NY/NJ Raiders Look Tough at Laurel

Three of the eight runners signed on for Saturday’s GII Commonwealth Derby–the former GII Virginia Derby–will make the commute down Interstate 95 from New York and New Jersey and look to have their other rivals at their mercy in the nine-furlong grass test.

Trainer Bill Mott and owner Peter Vegso teamed to win the Virginia Derby with homebred full-brothers Orchard Park and Silver Tree (Hennessy) in 2002 and 2003, respectively, and again in 2008 with the ill-fated Go Between (Point Given). The latter’s half-brother Go Around (Medaglia d’Oro) will look to continue his rise through the ranks Saturday afternoon.

The son of Mediation (Ire) (Caerleon) has made up for lost time, graduating at second asking going 10 furlongs over the Belmont turf May 14 before clearing his first allowance condition in a 9 1/2-furlong heat at the Spa Aug. 1. Tested for class last time in the GIII Saranac S. Sept. 5, the dark bay was shuffled back to last a half-mile out, rallied six wide in upper stretch and ran on nicely to round out the triple behind the rail-skimming World Approval (Northern Afleet). Drawn nicely in stall one, he’ll get to take the shortest way around and can be right there with a couple of lengths’ improvement.

Force the Pass (Speightstown) makes his second trip to Maryland, having finished second in the James W. Murphy S. on the Preakness undercard May 16. He returned on two weeks’ rest to overcome a brutal trip and score in the GIII Penn Mile S. May 30, then stretched out to the mile and a quarter for a visually impressive, no-straw-in-his-path triumph in the GI Belmont Derby July 4. Things did not go as swimmingly last time as the 3-2 chalk in the GI Secretariat S. at Arlington, where he broke in the air and could do no better than third.

“He stepped up in the race at Penn National. That race to me was as incredible a race as I’ve ever seen,” said trainer Alan Goldberg, who trains Force the Pass for Richard Santulli. “I watched him the whole way and I could see he was in trouble, trouble, trouble. I said, ‘Aw, we’re dead.’”

Fundamental (Arch), a $225,000 Keeneland September purchase, graduated at second asking over the Big A turf course Apr. 18 before finishing an even fifth in a May 29 Belmont allowance. The gray colt most recently sat an ideal trip in a six-horse Saratoga allowance Aug. 16 and looked a bit one-paced nearing the stretch. But he jumped back into the bridle a short time thereafter and came home easily best.