Peace Chant tries to regroup

Trainer Doug O'Neill is shaking things up with Peace Chant, who has invaded from Southern California for Saturday's $50,000 Clem McSpadden Memorial Route 66 at Will Rogers Downs near Tulsa, Okla.

"We want to get his competitive spirit back going, and think this might be the spot," O'Neill said.

The Route 66 is one of two six-furlong stakes on the card. The other, the $50,000 Wilma Mankiller for fillies and mares, drew defending champ Miranda Diane.

Peace Chant is looking for his first win since taking last year's $100,000 Phoenix Gold Cup at Turf Paradise. Following that February race he ran in a handful of graded stakes, with his best effort a sixth-place finish to Vineyard Haven in the Grade 1 De Francis Dash. The ship to Will Rogers gets Peace Chant back on dirt following a turf allowance at Santa Anita in which he finished fifth on March 19.

"Being by War Chant, he likes just about anything," O'Neill said. "But his best numbers have been on dirt. I think for the meantime, we'll keep him sprinting on dirt."

Peace Chant will break from post 5 under Curtis Kimes.

"To me, he's a horse that wants to get settled," O'Neill said. "He's a real big, beautiful son of a gun. He wants to get settled into stride and make a run at them."

Peace Chant, who is out of the champion sprint mare Safely Kept, could get a nice stalking trip behind Distinguish, who won this race last year, and Fifth Date.