Belmont: Thursday, June 1

[Teach]

Race One:

SPATIAL REALITY is my selection in this 7-furlongs state-bred, 30k MC lid-lifter. Yes, this grey filly has been installed as a 10-1 M/L long-shot, but I believe she capable of "outrunning her odds." Quite candidly, this Destin-sired's breeding appears to say "turf" (Giant’s Causeway); her breeding also says she would benefit from a wet track, but that does not appear to be in the offing. So what’s to like? For one, her dam, She’s Offlee Good, won the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes about ten years ago at Arlington Park. This filly’s two lifetime races were at one-mile, so one could deduce that she can "get the distance.” There's a ridder-change. This filly will now be ridden by “El Panameno,” the Panamanian-born Jose Lezcano. Lezcano is an experienced jockey who should get the most of of this filly. What really catches my attention is a recent morning work in which she “drilled” three panels in a "bullet":36-flat, breezing. Jim Ryerson, the Oceanport (Monmouth Park), New Jersey-native, trains.

BON ADIEU had a troubled trip from the rail in last in 70k MSW company. This Danny Gargan-trained, Ghostzapper-bred filly, now “drops in for a tag.” The capable “bug,” Jaime Torres, has "the call." In my view, this filly is capable of hitting the board. As always, the trip is the key. This bay did hit the board in her only 7-panels race. Yet the time in that one was "pedestrian." However, that was in mid-February at frosty S. Ozone Park, Queens. Note: equipment change: blinkers come off. Danny Gargan does reasonably well in that category, albeit with small sampling.

PERPETUAL PRAISE loomed boldly in her only race, a 6-panels sprint at the "Big A" in late April. This filly appeared to be in contention as the field approached the top of the stretch, yet she simply “ran out of gas” in the stretch and finished 3rd to a runaway winner, Bustin Lulu. In today’s race, this bay adds an extra furlong. My concern: If six panels was too much, will an added furlong make it that much more difficult? Or was it the wet track? Ray Handal trains this Central Banker-bred chestnut. "DD," Dylan Davis, is in the irons.

POWER AND GLORY is a possible board-hitter. My only concern is the distance. Can this Stephen Got Even-bred “get the distance”? She did finish a weakening 3rd in her only race at 7 furlongs against slightly weaker. This filly is trained by the New Jersey native, the longtime trainer-author, Glenn Thompson. Thompson’s career as a trainer goes back over forty years. This lightly-raced mare should compete against this company, but again, the question remains, “Is the stamina there?” "Louisiana’s in The House,” in the presence of Kendrick Carmouche. “The Cajun” has the riding skills to get the most out of this filly who has, during her career, faced better. This War Front-bred can’t be ignored.

[Teach]

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