Morning Breez eyes stakes after debut score

Trainer Carlos Martin sent out Morning Breez for a good-looking debut win last Friday at Belmont Park. A New York-bred 2-year-old colt, Morning Breez came from just off the pace to score by 4 1/4 lengths while covering 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.16.

“He came out of the race great,” Martin said. “He has a lot of class, and we thought he might give us more in a race than we’d asked him for in the mornings.”

Morning Breez was a $65,000 buy at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale at Saratoga. He most likely would be a top contender in the $100,000 Rockville Centre, a six-furlong stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park on July 15, but that would give him only 22 days between starts.

“It might be a little soon, but we’ll see how’s he’s doing,” Martin said. “He’ll probably be ready for a work around July 6. The conventional trainer thinking now is to wait for the Sanford or the Funny Cide, but we’ll nominate to all three and see how it plays out.”

The $150,000 Sanford is scheduled for July 22 at Saratoga. Morning Breez would be taking on open company in the Grade 3 race at six furlongs. The $200,000 Funny Cide is a 6 1/2-furlong stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga on Aug. 25.

Morning Breez is by freshman sire Morning Line, a son of Tiznow who won the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby in 2010, the Grade 1 Carter the next year, and the Grade 2 Mervyn LeRoy at age 5. Morning Line had his first winner as a stallion June 9 at Santa Anita when the filly Surrender Now won a five-furlong maiden race for trainer P