War Correspondent an exciting prospect
ELMONT, N.Y. – If Mother Nature relents enough to allow turf racing to resume here Friday, there is a very intriguing third-level allowance race that serves as the feature on a 10-race card at Belmont Park.
Scheduled for seven furlongs over the Widener turf course, the $85,000 race features proven runners from the barn of Chad Brown and Bill Mott and an interesting prospect from the barn of trainer Christophe Clement.
War Correspondent, a full brother to the Grade 1 winner Declaration of War, makes his local debut for Clement after winning a second-level allowance at Monmouth on Sept. 13.
“I’m not sure he beat much that day, but he ran well, and he’s trained well,” Clement said. “I’ve got a question mark on the distance, the seven-eighths. He might want to go a bit further than that. But it’s the only race he’s eligible for in New York at the moment.”
Heavy rain this week forced the cancellation of turf racing Wednesday and put Thursday’s turf races in jeopardy as well. Drier conditions are expected for Friday, and six of the 10 races are scheduled for the grass.
The turf course definitely will be on the soft side, another question mark for War Correspondent, who has breezed well twice over a Belmont turf course labeled “good.”
“He trained well on good ground two weeks in a row,” Clement said. “I don’t know on soft ground.”
Joel Rosario will ride War Correspondent.
If the race is moved to the dirt, then Associate and Castaway become the logical contenders.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Associate. Trainer Michelle Nevin is 40-14-7-3 with a $3.41 ROI over the past two years in dirt sprints at NYRA tracks following a layoff of at least 45 days. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Castaway. Trainer David Jacobson is 47-17-4-8 with a $2.66 ROI over the past two years in dirt sprints at Belmont in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Key contenders
War Correspondent (Beyer: 90)
◗ Beautifully bred colt – he’s a full brother to Declaration of War, the Group 1 Juddmonte Stakes winner of 2013 – may want farther than this, but his works the last two weeks have been very sharp.
◗ He returned from a 14-month layoff with a four-length allowance win going a mile at Monmouth.
Golden Rifle (Last 3 Beyers: 93-84-95)
◗ He had been 3 for 3 over the Belmont turf course before finishing second to the Breeders’ Cup-bound Bio Pro at this same condition Sept. 24.
◗ He is 2 for 3 at seven furlongs on turf.
◗ Trained by Brown, he won twice over “good” ground here during the spring meet.
◗ He is entered for the optional claiming tag of $80,000.
Sinatra (Last 3 Beyers 91-87-89)
◗ He finished third in his last try at this level but was placed second after he got turned sideways by Mshawish when the pair bumped three times in the stretch of a two-turn, one-mile race at Saratoga.
◗ Three years ago, in his only previous race sprinting over Belmont turf, Sinatra finished second to Summer Front, now a multiple stakes winner headed to the Breeders’ Cup Mile.