Will V. E. Day’s class be enough in Temperence Hill?
ELMONT, N.Y. – V. E. Day may have found some class relief in Saturday’s $200,000 Temperence Hill Stakes at Belmont Park, but he also may have found himself in a race so devoid of pace that it could hurt his chances.
Only four horses were entered in the Temperence Hill, run at the rarely used distance of 1 5/8 miles on the dirt. It is the first ungraded stakes in which V. E. Day has run since winning the Curlin Stakes nearly 14 months ago at Saratoga. V. E. Day emerged from the Curlin to win the Grade 1 Travers but hasn’t won since.
V. E. Day’s best race in six tries since the 2014 Travers was the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont, where he was beaten a neck by Coach Inge. A cough forced him to miss the Suburban Handicap on July 4, and he coughed again when there was thought of running him in the Sword Dancer on turf or the Woodward.
V. E. Day worked a solid mile Sept. 3, then came back with a half-mile blowout at Saratoga on Wednesday.
“After the way he ran in the Brooklyn against a nice bunch of horses, you’d think he’d be tough even going another eighth of a mile,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. “He should be able to go easier the first part of it.”
The pace figures to be extremely easy, with Slim Shadey, who has made 44 of his 48 starts on turf, perhaps being the pacesetter.
Tacticus is the major threat to V. E. Day. He was being pointed to the Brooklyn but missed the race due to a foot abscess, according to trainer Graham Motion. After running fourth in a nine-furlong allowance race at Saratoga on July 26, Tacticus won the $100,000 Birdstone Stakes at 1 3/4 miles, with Lasix added for the first time.
“He’s an absolute galloper,” Motion said. “I chose this race over the [Greenwood Cup at Parx] because it gave him a few extra days and it was further.”
Indycott, going first off the claim for Danny Gargan, completes the quartet.
The Temperence Hill will go as the third race. No show wagering will be available.