Private Vow leaps forward in Futurity

ELMONT, N.Y. - Steve Asmussen chose to run Private Vow in Saturday's Grade 2 at Belmont Park to find out sooner rather than later if he had a horse good enough to point to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile here late next month.

After rolling to a nine-length win in the $300,000 Futurity, Private Vow will be staying in town a little longer.

Despite a wide trip created in part because of a riderless horse running free on the inside, Private Vow dominated his rivals in the Futurity, winning under a hand ride by Jerry Bailey. Changing Weather, who was part of the early pace, settled for second, 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Dixiewink.

Union Course finished fourth, followed by Master of Disaster.

The race was affected at the start when Disco's Son stumbled leaving the gate and unseated Javier Castellano. Master of Disaster, under John Velazquez, and Changing Weather, under Edgar Prado, dueled through fractions of 22.49 and 45.72 seconds while a few paths off the rail.

Bailey was forced even wider aboard Private Vow as he tracked the leaders. Master of Disaster backed out of it at the five-sixteenths pole, and Changing Weather took a short-lived lead. Private Vow advanced toward Changing Weather turning for home and drew clear while following the riderless horse to the wire.

Private Vow, trained by Asmussen for owner Michael McCarty, covered the seven furlongs in 1:24.05 and returned $3.90 as the favorite.

"I'm sorry Javier came off, and I hope he's all right, but you couldn't map it out any better,'' Bailey said. "For a horse to set a pace like that on the other two and give me a lead [horse] turning for home, because my horse kind of messes around when he makes the lead, it was perfect.''

It was the third consecutive victory for Private Vow, a son of Broken Vow, who is now on target for the $1.5 million Juvenile here on Oct. 29. He may start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne here on Oct. 8.

"He came here to Belmont because if he belonged in the Breeders' Cup I didn't want him going anywhere else first, and that's what we're trying to get to,'' Asmussen said. "If I run him in the Champagne, it won't surprise.''

* Smokey Glacken ($5.20) took command just over a furlong into the race and rolled to an easy two-length score over Areek in the Grade 3, $109,100 Floral Park Handicap. Smokey Glacken, ridden by Velazquez and trained by Jimmy Jerkens, covered six furlongs in 1:10.26.