By Christie DeBernardis
There are not many big turf races in New York that trainer Chad Brown has not won, but Belmont's GI Man o' War S. has somehow managed to elude the conditioner. He has three chances to score his first win in this event Saturday. Brown's strongest contender is morning-line favorite Wake Forest (Ger) (Sir Percy {GB}), winner of the 2014 G3 Preis der Deutschen Einheit and the G3 Hamburg Trophy last July ahead of a fifth in the GI Arlington Million in his final start for Andreas Wohler Aug. 15. Purchased by bloodstock agent Pete Bradley for €140,000 as the first lot through the ring at last year's Arqana Arc sale on behalf of Sheep Pond Partners, Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables LLC, the 6-year-old was turned over to Chad Brown and came running late after some traffic trouble to finish a head second to Kaigun (Northern Afleet) last time in Gulfstream's GII Pan American S. Apr. 2.
Brown also saddles G1SW Morandi (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who finished off the board in a pair of U.S. starts–both coming off long layoffs, and recent allowance winner Money Multiplier (Lookin at Lucky).
Gary Barber, Harvey Swartz and Tina Casse's Kaigun has been knocking at the door of a Grade I win since 2014. Winner of the 2014 GII Play the King S. and GII Seabiscuit H. and on the board in a trio of Grade Is, the Mark Casse pupil finished second in both the GIII John B. Connally S. Jan. 30 and the GII Mac Diarmida S. Mar. 5 prior to his score in the Pan American. The chestnut was last seen completing the exacta in the GII Elkhorn S. at Keeneland Apr. 23.
“He seems to be a horse that the more you run him, the better he is and he just missed in the Elkhorn,” said assistant trainer Norm Casse. “I'm not saying that we could've beat [the winner] that day, but he had a little bit better trip than we did, and that's kind of Kaigun. Kaigun's sometimes a difficult horse to ride. You've got to time your move right on him, and he gets beat sometimes by circumstances, but he always runs well.”
Hall of Famer Bill Mott saddles a pair of live runners in Go Around (Medaglia d'Oro) and Closing Bell (Tapit). Third in the GIII Saranac S. Sept. 5, Peter Vegso's lightly raced Go Around returned on just two weeks rest to finish fifth in the GII Commonwealth Derby. Kicking off this term with a Gulfstream optional claimer victory Feb. 27, the dark bay followed suit with a win in Tampa's state-bred Turf Classic S. Apr. 9. WinStar Farm's Closing Bell adds blinkers for this test off a third-place finish behind stablemate Take the Stand (Arg) (Not For Sale {Arg}) in the GII Mervin Muniz Memorial H. at Fair Grounds Mar. 26. Runner-up in the GI Secretariat S. and winner of the Dueling Grounds Derby last term, the 4-year-old returned to the dirt for the first time since his maiden win at the start of this term when seventh in the GI Donn H. at the start of his season Feb. 6.
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