Uncle Benny looking for fair shot in Allied Forces Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Uncle Benny’s 3-year-old debut couldn’t have gone any worse.

Breaking from the rail in the $100,000 Mahony Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 7, his first start in nine months, Uncle Benny stumbled at the break, was rushed up outside of horses, then understandably faded in the stretch to finish seventh, beaten 7 1/4 lengths by winner Archidust.

Sunday, Uncle Benny hopes for better luck when he makes his second start of his 3-year-old season in the $100,000 Allied Forces Stakes at Belmont Park. The Allied Forces, scheduled for six furlongs on turf, is the feature on a nine-race card that begins at 1 p.m.

It was at Belmont last October when Uncle Benny made his turf debut, winning the $150,000 Futurity Stakes going six furlongs over the Widener turf course. He used that as a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, where he finished second to Line of Duty. A claim of foul against Line of Duty was dismissed, despite the fact Uncle Benny was bumped by that rival at the quarter pole and was beaten only a half-length.

Shortly after the Breeders’ Cup, Uncle Benny was diagnosed with bone oedema, inflammation of the bone around the knee, and was given plenty of time off.

“He needed four months, he got six,” trainer Jason Servis said.

Servis is simply throwing out the Mahony, run at 5 1/2 furlongs.

“He stumbled, rushed up, and probably wasn’t ready to run, but I felt I needed to get him started,” Servis said. “Felt running him 5 1/2 couldn’t hurt him. We’re expecting him to run good.”

Uncle Benny, who breaks from post 2 under Manny Franco, would benefit from a hot pace, which he should get with No Bang No Boom and Readyforprimetime in the field.

No Bang No Boom, trained by Wesley Ward, has not run since June 9 when he won a first-level allowance race in gate-to-wire fashion, running six furlongs in 1:07.13.

Readyforprimetime won a maiden race on the front end on Aug. 25 for Linda Rice, who also sends out Elektronic. Elektronic won a pair of New York-bred races here in the spring. He also ran in the Mahony, finishing fourth after acting up nearing the gate.

Neverland Rock has three seconds and a third in his last four starts and is 1 for 12 overall. John Velazquez rides for Steve Asmussen.

Achilles Warrior will try the turf for the first time after finishing seventh in the Grade 2 Amsterdam. Achilles Warrior, trained by Mark Hennig, fired a bullet workout over the Oklahoma turf course at Saratoga. Flavien Prat is named to ride.

Pulsate, Mucho, and Chilly in Charge round out the field.