Travers Hero Returns on Grass

Magdalen O. Bryant's GI Travers S. winner V.E. Day (English Channel) gets back on the grass for this seasonal debut in Belmont's 1 1/8-mile GIII Fort Marcy S. After graduating in a sloppy off-the-turfer at Belmont last May, he won an allowance over this course and distance July 2 and returned three weeks later to upend the Curlin S. on the Saratoga main track. Overlooked at odds of 19-1 in the Aug. 23 Travers, the chestnut overtook stablemate Wicked Strong (Hard Spun) in the final strides to win by a nose in a thrilling photo finish for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Finishing sixth, but promoted to fifth through disqualification, in Belmont's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup a month later, V. E. Day was last seen finishing a non-factor 11th in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Nov. 1. 

The Chad Brown-trained duo of Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebreds Big Blue Kitten (Kitten's Joy) and Hyper (Victory Gallop) get the morning-line nod here. A dual Grade I winner in 2013, Big Blue Kitten was far less brilliant last term, following a win in the Lure S. and second in the GIII Cliff Hanger S. with a fourth to dual-Eclipse winner Main Sequence (Aldebaran) in Belmont's GI Turf Classic Invitational S. Sept. 27. The bay finished the season with runner-up efforts in both Woodbine's GI Canadian International S. Oct. 19 and Aqueduct's GIII Red Smith H. Nov. 15. Hyper has not raced since 2013 when he won the GII Bowling Green H., was second in the Canadian International and eighth in the Red Smith. 

Phipps Stable's Mr Speaker (Pulpit) looks to get back on track here. The Shug McGaughey pupil upset subsequent GI Secretariat S. hero Adelaide (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to win the GI Belmont Derby at odds of 23-1 last July and was fifth when giving dirt another try in the Travers. A disappointing sixth in this venue's GIII Hill Prince S. Oct. 4, the dark bay was fourth behind GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic contender Grand Arch (Arch) while making his seasonal bow in a one-mile allowance on soft turf at Keeneland Apr. 15.