Poker requires ace in the hole

ELMONT, N.Y. – It typically doesn’t take a Grade 1 horse to win the Grade 3 Poker Stakes at Belmont Park. It might this year.

Fortunately for Chad Brown he has a three-time Grade 1 winner in Raging Bull, who is using Sunday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Poker as a bridge to a return to Grade 1 company later this year.

Raging Bull, who has raced in 12 consecutive Grade 1 stakes, and the Grade 1-winning mare Oleksandra top a field of nine entered for the one-mile Poker, which highlights Sunday’s 10-race Father’s Day card.

Raging Bull kicked off his 6-year-old campaign with a solid two-length victory in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland on April 9, a race in which he was kept a little bit closer by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. than he had been in some of his previous races.

“I encouraged Irad to help him out of the gate a little bit,” Brown said. “This horse can sometimes not help with his early position. If you drop the reins on him, he’ll fall back a little bit. I encouraged him to try to leave the gate with a purpose and he did a great job.”

Brown was originally targeting the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 31. But travel issues – specifically the lack of a true equine charter flight – prompted Brown and owner Peter Brant to stay home and run in the Poker.

Brown and Brant have also entered the French-bred Veronesi – absent from the races since September 2019 – in the field to perhaps provide some early pace.

Brown also has entered Front Run the Fed in the Poker. He is coming off a head loss to Casa Creed in the Elusive Quality, a result that looks better after Casa Creed came back to win the Grade 1 Jaipur here on Belmont Stakes Day.

“That horse got sick on me,” said Brown, who was thinking of running Front Run the Fed in the Jaipur. “He’s versatile. I’m not afraid to run him at six, but he can run a mile.”

Get Smokin finished eighth in the Maker’s Mark but came back to win the Seek Again here on May 22. Get Smokin was able to control the pace that day. With Vetronesi and Monmouth shipper Raased in this field, Get Smokin won’t get loose. Trainer Tom Bush doesn’t believe Get Smokin has to have the lead to be successful.

“I don’t want to be in a speed duel ever again,” Bush said.

The Poker became plan B for Oleksandra after the turf came up on the softer side for the Jaipur, from which she was scratched. She is 3 for 3 at Belmont, with all three wins coming at six furlongs.

The New York-bred Sanctuary City has reeled off three consecutive wins, but is taking a significant step up in class Saturday

Penalty won an allowance race here on May 14, beating Chewing Gum who came back to run second in the Just a Game.

Tell Your Daddy, third in the Elusive Quality, completes the field.