Rather than shipping north for this weekend's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, trainer Ben Colebrook has opted to keep 3-year-old Raise Cain closer to home, reports the Daily Racing Form.
The son of Violence will instead point to Sunday's G3 Matt Winn Stakes at Ellis Park, adjusted from 1 1/16 miles up to 1 1/8 miles with the shift from Churchill Downs to the track in Henderson, Ky.
“It just seems like that's a better fit for him right now than trying the mile and a half and going all the way up there,” Colebrook told DRF Monday. “It's not like it's a walkover, but it's probably a little safer than trying the mile and a half.”
Raise Cain won this year's G3 Gothan Stakes before finishing fifth in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes and eighth in the G1 Kentucky Derby.
Remaining expected contenders for the Belmont Stakes are as follows: Angel of Empire, Arcangelo, Forte, Hit Show, Il Miracolo, National Treasure, Red Route One, Tapit Shoes, and Tapit Trice.
Read more at the Daily Racing Form.
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