Guns Loaded gets more ground in Jaipur
ELMONT, N.Y. – Sure, Doug O’Neill would have preferred to be at Belmont Park on Saturday with Nyquist trying to win the Triple Crown, but while the Kentucky Derby winner has gone back home to California, O’Neill has come to New York anyway. He has four horses entered on the Belmont card, including three in graded stakes, with Donworth set for the Metropolitan Handicap, Mrazek in the Woody Stephens, and Guns Loaded racing in the Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur over six furlongs on turf.
The Jaipur might be a turf sprint, but like a 3-year-old coming to the Belmont for the longer distance, Guns Loaded is here for the six furlongs. Claimed for a mere $32,000 last December, Guns Loaded was gelded at around the same time and subsequently won 3 of 4 starts going 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course, but broke slowly from an outside draw and never really had a chance on Kentucky Oaks Day at Churchill, still finishing creditably for fifth in the five-furlong Turf Sprint.
“His last race was a little too short,” O’Neill said. “He’s doing well, so while we know going into this it’s a solid race, I do believe with a good trip, he can get it done.”
It’s a solid race with a bulky 14-horse field, and there are bound to be tales of woe when the dust has settled. But if Mario Gutierrez gets Guns Loaded away cleanly this time, he can stay in the clear and out of potential trouble to his inside.
Either Ready for Rye or A Lot could be favored. A Lot, who makes his second start for trainer Chad Brown, mainly has been a miler, but he has run well on the Belmont course and successfully turned back to seven furlongs April 30 to win the $100,000 Elusive Quality.
“When they turned for home last time, he was right there, and that gives me reason to believe the horse would be able to cut back a little further,” Brown said.
Ready for Rye does just fine at six furlongs and returns to turf for the first time since running well below his best form when seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last fall. Trainer Tom Albertrani said his connections have an eye on the BC Turf Sprint again this year at Santa Anita, and it’s a fair guess that a sodden autumn grass course at Keeneland wasn’t ideal for Ready for Rye. Ready for Rye won his two other grass starts, the firm going this weekend should suit him, Albertrani said the gelding is training with verve, and he is tactically versatile, capable of leading, pressing, or stalking.
It seems unlikely that Ready for Rye would lead in the Jaipur given the presence of Green Gratto, Rocket Heat, and Pure Sensation. A few others to consider: Green Mask, who came late to just miss catching A Lot in the Elusive Quality; Mosler, third in the Elusive Quality and perhaps not fully exposed on turf; and Commute, who will be a price and has only recently been switched to one-turn turf racing by trainer Mark Casse.