Motion leaves door open to Belmont Stakes for Irish War Cry

ELMONT, N.Y. – While Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing are expected to bypass the Belmont Stakes, a familiar face from the Triple Crown trail may be re-entering the picture for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Irish War Cry, 10th in the Kentucky Derby, is expected to return to the work tab this weekend at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, and trainer Graham Motion said Wednesday he has not ruled out running the horse in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.

Motion pointed out that Irish War Cry beat Cloud Computing by seven lengths in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. He also defeated Preakness runner-up Classic Empire by 8 3/4 lengths in the Grade 2 Holy Bull at Gulfstream in February. Classic Empire has been mentioned as pointing to the Belmont.

“After this weekend, I had to think about it a little bit more and not just totally overlook it,” Motion said by phone from Fair Hill. “It’s a classic.”

Irish War Cry was sent off as the 4.80-1 second choice in the Derby, right behind Always Dreaming’s 4.70-1. Irish War Cry looked poised for a big effort, sitting third right off Always Dreaming and Battle of Midway until the field turned for home in the slop at Churchill Downs. While Always Dreaming and Battle of Midway went on, Irish War Cry did not and finished 10th, beaten 16 1/2 lengths.

“The more I look at the Derby, I feel like he didn’t run his race that day for whatever reason, whether the track or coming back after running such a big race in the Wood,” Motion said. “If he looks like he’s in great form, I owe it to him and the owners to think about it rather than just sort of overlooking it.”

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The major summer target for Irish War Cry remains the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 30. Isabelle de Tomaso, the owner of Irish War Cry, is the daughter of Amory Haskell, for whom the race is named. Motion noted that there are 50 days between the Belmont and the Haskell.

Motion said his initial thought was to give Irish War Cry a couple of easy weeks.

“I didn’t because he seemed to be in good form,” Motion said. “I jogged him for four or five days.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Cloud Computing returned to the track, jogging 1 1/2 miles on the Belmont training track, according to trainer Chad Brown. Always Dreaming was scheduled to return to the track Thursday, trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Neither Brown nor Pletcher was definitive on future plans for their classic winners, but the Belmont remains unlikely for both.

Brown said he would wait until after the weekend to speak with owners Seth Klarman and Bill Lawrence to finalize plans.

“Get the horse back moving again, see how he’s doing, think about it a little more,” Brown said. “Right now, I’m just noncommittal on a final decision.”

Brown and Pletcher are expected to have runners in the Belmont regardless of whether Cloud Computing and Always Dreaming sit it out. Brown said Wednesday that Twisted Tom, a winner of two listed stakes at Laurel, “is likely” for the Belmont even though he would need to be supplemented to the race for $75,000.

Pletcher said that Tapwrit, the Tampa Bay Derby winner who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby, is definite for the Belmont. Patch, 14th in the Kentucky Derby, is possible. Both of those horses will have a workout this weekend at Belmont.