Peter Pan attracts only five

ELMONT, N.Y. – One week after winning his fourth Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert will try for the biggest race run for 3-year-olds this week when he starts Wolf Man Rocket in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park. The Peter Man is run at 1 1/8 miles around one turn.

The Peter Pan, the local prep for the Belmont Stakes on June 6, drew a field of only five. Trainer Todd Pletcher has the uncoupled entry of Two Weeks Off and Madefromlucky. Trainer Mark Casse supplemented Conquest Curlinate, while Bill Mott entered Tiz Shea D.

After running second in a pair of maiden races at Santa Anita, Wolf Man Rocket was sent by Baffert to Oaklawn Park, where he won the $100,000 Northern Spur Stakes on the same day that American Pharoah won the Arkansas Derby there.

Baffert said he was planning to run Wolf Man Rocket in the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness undercard, but that race is restricted to horses who haven’t won a stakes race.

“I wanted to run him two turns,” Baffert said. “But we’ll take him up there and see how he runs. If he runs well there, you could run back in the Belmont. It gives you plenty of options.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Wolf Man Rocket from the rail.

Casse probably wasn’t thrilled to see a Baffert-trained runner in the Peter Pan. He supplemented Conquest Curlinate, who was beaten a nose by the Baffert-trained Whiskey Ticket in the Grade 3 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne on April 18.

Two Weeks Off was a sharp allowance winner at Keeneland on April 4 in his first start of the year, and Madefromlucky finished fourth in the Arkansas Derby.

Pletcher did not enter Louisiana Derby runner-up Stanford, who was scratched from last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Pletcher cautioned that just because Stanford was not entered in the Peter Pan, “that doesn’t mean he’s running in the Preakness.”

Tiz Shea D, second in the Gotham and fifth in the Wood Memorial, drew post 5.

With only five in the field, the Peter Pan will be carded as race 3.

Saturday’s card is topped by the Grade 1 Man o’ War. In Saturday’s other stakes:

◗ Princess Violet, the winner of the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland in her last start, drew post 4 in a field of six entered for the Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian Stakes, the fourth race on the program. She will face Shayjolie, House Rules, Macha, Via Strata, and Wedding Toast. The latter two will run as a coupled entry for Godolphin Racing and Kiaran McLaughlin.

◗ In the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf, Discreet Marq drew the outside post in a seven-horse field. Discreet Marq has not raced since running third in the Grade 1 Matriarch last November.

From the rail out, the Beaugay field is J Wonder, Radiator, Recepta, Photo Call, Caroline Thomas, Testa Rossi, and Discreet Marq. The Beaugay will go as race 7.