Safe Conduct points to Gio Ponti
Safe Conduct, the Queen's Plate winner, worked an easy half-mile in 52.66 seconds over the Belmont turf Sunday morning. He is pointing to the $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes scheduled for Nov. 26 at Aqueduct, trainer Phil Serpe said.
Following his victory in the Queen's Plate, Safe Conduct finished eighth in the Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine. Serpe believes Safe Conduct was hampered by the soft ground created by rain the day before the race.
“He does not seem to like too much give in the ground,” Serpe said. “Of course, in late November you can get that type of course. If that’s the case, we’ll be looking at another spot.”
Serpe said that by waiting for the Gio Ponti, it gives him a chance to freshen the horse following a busy campaign that included two ships to Canada. The Breeders' was run on Oct. 3.
* Public Sector earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure for his neck victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Hill Prince Stakes, his third consecutive victory.
Trainer Chad Brown said if all is well moving forward, Public Sector would be pointed to the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 27.
Brown won the Hollywood Derby last year with Domestic Spending. Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, which owns Domestic Spending, owns Public Sector.