Adios Charlie stretches out in Peter Pan

Saturday's $200,000

Peter Pan S. (Grade 2) at Belmont Park, which attracted a field of 11 to

go 1 1/8 miles, is sort of a consolation prize for horsemen not willing

to subject their three-year-olds to the rigors of next week's Preakness

S. (Grade 1). As in years past, however, the race could serve as a stepping

stone for the third jewel in Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, the

June 11 Belmont S. (Grade 1).

Entering the Peter Pan on a high note is Adios Charlie, who stepped up from a belated maiden victory on March 30 into

the winner's circle in the April 23 Jerome S. (Grade 2) over a mile at

Aqueduct. The Stan Hough charge looked a beaten horse at the eighth pole

as Justin Phillip opened up a lead, but that rival came

back to the field and Adios Charlie re-rallied inside to win going away

by 2 1/2 lengths over Preakness hopeful Astrology. The

once-beaten Adios Charlie, who finished second in his Belmont debut last

October, will again be piloted by Rajiv Maragh.

After dropping his

first five outings, Joe Vann streaks into

the Peter Pan off three wins including the April 9 Illinois Derby (Grade 3) at

Hawthorne. The Todd Pletcher trainee preceded that score with two overnight wins

at Laurel, where he was sent after repeated failures in New York and Florida. Monzon, who beat the eventual winners of the Louisiana Derby

(Grade 2) and Bay Shore S. (Grade 3) when taking the Count Fleet S. at Aqueduct on New

Year's Day, makes his first start since finishing fourth in the February 12 Sam

F. Davis S. (Grade 3) at Tampa Bay Downs.

Several candidates from the Midwest add intrigue to the Peter Pan. The Lynn

Whiting-trained Uncle Brent only made his debut on February 26, but

took two of three starts at Oaklawn including the Northern Spur S. on the

Arkansas Derby (Grade 1) undercard. Riding the rail throughout the one-mile journey,

Uncle Brent came home a comfortable 1 3/4-length winner against seven rivals.

Alternation was forced to scratch from the Rebel S. (Grade 2) in

March after getting tangled up in the starting gate, and later entered the

Arkansas Derby off a near two-month break. Away very slowly in that nine-furlong

heat, Alternation had far too much ground to make up and wound up fifth, 6 1/4

lengths behind Archarcharch. The Pin Oak homebred has been firing bullets since

arriving at his summertime base of Arlington Park. Prime Cut, the

Neil Howard-trained Lexington S. (Grade 3) runner-up, defeated the highly-regarded

Bind in a Fair Grounds allowance on dirt two back.

Others of note in a wide-open Peter Pan are Turf Paradise Derby winner and

Sunland Derby (Grade 3) fifth Beer Meister; the stakes-winning New York-bred

gelding Bold Deed; and the Bill Mott-trained Newsdad, fourth in the Blue Grass S. (Grade 1) and third in the Palm Beach S. (Grade 3) in

his last two.