Man o' War

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

A stellar field of nine will go postward in Saturday's $500,000 Man o' War S.

(G1) at Belmont Park. This 1 3/8-mile event has attracted a top notch field,

with six Grade/Group 1 winners, and we can go many directions in this

field depending on the weather.

Grade 1 hero DANCING FOREVER (Rahy) has been one of our favorite horses for

some time, and we were more than pleased to see

the Shug McGaughey charge finish third in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) in his 2008 finale. The

six-year-old chestnut has won or placed in four of five starts at Belmont and

comes into this with the benefit of a prep race over the course. We'll never

dismiss this well-bred runner on firm turf, but if the rains hit and the

course has some give, we'd strongly advise against him as he has rarely run well

over anything but a firm oval. John Velazquez will pilot our sentimental choice.

Old German warrior QUIJANO (Ger) (Acatenango) has logged as many frequent

flier miles as nearly any horse in training it seems, but the gelded

seven-year-old continues to keep his top form for Peter Schiergen. A Group 1

hero last out in Italy, the chestnut loves a route of ground, and some give to

the sod, so any moisture on the racing strip would seemingly only aid the classy

one. With 14 wins in 27 career starts, the late-runner seems like a must use in

all wagers.

Three-time Grade 1 hero GRAND COUTURIER (GB) (Grand Lodge) took the Joe

Hirsch Turf

Classic Invitational S. (G1) by 10 1/2 lengths over the outer turf course in the fall

and was a two-length victor on the inner sod in the Sword Dancer Invitational S.

(G1) prior to that, so it

would seem against better judgment to omit the Robert Ribaudo charge. The

six-year-old bay adores turf with some give in it and is a different runner on

soft/yielding ground, so the condition of the surface plays a big factor with

him. The millionaire has a chance with his

best beneath Alan Garcia.

CHINCHON (Ire) (Marju) is the wildcard in here as far as we're concerned,

making his first start on U.S. soil following a successful campaign abroad. The

four-year-old colt appears to be quite consistent and capable of handling this

trip, and his run at Sha Tin two prior looks like it put him in the mix against

this bunch. Rajiv Maragh will ride the import, and we suggest watching the tote

board for some indication of his chances in here.

Dual Grade 1 star GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat) was much the best in a sterling

Manhattan H. (G1) score most recently and might be the now horse for trainer

Christophe Clement. The four-year-old, who we dubbed a miler before the

Manhattan, proved his ability to stay 10 furlongs, and we have no

right saying that he won't get another furlong on this occasion. He will have to

be quite good to win from the widest post against these, but he seems more than

capable under Ramon Dominguez.

Juddmonte homebred MIDSHIPS (Mizzen Mast) has rolled to a trio of graded wins

in succession for Bobby Frankel, and the budding star will try his hand against

the big guns in here. The improving gray has done his work on or near the lead

in the Golden State this campaign and will almost surely attempt to take this

field all the way on the lead beneath Victor Espinoza. We feel that this colt has

been beating inferior competition on a speed favoring turf oval, and that he

could be very vulnerable against this world-class field. With that said, we

could be wrong about the Kentucky-bred, and we do acknowledge that he is the

only horse with any early zip, so we'll use him some.

MARSH SIDE (Gone West) impressed us with his smart runner-up finish in the

Manhattan most recently for Neil Drysdale. The Grade 1 victor has never

hit the board at this distance and has just one win since 2007, but he's in

excellent form and proved that he can run on this vast turf course. If shipping

from California to New York to California and back to the Big Apple in a short

span didn't take much out of him, he's a top three threat. Javier Castellano has

the call.

MUSKETIER (Ger) (Acatenango) arguably ran his best race since coming

to North America last out for conditioner Roger Attfield, dominating the Singspiel S.

(Can-G3) at Woodbine. The seven-year-old gray fires nearly every time and should

save ground throughout with his rail draw, but we still don't see him as a Grade

1 type and will keep his usage in the gimmicks under Jono Jones.

INTERPATATION (Langfuhr) is a hard-knocker who always puts in a little run

late for Bobby Barbara, but he's never had success against this type.