Micromanage can handle distance in Greenwood Cup

The two most logical winners of the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at 1 1/2 miles on the main track Monday are Micromanage, trained by Todd Pletcher, and Abraham, trained by Bill Mott.

Micromanage proved that he could handle marathon distances with his close second-place finish in the Grade 2 Brooklyn on June 7. He will actually be cutting back in distance for the $200,000 Greenwood off an 8 1/2-length victory in the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone at Saratoga. Joe Bravo will ride.

Abraham will be racing beyond nine furlongs for the first time in this race but is coming off consecutive front-running wins that suggest he can go farther. He must avoid going too quickly early at this longer distance. Junior Alavarado will be aboard.

A sleeper in the field is Lideris, whom trainer Peter Miller has shipped in from California. Lideris won the prestigious $500,000 Latino Americano in Peru in March. While his two U.S. starts have not gone well, Miller said this week that the horse is making progress in his training. It is notable that Miller ships him across the country.

“He’s got a lot of talent, and the mile and a half is not a problem for him,” Miller said. “We’re going to add some blinkers for this race and try to keep him more involved early. He’s been working really good in them.”

Martin Pedroza, who is in from California to ride Private Zone in the Turf Monster Handicap for trainer Doug O’Neill, has the mount. Lideris drew post 10 and must avoid getting hung wide thoughout.

Turf Amazon

A $200,000 purse for a filly-and-mare turf sprint is a lot, but Parx has gotten some bang for its buck in the five-furlong Turf Amazon, the first of the four Monday stakes. Five of the 12 entrants are coming off wins, and two others were second last out.

It looks like Quality Lass and Heaven Knows What will ensure a fast pace, which may set things up for the best late runners, who look to be Sweet Cassiopeia, a winner of 2 of her last 3, and Joya Real, who has won 4 of her last 5.

Quality Lass and Joya Real have a home-court advantage as they are stabled at Parx with trainers Lupe Preciado and Kathleen DeMasi, respectively.

Joya Real is particularly interesting, as she raced for as low as $20,000 claiming last year before working her way up the class ladder. DeMasi has sprinted her on turf in her last two starts, and she has won both, including the Fort Monmouth Stakes.

Jewel of a Cat, trained by Ben Perkins Jr., comes off a strong effort at Saratoga in the Caress Stakes. In contention throughout, she bid for the lead in the final sixteenth but was outfinished by Free as a Bird. Free as a Bird has won 5 of her last 6 starts, including last Monday’s Smart N Fancy Stakes at Saratoga.