Ocean Knight prepping for Discovery
ELMONT, N.Y. – Ocean Knight kicked off his 3-year-old season this year with a graded stakes victory, and his connections hope there’s another one with his name on it before 2015 comes to a close. On Friday, Ocean Knight will try to earn his way into next month’s Grade 3 Discovery when he heads an eight-horse field in an $80,000, second-level allowance race at Belmont Park.
Ocean Knight and Face of Winner are the only two 3-year-olds in the race, which is at a mile around one turn. The Discovery on Nov. 11 at Aqueduct is run at 1 1/8 miles around two turns.
Ocean Knight won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis last January at Tampa Bay Downs before finishing seventh in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby. His subsequent training wasn’t to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s liking, so the horse was given ample time off.
Ocean Knight returned in a second-level allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 30, finishing second to Waco, who was winning his third race from four starts at Saratoga.
McLaughlin felt that jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. might have been a little too confident on Ocean Knight, who was three to four wide in upper stretch.
“I think he thought he had him anytime turning for home,” McLaughlin said, adding that Waco “loves Saratoga, and he beat us that day. We ran great off of a long layoff, and he should come on from the run, and he wants to go further.”
Ocean Knight is well drawn in post 7 in a field that appears to have plenty of speed.
Face of Winner upset a first-level allowance at Saratoga at 22-1. That was a 1 1/8-mile race around two turns. Prior to that, he had a win and a second in one-turn-mile races at Gulfstream. Most recently, he finished third at this condition going 1 1/16 miles over a muddy track.
The front-running Face of Winner could encounter other speed in Celebrated Talent and Day of Fury, who is coupled with Mordi’s Miracle for trainer David Jacobson.
KEY CONTENDERS
Ocean Knight (Last 3 Beyers: 96-47-93)
◗ Over the last three years, McLaughlin is only 10 for 76 with an $0.86 return on investment in the second start off a layoff while going from a sprint to a route, according to DRF Formulator.
Face of Winner (Last 3 Beyers: 82-91-82)
◗ Won a one-mile maiden race by 14 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream in April before getting beat a neck in a one-turn-mile allowance in June that marked his first start against winners.
◗ Reunited with John Velazquez, aboard for a 1 1/2-length win at Saratoga on July 26.
Just Call Kenny (Last 3 Beyers: 90-83-90)
◗ Drops back into a second-level allowance after running third in a third-level allowance at Monmouth Park on Aug. 22.
◗ He has lost his last 11 starts since winning the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream in January 2014.