forced him to scratch from the Grade 1 American Turf at Churchill Downs on May 2. Blackout Time came off a three-month layoff to win a first-level allowance by six lengths in the slop at Churchill on June 27.
“We had some foot issues back in the spring and early summer that we had to get sorted out, which are sorted out,” said trainer Kenny McPeek, who celebrates his 64th birthday on Sunday. “He’s got a chance to shine in the next couple of runs. We’ll give him a chance to prove himself at a higher level.”
Blackout Time, who had the rail Wednesday, now breaks from post 7 under Jose Ortiz.
Chad Brown, a six-time Curlin winner, sends out Sea Strike, who overcame a slow start to win his debut going six furlongs at Aqueduct in April. Brown then ran him in a sprint allowance race on Belmont Stakes Day, which he said was a mistake.
“He really wants to run longer,” Brown said.
Tiernanogue returns to dirt after making his last two starts on turf. He won a 1 1/4-mile maiden race on dirt in April at Churchill. Gulfy, claimed for $50,000 in February, most recently finished fourth in the Grade 3 Peter Pan.
Mount Vernon, a maiden winner on July 7 at Horseshoe Indianapolis for Cherie DeVaux; Fulmine, the Hutcheson Stakes winner going six furlongs in March; and Minorinconvenience, last in the Delaware Derby last out, are the three newcomers to the field.
Zihnal, fourth in the Indiana Derby, was not entered back and instead will point to the Grade 3, $400,000 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 8 at Mountaineer, trainer Jonathan Thomas said.