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TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS
BERNARDINI (A.P. Indy) has scared away all but three rivals in Saturday's $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup S. (G1), but there's still some intrigue to the 1 1/4-mile event at Belmont Park. The Preakness S. (G1) and Travers S. (G1) winner will have to square off against perhaps Europe's best three-year-old at 1 1/4 miles, Irish Derby (Ire-G1) and Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1) hero DYLAN THOMAS (Ire) (Danehill), and Bernardini will have to catch Brooklyn Breeders' Cup H. (G2) victor WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold). Trained by Tom Albertrani, Bernardini has won his last four starts by a combined 25 1/2 lengths. The once-beaten colt led wire to wire in his last two, the Travers and Jim Dandy S. (G2), but he proved he could rate when capturing the Preakness. His BRIS Speed ratings (111 or better in his last three outings) are terrific, and he's been winning under hand rides from jockey Javier Castellano. We'd love to see Bernardini get seriously tested, but that appears unlikely on Saturday, barring a major surprise from Dylan Thomas. We could easily witness another smashing performance from the heavy favorite. Wanderin Boy owns a couple of stakes victories this year, including the aforementioned Brooklyn, and he'll likely set sail for the lead once the gates open on Saturday. The Nick Zito-trained five-year-old is two for two at Belmont, but Wanderin Boy won't be able to get away from Bernardini during the opening stages of the Gold Cup. We'll look for him to hold on for runner-up honors. Dylan Thomas isn't bred for the main track, but trainer Aidan O'Brien believes the colt has the stride to adapt well to dirt racing. He's won his last two starts at 1 1/4 miles, but the Irish-based sophomore must find a way to stay within striking range in order to have a chance at collaring the front runners. Dylan Thomas displayed good tactical speed in Europe, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him spot his rivals too much ground to be effective late. The late-running ANDROMEDA'S HERO (Fusaichi Pegasus) appears to be in this event strictly for a check.
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