Phileas Fogg targets Excelsior

Phileas Fogg, the eight-length winner of the Queens County on Dec. 29, worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 on Wednesday morning over the Belmont Park training track as he prepares for a start in the $150,000 Excelsior Stakes on April 5.

Claimed by Gus Rodriguez for $62,500 on July 13, Phileas Fogg has won 3 of 4 starts for Rodriguez and Jupiter Stable. He had a three-race winning streak snapped in a no-condition allowance race Jan. 25, when he was beaten a neck by Curbstone.

“I was disappointed that we lost that race,” Rodriguez said. “I felt the racetrack was against us. Our horse is a speed horse, and I thought it favored closers.”

The Excelsior will be run at 1 1/4 miles this year after having been run at 1 1/8 miles for the last several runnings. Rodriguez said he’s fine with the added distance.

“He can run all day,” Rodriguez said. “The way he works and the way he gallops out, I got no problem going a mile and a quarter.”

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