Turf Classic contender Main Sequence hoping to remain perfect in U.S.

Turf Classic contender Main Sequence hoping to remain

perfect in U.S.

"He was a little unlucky in the Sword Dancer, I thought," trainer Tom

Albertrani said. "He was in a little tight on the inside through most of the

race and it just took him a while to find some running room and got caught late.

In saying that, his last two races have been huge. We just have to keep

maintaining and keep on course.

"He's been very, very honest for us.

Hopefully, this Saturday will be his day. He's been right there in his last two

races. We've just got to find that little something extra, hopefully."

Imagining, run down in the final

strides of the Sword Dancer after leading most of the way, is likely the one to

catch here after posting a wire-to-wire victory in the 1 3/8-mile Man o' War

over the inner turf in May.

Big Blue Kitten, hero of the 2013 editions of the United Nations and Sword

Dancer before finishing a nose behind Little Mike in last year's Turf Classic,

has had only two runs this year, taking the $100,000 Lure at Saratoga over 1

1/16 miles and then finishing second when upset in the Cliff Hanger at Monmouth

Park on August 24.

"For him to really reach down and get up to win (the Lure), when we really

weren't even expecting him to win that day, really goes to show not only how

much talent but how much heart that horse has," trainer Chad Brown said. "It

served as a great start to a campaign that got started a little later than we

had hoped.

"He ran on short rest at Monmouth and ran second in a very fast race where

they were very close to the track record that day. I thought he finished very

well in that race and came back good, so hopefully those two starts will give

him the foundation he needs to go ahead and give it another try in the Joe

Hirsch."

Coupled with Big Blue Kitten is Real Solution, who earned his first outright

win in the U.S. last June in the Manhattan. Elevated to first via

disqualification in the 2013 Arlington Million, the son of Kitten's Joy has

proven more proficient at 1 1/4 miles since his re-importation from Italy.

"I'm just going to draw a line through that race," Brown said of his

last-place effort in his August 16 title defense at Arlington. "For whatever

reason, despite our efforts to school the horse in the days prior to the

Million, he didn't handle himself particularly well in the paddock. He was the

returning champ in that race and should have handled the trip well. He really

came unglued prior to the race and was soaking wet going into the gate and ran

that way.

"We still like the horse very much," he added. "He's training well. He ran

very well in the Joe Hirsch last year, finishing third with a wide trip. He

wasn't beaten that far for the whole thing. A mile and a half is probably not

his best distance, but there's not a lot of other options right now for a horse

of his caliber.

"He's always run well at Belmont," Brown said. "I'm confident he likes the

course here, and for a horse like him that's not a great shipper, it's always a

plus if you can run out of your own stall."

Completing the Turf Classic field are Hangover Kid, a consistent New

York-bred who landed the 12-furlong Bowling Green Handicap in July, and the

three-year Belmont Stakes third Medal Count, second by a nose in the $230,000

Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs last time.

A competitive field of nine fillies and mares will contest the Grade 1,

$600,000

Flower Bowl, an invitational over 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf. Viva

Rafaela, a Group 1 winner in her native Brazil, has not won a stakes after being

in the U.S. for more than a year, but will have every chance to score an upset

as the lone apparent speed on paper.

"Her two races so far this year have been disappointing," Chad Brown said.

"With that said, she's been training terrific here at Belmont. She's really come

unglued in both her races in the paddock, but I'm not sure if that's enough of

an excuse for her as to why she's run so poorly. We've been schooling her and

will continue to do so until race day, and hopefully running out of her own

stall at Belmont, over a turf course she's already won a Grade 1 on, is the key

to getting her back on track."

Tannery fared even worse in those two races, and looks far removed from the

form that saw her finish a half-length second in the 2013 Flower Bowl, which

preceded a victory in the E.P. Taylor at Woodbine.

Abaco possesses a strong 5-2-3-0 mark on the Belmont turf, and most recently

snapped a five-race losing streak with a neck score in the Ballston Spa at

Saratoga. On the other side of that photo finish was Grade 3 veteran

Strathnaver, who also missed narrowly in the one-mile Just a Game on the Belmont

Stakes undercard in June.

Rounding out the field are Watsdachances, a Grade 3 winner as a juvenile in

2012; Starstruck, a two-time winner of the Matchmaker at Monmouth; and Maximova,

a minor stakes winner who defeated third-level allowance foes in her last start.

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