Vosburgh J

AMERICAN

GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS

A swift field of eight sprinters will go six panels in the $400,000 Vosburgh

S. (G1) at Belmont on Sunday. The return of Grade 1 star DISCREET CAT (Forestry)

is certainly the headline of the race, and the colt should be tough to deny in

here. The awesome bay suffered his lone setback when last in the Dubai World Cup

(UAE-G1) in late March, but patient handling and a strong worktab signal the

readiness of the colt. Conditioned by Saeed bin Suroor, the four-year-old was

untouchable at one-turn races in the Cigar Mile H. (G1) and Jerome Breeders' Cup

H. (G2) last fall and we could see more of the same on this occasion. With an

abundance of early zip signed on, the Kentucky-bred should enjoy a dream trip

off the pace before taking over late under Garrett Gomez.

FABULOUS STRIKE (Smart Strike) would be a much bigger win threat with a

better post, but we still see the gelding as the second most talented sprinter

in the field. Conditioned by Todd Beattie, the speedy dark bay served notice

with a trio of dominant wins at Mountaineer and a facile score in

the Aristides Breeders' Cup S. (G3) at Churchill Downs in June, and we're willing to give this

one a pass for his fifth-place effort in the Smile Sprint H. (G2) most recently.

The Keystone State-bred has trained well in preparation for this and should top

the rest beneath Ramon Dominguez.

PARK AVENUE BALL (Citidancer) was a good second to Smokey Stover (Put It

Back) in the Icecapade S. last out

and should be running late into a top three finish. The five-year-old chestnut

is not as fleet early as his competitors, but the expected hot pace should do

wonders for the Grade 2 winner inside the final furlong. Rafael Bejarano rides

for Jimmy Ryerson.

E Z WARRIOR (Exploit) was a fast-closing third in the King's Bishop S. (G1)

two back before throwing in a clunker in the More Than Ready S., and we see the

Bob Baffert trainee finishing well to challenge for another Grade 1 placing in

this spot. The Grade 3 winner's last effort was too bad to be true, and with a

target to run at, he could improve in a big way. We don't expect a win out of the

sophomore, but completing some exotics is well within reach. Victor Espinoza has

the call.

It's hard to separate MACH RIDE (Pentelicus) and TALENT SEARCH (Catienus), as

both are in peak condition and ultra-quick from the gate. The former, trained by

Steve Standridge, was a clear winner of the Smile Sprint two prior over his home

surface at Calder but now must prove he can take his show on the road. The latter has

faced lesser while posting huge BRIS Speed numbers for conditioner Mark Shuman,

but he could be the quickest horse out of the gate. We think highly of each of

these fine sprinters, but the sense here is that these two will duel each other

into submission.

FIRST DEFENCE (Unbridled's Song) ran his eyeballs out when dueling Hard Spun

(Danzig) to the wire in the King's Bishop, but this spot is infinitely more

difficult and we expect regression from the well-bred three-year-old. Trained by

Bobby Frankel, the bay earned a career-best 107 Speed number in his latest

and would be an exotics threat with similar, but it's a lot to ask of this colt

at this time in his career. We'll take a stand against.

WILL HE SHINE (Silver Deputy) was a fortunate Grade 2 winner over this oval

earlier in the year and looks overmatched on this occasion.