Step Dancer may get proper pace setup in first try vs. older horses
ELMONT, N.Y. – The 3-year-old Step Dancer, a New York-bred who was an open-company stakes winner at Belmont Park last fall, will take on older horses for the first time in Thursday’s second-level allowance feature for statebreds scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf at Belmont Park.
Step Dancer, trained by Barclay Tagg, was a debut winner against New York-breds last summer at Saratoga at odds of 24-1. After running third in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes in early October, Step Dancer came back four weeks later to win the Awad Stakes at the distance of Thursday’s race.
In his 3-year-old debut, at Gulfstream Park, Step Dancer got away slowly and could not make any headway, finishing last of eight in the Cutler Bay Stakes, but beaten only 4 1/4 lengths.
Step Dancer is most effective when he has some pace in which to close, and the potential for that exists Thursday in what figures to be an eight-horse field following the scratches of three main-track-only entrants.
“I think he likes to settle and make a run,” Tagg said. “He looked happy doing it that way when he won that little stake.”
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Javier Castellano rides Step Dancer, who will race on the anti-bleeding medication Lasix for the first time.
Klickitat, a 5-year-old son of First Samurai, was beaten just a head in this same condition going a mile here last Oct. 1. In five starts over Belmont’s turf, Klickitat has four seconds and a third.
Klickitat, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, has had his most success when racing on or close to the pace. Eric Cancel rides Klickitat from post 5.
Good Old Boy returns to New York-bred company for the first time since he won a first-level allowance race here in October. That followed a third-place finish behind Klickitat last summer at Saratoga.
Good Old Boy, trained by Mike Maker, has recorded two of his five career wins at Belmont. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides.
Dr. Shane, an 8-year-old gelding by Freud, is one of three entered for the optional claiming price of $45,000. He had a win and two seconds this winter at Gulfstream racing at the $16,000 claiming level and is another who figures to be forwardly placed after breaking from the rail under Luis Saez.
Cold Hard Cash and Just Right have been competitive at this level on dirt. Both are trying turf for the first time.
Nutzforboltz and El Hermano complete the field on turf. Whistling Birds, Three Jokers, and Control Group are entered to run in the unlikely event this race is transferred to the dirt.
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