Last Gunfighter works for Suburban

ELMONT, N.Y. – Last Gunfighter, the winner of the Mountainview Handicap at Penn National in his seasonal debut May 31, returned to the work tab over the weekend as he prepares for the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park on July 5.

Last Gunfighter worked a half-mile in 48.32 seconds Sunday over the Belmont main track in company with the streaking New York-bred Zivo, the recent winner of the Commentator Stakes.

Last Gunfighter won the Mountainview by a nose over Valid. It was Last Gunfighter’s first start since he won the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup last Nov. 30.

“He ran well – bit of a wide trip,” trainer Chad Brown said. “Gutted out a nice win. We were proud of the horse. Hopefully, it sets up well for the Suburban.”

Last year, Last Gunfighter finished second in the Suburban to the Belmont Park horse-for-course Flat Out. This year, he won’t have to face Flat Out, but he will have to run 1 1/4 miles because the Suburban has been restored to that distance after having been run at 1 1/8 miles from 2010-13.

“The mile and a quarter should suit him,” Brown said. “He’s won at the distance before. The timing of the race is good. We’ll take our chances. The horse seems to be training very well right now.”

Brown has made tentative plans for several of his other stakes horses. Real Solution, the winner of the Grade 1 Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day, likely will just train up to the Arlington Million on Aug. 17, Brown said. Last year, Real Solution ran third in the Manhattan and then raced next in the Arlington Million, where he crossed the finish line second but was elevated to first by the stewards.

Brown said Bobby’s Kitten, the winner of the Penn Mile the same night that Last Gunfighter won, will be pointed to the $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational at 1 1/4 miles on July 5.

“A mile and a quarter might be a bit of a stretch, but right now, we’re training him as if he’s going to run in the Belmont Derby,” Brown said.

Brown said Normandy Invasion came out of his 10th-place finish in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap with “a pretty severe lung infection” and has not been back to the track yet. Brown said he hopes to return Normandy Invasion to training next week. He is uncertain where Normandy Invasion would run next.