Quality Road faces seven in Met Mile

One-turn miles have a tendency to separate the wheat from the chaff, exposing

sprinters who lack the stamina to go farther as well as routers without

sufficient speed to win at a shorter distance. In that respect, Monday's

$500,000

Metropolitan H. (G1) at Belmont Park should do its job. From a class and

quality standpoint, however, there is virtually no chaff in this renewal, which

attracted a field of eight.

By any measure, the 117th running of the Met Mile goes through QUALITY ROAD

(Elusive Quality), the highweight at 124 pounds who will concede from six to 10

pounds to his rivals. Stamping himself as the pro tem leader among older males

with easy wins in the Donn H. (G1) and Hal's Hope S. (G3) over the winter, the

Todd Pletcher trainee was purposely given time off to prepare for this

engagement, the first of perhaps three or four he will have in advance of the

Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs in November. While determining his

ability to get 1 1/4 miles is well off into the future, Quality Road has ably

demonstrated his prowess over a one-turn mile with his Hal's Hope and 2009

Fountain of Youth S. (G2) scores. The multiple Grade 1 winner, if at his best,

should be hard to beat under John Velazquez.

WARRIOR'S REWARD (Medaglia d'Oro) and MUSKET MAN (Yonaguska), separated by a

nose in the April 3 Carter H. (G1) at Aqueduct, return to New York after falling

short in the May 1 Churchill Downs S. (G1) in the slop. A fast-closing second in

that seven-furlong fixture, Warrior's Reward had 2 3/4 lengths on Musket Man at

the finish of that one, and hopes to have better luck in his second trip over

"Big Sandy." In last year's Dwyer S. (G2), where he was favored, Warrior's

Reward lost all chance after stumbling at the start. In contrast, Musket Man won

his only previous start at Belmont when taking his six-furlong debut in the fall

of 2008.

LE GRAND CRU (Dynaformer) is trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens, who won

his only Metropolitan with Tunex in 1971. Le Grand Cru has developed into a

course-and-distance specialist of late, winning the off-the-turf Kelso H. (G3)

last fall and the April 30 Westchester S. (G3) in a powerful effort at 27-1.

Meanwhile, Jerkens' son, Jimmy, who previously trained Quality Road, will send

out Westchester runner-up CONVOCATION (Pulpit), a lightly-raced four-year-old

who placed in the Dwyer last summer before being sidelined by injury.

The remaining three will have a bit more to find to upset the leading

players, but they're far from toss outs from a wagering perspective. YOU AND I

FOREVER (A.P. Indy) exits a win in the Gulfstream Park H. (G2), also a one-turn

mile, and ran solidly to be second in the 2008 Jerome H. (G2) in his last trip

to Belmont. KENSEI (Mr. Greeley), who took the Dwyer and Jim Dandy S. (G2) last

season, was second in his seasonal debut at Fair Grounds but seemed not to

handle the going in the Churchill Downs S. TIZWAY (Tiznow), third behind Summer

Bird (Birdstone) and Quality Road in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) last fall,

passed his second- and third-level allowance conditions in fine style on this

circuit and is peaking a the right time.

The $150,000

Sands

Point S. (G2), a nine-furlong inner turf test for three-year-old fillies,

highlights the Memorial Day undercard. Canadian champion NEGLIGEE (Northern

Afleet), second in the Edgewood S. in her grass debut, will vie for favoritism

with Appalachian S. (G3) winner CHECK THE LABEL (Stormin Fever) and

Herecomesbride S. (G3) heroine KHANCORD KID (Lemon Drop Kid). Last-out allowance

winners STRIKE IT RICH (Unbridled's Song) and CRESCENDA (Bowman's Band) also

figure as does HIT IT RICH (Smart Strike), who hails from the family of multiple

Grade 1 winner Honey Ryder (Lasting Approval) and makes her turf debut.