Marathon allowance suits Papy, Special Agent

ELMONT, N.Y. – At 1 1/2 miles, Papy has found a distance at which he excels. On turf, Special Agent has found a surface that he prefers.

On Wednesday, Papy and Special Agent head a full field set to go 1 1/2 miles over Belmont’s Widener turf course in a $77,000 first-level allowance that serves as the feature on a nine-race program. Eleven horses were entered to run on turf, and four more were entered in the event that the race is moved to the main track, an unlikely scenario given the favorable weather forecast.

Papy, a 4-year-old son of Dynaformer, is the only member of the field to have won going 1 1/2 miles, having taken a maiden race by 2 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream on March 19. After a runner-up finish in an off-the-turf, nine-furlong allowance race here May 2, Papy finished fourth behind dead-heat winners Legendary and Wings of Fortune going 1 1/4 miles on May 21, also at Belmont.

“There was not much pace, and that’s not his kind of race,” said Christophe Lorieul, assistant to trainer Christophe Clement. “With the right setup, I think he can be competitive. He’s one-paced; the mile and a half is a much better distance for him.”

Joel Rosario is named to ride Papy from post 7.

Special Agent is a wonderfully bred colt, being by Medaglia d’Oro out of the Kentucky Oaks- and Mother Goose-winning mare Secret Status, which makes him a half-brother to 2009 Belmont Stakes runner-up Dunkirk. Special Agent floundered in three starts on dirt and one on synthetic before trainer Shug McGaughey – “as a last resort,” he said – tried him on the turf, where he won a maiden race by a head May 18. The horse he beat, Sheldon, came back to win a maiden race at Belmont last Thursday.

“I think the distance and the grass helped him,” McGaughey said. “I was very pleased. I think we’re finally on the right track. I don’t think the [mile and a half] will be a problem.”

Javier Castellano rides Special Agent from post 3.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out the uncoupled entry of Upper East Side and Hines. Upper East Side, a son of Big Brown who brought $825,000 as a yearling, will attempt to stretch out from a victory in a one-mile maiden race on turf here May 21. He is a half-brother to the Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory.

Hines, a son of Tapit who cost $500,000, would be wheeling back in less than a week after finishing second to Sheldon here June 12.

Completing the field on turf are E Biscuit, Horvat Clan, Best Play, Maximus Mike, Happy Fella, Morning Calm, and Successful Brothers.