Thin White Duke could get right setup in Belmont Turf Sprint
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Thin White Duke will attempt to parlay his memorable summer season into a productive fall on Saturday, when he chases after his second straight stakes win in the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint at Aqueduct.
The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up is one of six stakes on the card. Other turf races include the Grade 3, $200,000 Waya. The AccuWeather forecast calls for a high of 67 degrees and a 79 percent chance of rain.
The Belmont Turf Sprint field of 12 includes defending winner Dancing Buck, as well as Big Invasion, who was second to Thin White Duke in the $145,000 Harvey Pack on Sept. 3 at Saratoga. Thin White Duke closed for a neck win and covered 5 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in a swift 1:02.18.
“Like a lot of us, I think he enjoys Saratoga,” said David Donk, who trains Thin White Duke. “He always runs well up there, but he’s run well here at Aqueduct. He’s in good form, good color. We’re hoping for the same kind of effort.”
The Beyer Speed Figure of 96 that Thin White Duke earned ranks as the second-best number of his career. It also is the second-highest last-race turf Beyer in the Belmont Turf Sprint. He won the Harvey Pack – previously called the Lucky Coin – for the second year in a row.
“Early in his career, he ran on the dirt,” Donk said. “He’s shown an affinity for the turf. We kind of played around with distances early in his career, kind of figured out he wants to be an off-the-pace sprinter.
“He’s been quite effective from five and a half to six furlongs and maybe going six [Saturday] will help us get a little more pace.”
Thin White Duke won a six-furlong allowance over good ground during the Belmont at Aqueduct meet last October. He could get the right setup Saturday, when he seeks to nail down his first graded win. Those who should be prominent include Dancing Buck, who set the pace in the Harvey Pack and finished fourth in his first start since November; Nothing Better, who put up quick fractions when just edged in a recent allowance at Aqueduct; and Pirate Rick, who moves back to turf after wiring his rivals in an allowance sprint on dirt at Pimlico.
Big Invasion, who also has natural speed, might have to call on that asset when he breaks from the rail in the large field. He is returning to the six-furlong distance over which he finished second in the Grade 1 Jaipur in June at Belmont Park. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and trainer Christophe Clement.
Jose Lezcano has the mount on Thin White Duke from post 9. The horse’s rivals also include his half-brother Yes and Yes. Phil Gleaves bred and co-owns both horses. His partners in Thin White Duke are Steven Crist, Ken deRegt, and Bryan Hilliard. Thin White Duke is a New York-bred by Dominus, and the four-time stakes winner leads Saturday’s field in earnings with $682,605.
Rematch in Waya
McKulick will attempt to turn the tables on Parnac in the Waya, which is for fillies and mares at 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf. The race drew a field of eight, with Movie Moxy and Peak Popularity entered for the main track only.
Parnac won the Grade 2 Flower Bowl by 1 3/4 lengths over runner-up McKulick on Sept. 2 at Saratoga. Parnac led throughout, while McKulick rallied from third. McKulick was the 2-5 favorite in the four-horse Flower Bowl.
“I thought she just got an unfortunate trip there in Saratoga last time,” trainer Chad Brown said. “We were in a run there where we had a lot of seconds and a lot of disappointing, unfortunate trips. That was one of them. There was no pace in the race, short field, it never felt good.”
McKulick is the class of the Waya field as a Grade 1 winner of $1.5 million. The daughter of Frankel is proven over the local turf, having won the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks at the Waya distance last September. Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard that afternoon, has the mount from post 5 for Klaravich Stables.
Personal Best – whose dam, War Flag, is a past winner of the Flower Bowl – enters the Waya off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Ladies Marathon. The Sept. 9 race was run over a European-style course at Kentucky Downs.
“It looked like she was gonna win at the head of the stretch, but she couldn’t climb the hill,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “It was very speed-favoring that day.”
Javier Castellano has the mount on the Grade 3 winner from post 4.
Dylan Davis will be aboard Parnac, who was a winner over the Aqueduct turf last October for Clement.
The field also includes Group 2 winner Romagna Mia, who was third last out in the Beverly D. at Colonial.
– additional reporting by David Grening
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