A field of 10 will go postward in the GIII Kent S. over the Delaware Park turf Saturday, with Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch's Solidify (Tapizar) the lone graded stakes winner in the group. The bay colt, a debut winner over the synthetic at Woodbine last September, added the GIII Grey S. at that oval Oct. 21, defeating subsequent GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston (Awesome Again). He returned from eight months on the sidelines to finish third in his first turf outing in the June 1 Tale of the Cat S. at Monmouth Park last time out.
While Tale of the Cat winner Standard Deviation (Curlin) tackles Grade I company in the GI Belmont Derby Saturday, the race's runner-up Empire of War (Declaration of War) will look to move up in the Kent. The bay colt won last year's Awad S. over the Aqueduct turf. He was third in the Apr. 20 Woodhaven S. before finishing two lengths adrift of Standard Deviation and 1 1/2 lengths to the good of Solidify at Monmouth Park.
The well-related Award Winner (Ghostzapper) steps up to stakes company for the first time in the Kent. The Amerman homebred, a half-brother to multiple Grade I winner Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy) and multiple graded winner Oscar Nominated (Kitten's Joy), is coming off a nine-furlong allowance win at Churchill May 19.
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