Rivelli high on debut winner Strong Will

There have been three 2-year-old races at this Arlington meet, and leading trainer Larry Rivelli has won them all. The most recent came Sunday, when Strong Will, the 1-5 favorite, prevailed by 2 1/2 lengths.

Strong Will was the first winner for freshman sire Strong Mandate and cost owner Carolyn Wilson $775,000 at a 2-year-old auction this spring. He has been described by his trainer as “a man among boys.” He failed to win by an especially wide margin, but Rivelli believes the colt won despite the race’s 4 1/2-furlong distance, not because of it.

“I think he’s a route horse, and he won because he’s just more talented,” Rivelli said. “He’s one of those big, laid-back types – almost a lazy guy. He did that on his own. If they would have gone around again, he’d have won by 1,000 lengths. He didn’t even look like he was breathing hard.”

Rivelli already is looking ahead to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs this fall. He said he plans to follow the same path with Strong Will as he took last year with The Tabulator, who finished fifth in the BC Juvenile. That means Strong Will would make his next start in late July at Prairie Meadows in the Prairie Gold Juvenile at six furlongs, giving him a taste of dirt racing, before stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Iroquois Stakes in September at Churchill Downs.

The filly O’Keeffe, who won her debut May 27 by 1 1/2 lengths, also could be headed to Prairie Meadows for the Prairie Gold Lassie on the same program as the Prairie Gold Juvenile. Rivelli said he also was considering the My Dear Stakes at Woodbine for O’Keeffe, a daughter of Munnings, but was leaning toward Iowa.

“That might be a really good horse there,” Rivelli said.

Rivelli’s third debut 2-year-old winner, Echoes of Laughter, is a Florida-bred by the Florida stallion Iqbaal and is being freshened and pointed to the Florida Sire Stakes series at Gulfstream Park later this summer.

The Tabulator to Iowa Derby

The Tabulator got hooked and cooked, fading to seventh after chasing a hot pace in the Woody Stephens Stakes on the Belmont Stakes card, but he came out of the race in good shape, Rivelli said, and is being pointed to the $250,000 Iowa Derby on July 6 at Prairie Meadows.

The Tabulator has twice shipped from Chicago to Prairie Meadows and scored sharp stakes victories, including in the Golden Circle Stakes on May 3 to launch his 3-year-old campaign.

“That was a tough race in New York,” Rivelli said. “I think he’ll like the two turns and slower pace out there a lot better.”