Neptune’s Storm targets La Jolla; Lady Prancealot points to San Clemente

California’s top 3-year-old grass runners – stablemates Neptune’s Storm and Lady Prancealot – will skip Grade 1 races July 6 at Belmont Park and instead remain home to point for stakes at Del Mar, trainer Richard Baltas said this week.

The gelding Neptune’s Storm was invited to the $1 million Belmont Derby after his second stakes victory in the $150,000 Cinema Stakes on June 2 at Santa Anita. The filly Lady Prancealot was invited to the $750,000 Belmont Oaks following her victory on June 1 in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes. Neither the gelding nor the filly will make the trip.

The owners of Neptune’s Storm chose to skip the Belmont Derby and aim for the Grade 3, $150,000 La Jolla Handicap on Aug. 4 at Del Mar.

“It was strictly an owner’s decision,” Baltas said.

Neptune’s Storm has won four races and $249,585 from nine starts.

Lady Prancealot “needed a little more time” after the Honeymoon,” Baltas said.

Baltas said she will point to the Grade 2, $200,000 San Clemente on July 20 at Del Mar. Lady Prancealot has won three races and $219,341 from 13 starts.

The Simon Callaghan-trained Hostess, a Grade 3 winner and runner-up in the Honeymoon last out, also will skip the Belmont Oaks to run in the San Clemente. Neither the Belmont Derby nor the Belmont Oaks will have a California starter unless the maiden Parsimony, the eighth reserve on the Oaks list, somehow makes the cut.