Saturday Preview: Brown Returnees Feature On Haskell Preview Day

While the $150,000 Pegasus S. (more on that below) serves as the local feeder into next month's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S., the graded events on Saturday's Haskell Preview Day at Monmouth Park are set to mark the seasonal debuts for a pair of Chad Brown-conditioned Grade I winners from last term as well as a 'TDN Rising Star' from the same shedrow looking to kick start what connections hope will be a productive 4-year-old campaign.

Peter Brant's Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) makes her first appearance since taking out the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland last fall. The $1.025-million KEESEP yearling flashed ample ability on dirt, winning twice from four starts, but was reinvented as a grass filly in the second half of 2022. Upset winner of the Riskaverse S. at Saratoga when making her turf debut last August, she was a pace-compromised second in the GIII Pebbles S. before accounting for stablemate McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the QE II. Florent Geroux replaces fellow Frenchman Flavien Prat in the boot.

Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) returns to the site of his victory in the 2021 GI United Nations S. and can give Brown a remarkable seventh consecutive victory in the GIII Monmouth S. The all-the-way winner of last year's GI Manhattan S. was a pacesetting fourth behind stable companion Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger} in defense of his United Nations title and makes his first trip to the races since a weakening sixth in the GI Sword Dancer Invitational S. at Saratoga last August. Among the competition is Never Explain (Street Sense), who annexed the GIII Dinner Party S. at Old Hilltop May 18.

Sandwiched between those races is the GIII Salvator Mile S. Artorius (Arrogate), who carries the famed Juddmonte silks, progressed rapidly at three, winning his maiden and 'Rising Star' honors at second asking before streaking away to win the restricted Curlin S. at Saratoga last July. Allowed to take his chance in the GI Runhappy Travers S., he was a not-quite-ready-for-prime-time sixth to Epicenter (Not This Time) and was a latest fourth in the seven-furlong Perryville S. at Keeneland last fall.

Quality Over Quantity in Bed o' Roses

It would be easy to say the connections of the four others entered for Saturday's GII Bed O'Roses S. at Belmont Park were dismayed when champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) was entered Wednesday, but given the strength of the competition, the reverse might also be true.

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine was the victim of some race riding and was forced to settle for third in the GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs May 6, so revenge will be on their mind, but it may not be straight-forward. Derby City runner-up Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) lines up a few doors down, while the in-form Beguine (Gun Runner) and GII Vagrancy S. victress Caramel Swirl (Union Rags) add to the intrigue.

Pegasus, Monomoy Girl Lure Big Names

The Pegasus has attracted a field of eight mostly exposed 3-year-olds, topped by a pair of shippers from the barn of Todd Pletcher. Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) looks a standout and is unlikely to jump at anything close to his 8-5 morning line, having wired the field in the GII Louisiana Derby before wilting to 14th after attending the sizzling pace in the GI Kentucky Derby six weeks ago. Classic Catch (Classic Empire) was a wide-trip and creditable fifth in the GII Wood Memorial S. two back, and his fourth in the GIII Peter Pan S. looks considerably better given what Arcangelo (Arrogate) did around Big Sandy last weekend.

Saturday's relocated Monomoy Girl S. also looks a two-horse affair on paper. Wet Paint (Blame), who made a belated run to be fourth behind the commonly owned 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) when favored in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks May 5, squares off against Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), who failed to make the Oaks cut but hinted at a return to form with a runner-up effort in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico May 19.

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Street Sense’s Never Explain Proves Hungriest In Dinner Party

Hoping that the GIII Dinner Party S. might be a sampling of things to come later on the Preakness Day card, Never Explain came from off the pace to collect his first black-type victory for trainer Shug McGaughey. Handily away from gate 6, the dark bay settled back off the pace in fourth as GI Pegasus World Cup Turf winner Atone (Into Mischief), sent off at 5-2, strode to the front with MGSW Emmanuael and Rising Empire (Empire Maker) in hot pursuit rounding the first turn. With the top running order relatively unchanged following a half in :47.40, Never Explain continued to bide his time along the inside while working his way up to third as the leading two continued to exchange blows turning for home. Taking the final turn a bit wide, Never Explain nonetheless appeared to have the most momentum late, bearing down on the game but tiring leaders. With a gaggle of horses giving it their all late, including favored Hurricane Dream (Fr) who finally got going after lingering near the back early, it was the Courtlandt Farm runner with Flavien Prat that timed it best, winning by 1/2 length over the French bred. Emmanuel rounded out the trifecta.

“It looked like the pace was honest, and I tucked myself in,” said Prat. “I tipped him out turning for home and he really dug in and was game. On the form, it felt like anybody could win. Turning for home, I thought I had a chance. But I felt I wasn't the only one. It seemed like the horse coming outside of me helped me and pushed my horse. It was great. He was really great.”

The victory represented the fifth win for McGaughey in the Dinner Party. He previously won with Lure (1993), Parading (2009), Ironicus (2015) and Fire Away (2018).

Having recorded his sole 2022 victory at Pimlico exactly one year ago, Never Explain didn't show much when sixth going a mile at Gulfstream Jan. 1 but seemed to enjoy the change of venue when winning next time in a nine-panel Tampa allowance Jan. 18. Despite a tardy start in his latest while cutting back a furlong in Oldsmar Mar. 1, the 5-year-old came back to make it two straight under Sammy Camacho.

The win represented the third straight win for Never Explain after removing the blinkers.

“Even without the blinkers he wants to pull a little bit,” said McGaughey. “That was one of the good things about today. [Flavien] got him to relax really well, where he had horse at the finish.”

Pedigree Notes:
With the victory Never Explain becomes the 40th graded winner for Darley American sire Street Sense. A $87,000 KEENOV purchase by Hidden Brook Farm in 2014, the 13-year-old mare Black Oak produced Never Explain in a foal-sharing arrangement between Hidden Brook Farm and Godolphin. A $155,000 KEENOV weanling in 2018, he flourished into a $475,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Courtlandt Farm.

Black Oak has an unraced juvenile filly by Palace Malice and a yearling colt McKinzie. This is the family Grade I sprinter Richter Scale.

Saturday, Pimlico
DINNER PARTY S. PRESENTED BY BULLEIT BOURBON-GIII,
$200,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.14, fm.
1–NEVER EXPLAIN, 120, h, 5, by Street Sense
                1st Dam: Black Oak (SP), by Forestry
                2nd Dam: More for Me, by More Than Ready
                3rd Dam: Velvet's Pie, by Native Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($155,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $475,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-Hidden Brook Farm & Godolphin (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 15-5-1-2, $242,062. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Hurricane Dream (Fr), 120, g, 6, Hurricane Cat–Shalimara (Fr), by Siyouni (Fr). O-Team Valor, et al; B-Marie Laurence Oget & Andre Brakha (FR); T-H. Graham Motion. $40,000.
3–Emmanuel, 122, c, 4, More Than Ready–Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun. ($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC; B-Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $20,000.
Margins: HF, HD, NK. Odds: 15.20, 1.20, 3.40.
Also Ran: Speaking Scout, Atone, Easter (Fr), Rising Empire.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.
VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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