Highly Respected goes a little longer; good effort may earn a Dwyer start

ELMONT, N.Y. – Early Voting, Jack Christopher, and Zandon are the standouts among trainer Chad Brown’s 3-year-old dirt division, but there seemingly is depth on the roster. Chief among them is Highly Respected, who looks to earn his way back to stakes company when he runs in a first-level allowance going one mile Friday at Belmont Park.

High Respected was a debut winner going six furlongs Feb. 26 at Aqueduct. In his second start, the Grade 3 Bay Shore at seven furlongs on April 9, Highly Respected split horses at the five-sixteenths pole under Manny Franco, opened a two-length lead at the eighth pole, but lost a nasty bob at the wire, falling by a nose to Wit while finishing 4 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Life Is Great.

“He ran great, I thought he was home, lost a bad bob to a good horse,” Brown said. “He’s only run twice, both times he’s run great.”

Friday, Highly Respected will be stretching out an additional furlong to a mile. Success in this spot could potentially lead to a start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer at a mile here July 2.

“I think it makes sense to try to stretch him out and see how far he can go,” said Brown, who has Franco to ride from to post 5.

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Galt, a full brother to the champion filly Songbird, is dropping out of graded stakes company and shortening up to a one-turn mile for trainer Bill Mott. This will be his first start since finishing fifth, eight lengths behind Epicenter in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby going 1 3/16 miles on March 26.

Galt’s lone win from six starts came in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on Dec. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

Javier Castellano rides Galt from post 2.

Varatti was a debut winner going 6 1/2 furlongs last September, beating, among others, Mo Donegal, who has since returned to win a pair of Grade 2 stakes and is expected to be favored in the Bemlont Stakes here June 11.

According to trainer Todd Pletcher, Varatti had some minor setbacks that kept him away from the races until April 13 when, at 3-5, he finished a well-beaten second to 73-1 Conagher. Pletcher felt Varatti was simply outfooted that day and he’s looking forward to racing him a mile.

“That should help him,” Pletcher said. “We won’t have to rush him like we did at Keeneland. We had to hustle him the whole way, and it seemed like it was hard to make up much ground for some reason.”

Totalizer is the only two-time winner in the race and is the only one of the nine entered for the optional $80,000 claiming tag. Originally in the barn of Steve Asmussen, Totalizer make his first start for Mike Maker after owner Jordan Wycoff purchased him for $57,000 out of Keeneland’s horses of racing age sale in April.

Eagle in Love, Unbridled Bomber, Dominican Pioneer, Constitutionalawyer, and Cathedral Beach complete the field.