Our Caravan heads Peter Pan cast

ELMONT, N.Y. – Following Our Caravan’s 9 3/4-length victory in the Calder Derby on April 5, it would not have been surprising had his connections targeted the Preakness Stakes on May 17.

But owner Stuart Sobotnick and trainer Michael Dilger opted for the more conservative route and chose to run Our Caravan in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Our Caravan is the only stakes winner among seven 3-year-olds entered Wednesday in the Peter Pan, the local prep for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 7.

Our Caravan, a son of Daaher, won his debut last Dec. 13 by three lengths going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park. He stepped right into graded stakes company, finishing eighth in the Grade 2 Holy Bull on Jan. 25 and seventh in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 22. Equipped with blinkers for the first time, Our Caravan galloped to victory in the Calder Derby, defeating Tampa Bay Derby winner and possible Preakness entrant Ring Weekend.

“He always acted like he’s better than average,” Dilger said. “The speed bias at Gulfstream didn’t play to his strength. He didn’t have that early speed – at least he didn’t until he went to Calder.”

Our Caravan will break from post 6 under Jose Lezcano. The likely favorite for the Peter Pan will be Tonalist, who won a 1 1/8-mile maiden race at Gulfstream on Jan. 18 before finishing second in a first-level allowance Feb. 22, a race that produced next-out Grade 1 winners Constitution (Florida Derby) and Wicked Strong (Wood Memorial).

Joel Rosario will ride Tonalist from post 4.

Matterhorn, Fabulous Kid, Commissioner, Tapicero, and Irish You Well also entered.

Albano to skip Peter Pan

Albano, the runner-up in the Lecomte and Risen Star stakes during the winter at Fair Grounds, was withheld from the Peter Pan after not eating up Tuesday night and showing signs of illness Wednesday morning, according to Cindy Jones, the wife of trainer Larry Jones.

“They called me and said he left part of his supper, and he always cleans up his feed tub,” Cindy Jones said. “He had some diarrhea this morning, so we pulled the plug. We had a lot of 2-year-olds get sick, so he may have gotten something from them.”

Cindy Jones said Larry is improving from injuries sustained in a training accident at Delaware Park on April 19 in which he fractured ribs and bruised a lung.

“Each day he’s showing a little more improvement,” Cindy Jones said. “But it’s still a long road.”

Larry Jones visited his Delaware barn to watch a couple of horses breeze Sunday, “and it took its toll on him,” Cindy Jones said. “He’s not in a big hurry to go back now.”

Larry Jones had a doctor’s appointment Monday and was told by doctors to stay away from the barn for another two weeks.

“[Larry] said, ‘Are you sure it’s not three?’ ” Cindy Jones said. “He knows it’s going to be a long haul. His ribs hurt so bad, his shoulder hurts, but his mind is fine – there’s no problem there at all.”