Layoff unlikely to trouble Your Love
Your Love has won all three of her Belmont Park starts and will try to run that string to four when she starts as the favorite in Thursday’s featured third race.
Your Love hasn’t raced since a solid second-place finish Nov. 11 at Laurel in the $100,000 Safely Kept, but for one thing, Chad Brown trains her, and Brown is aces with layoff runs; and for another, Your Love has logged miles and miles of workouts preparing for her 4-year-old debut. Her first published work this year came March 26 at Palm Meadows, her most recent Sunday at Belmont, and Your Love has not missed a beat during that long pattern.
That’s the outside perspective. From the inside, Brown (who is 60-25-13-8 with dirt favorites the last two years at Belmont) likes what he’s seen from Your Love’s training.
“She’s had a nice rest, matured quite a bit. I really like the way she’s training, this horse. She’s got a chance to develop into a solid stakes horse this year,” Brown said.
How high Your Love rises remains an open question. She won her maiden, a first-level allowance, and a second-level allowance in her Belmont starts last year, but was found wanting with no apparent excuse when sixth in the Grade 1 Test. While Your Love finished second last out at Laurel, she proved no match for victorious Berned, a good horse who is less than elite.
Your Love, of course, doesn’t have to be Ruffian to win Thursday. She’s drawn on the rail with Javier Castellano named, and post 1, given the filly’s natural stalking style, shouldn’t be an issue.
Nisha, drawn in post 2, figures to set sail for the lead and would be dangerous if able to clear and relax under Jose Ortiz. One of two in the race for trainer Jeremiah Englehart, Nisha rattled off back-to-back, wire-to-wire allowance wins over the winter at Aqueduct. Englehart’s second is Luz Mimi, who looks fairly well exposed after 20 races and not quite good enough if the fastest in the race fire. Quick Release, who has the best chance to keep Nisha honest, and Yorkiepoo Princess complete the field.
New Money Honey has two options
New Money Honey, the multiple Grade 1-winning turf filly, has a couple of major race options following her June 21 Belmont allowance win after a layoff.
Brown, who trains New Money Honey for eFive Thoroughbreds, said the choice will be between the Diana at Saratoga and the Beverly D. at Arlington. Those races are three weeks apart this year, but Brown said New Money Honey was unlikely to start in both. The Diana, Brown said, appeals because New Money Honey can race out of her own stall, but the 1 3/16-mile distance of the Beverly D. better suits New Money Honey than the Diana’s 1 1/8 miles, her trainer believes.
