‘Speaker’ Looks to Score Two in a Row

Phipps Stable’s Mr Speaker (Pulpit), winner of Laurel’s GII Commonwealth Cup Sept. 19, looks to score his second consecutive victory in Belmont’s GIII Knickerbocker S. Saturday. Winner of the inaugural GI Belmont Derby last term, the Shug McGaughey pupil started off this season with a fourth behind last weekend’s GI Shadwell Turf Mile winner Grand Arch (Arch) in a turfy allowance here Apr. 15. Seventh by just 3 1/2 lengths in Belmont’s GIII Fort Marcy S. May 2, the dark bay captured an optional claimer over that course July 15 and finished fourth as the favorite in Woodbine’s GII Sky Classic Aug. 16 prior to his score in the Commonwealth last time. “I think he’s doing very, very well,” said McGaughey. “I was very pleased with his allowance win [at Belmont] before we went to Saratoga. He had a little bit of a rough trip in Canada, then he came back and trained very well and ran well at Laurel and the same kind of goes for here. He’s run good over this turf course more than once and even though it’s a deep field I’m looking forward to running him.”

Diamond M Stable’s War Dancer (War Front) missed by a just neck behind Twilight Eclipse (Purim) in the GI Man o’ War S. here May 9 and faded to sixth in this venue’s GI Manhattan S. next out June 6. Runner-up in the Spa’s GII Bowling Green H. Aug. 1, the Bill Mott trainee was a well beaten fourth last time behind a dazzling performance from Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the GI Sword Dancer S. upstate Aug. 29. Mr. and

Mrs. Betram Firestone’s Middleburg (Lemon Drop Kid) hopes to make it two in a row here for trainer Christophe Clement. Third in the Fort Marcy, the chestnut was a close second in both the GII Monmouth S. June 7 and the GIII Arlington H. July 11 before capturin the GIII Cliffhanger S. in Oceanport last time Aug. 23.

Last term’s GI Travers S. winner V. E. Day (English Channel) looks to capture his first victory since that effort in this return to the grass. An allowance winner over this course last summer, the Jimmy Jerkens pupil was sixth in his last turf effort in the Fort Marcy and missed by just a neck next out in the GII Brooklyn S. over the main track here June 6. Fifth in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Aug. 8, the chestnut filled that same spot in the Temperence Hill S. here last time Sept. 12.