Trainer David Donk will saddle a solid 1-2 punch with Thin White Duke and Yes and Yes in a deep field for the $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint (G3T) going six furlongs Oct. 1 over the outer turf course during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.
The seventh running of the Belmont Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up is slated as the ninth race on a stacked Sunday card that includes the Woodward Stakes (G1), the $500,000 Champagne Stakes (G1), and the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T).
Thin White Duke, bred and co-owned by former trainer Phil Gleaves with Steven Crist, Ken deRegt, and Bryan Hilliard, narrowly won the 5 1/2-furlong Lucky Coin Stakes Sept. 2 in his last start at Saratoga Race Course after a closing third in the Troy Stakes (G3T) a start earlier.
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Donk said Saturday's extra half-furlong may benefit Thin White Duke, a 4-year-old gelded son of Dominus who captured a 1 1/16-mile state-bred optional claimer in April in his lone turf start at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"It shouldn't hurt him," Donk said. "He got over the course OK here in the spring. It was a two-turn race but he felt good over the grass. 'Duke' ran extremely well at Saratoga in his last couple starts sprinting. He seems to be doing well and it's the right spot for him."
The versatile gelding was initially conditioned by Gleaves, who retired from training at the end of last year. Under Gleaves' tutelage, he notched main track sprint scores as a juvenile in the Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga and Aspirant Stakes at Finger Lakes.
Thin White Duke has focused on turf racing in 7-of-8 starts for Donk, traveling as far as 1 1/8 miles when fourth in an open allowance tilt in June at Belmont. Donk said the team opted to focus on sprinting heading into the Saratoga meet.
"We tried the five-and-a-half, and he ran well doing it," Donk said. "It looks like that could be his niche."
The stakes-placed Sidney's Candy gelding Yes and Yes, also bred by Gleaves and co-owned with Joseph Straus, Jr. and Hugh Fitzsimons, finished an even fifth in the Troy ahead of a trip to Colonial Downs last out where he was elevated to second in the 5 1/2-furlong Woodford Reserve Da Hoss Stakes.
The 6-year-old Kentucky-bred boasts a record of 25-5-5-4 for purse earnings of $355,680. He also joined Donk's stable from Gleaves for his current campaign, posting a three-race win streak in Belmont turf sprints to start the season.
"Six to seven-eighths suits him best. It will be interesting to run him here and see if he can excel over this course," Donk said.
Thin White Duke will exit post 7 under Jose Ortiz while Yes and Yes will emerge from post 5 under Dylan Davis.
Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable, and Jerry Zaro's Chewing Gum (post 11, Jose Lezcano) returns to the Belmont Turf Sprint for the third consecutive year after finishing second to Wet Your Whistle in 2020 and third last year to Arrest Me Red.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the graded-winning 7-year-old Candy Ride bay failed to fire in his latest at Kentucky Downs.
Chewing Gum, who finished second to stablemate Casa Creed in last year's Jackpot Jaipur Stakes (G1T) at Belmont, sports a ledger of 4-4-8 in 25 starts with purse earnings of $608,563.
Arzak, Nothing Better, Voodoo Zip, Value Proposition, Dancing Buck, and Scuttlebuzz are other threats in a contentious field.
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 1, 2022, Race 9Entries: Belmont Turf Sprint S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Noble Emotion (NY) Trevor McCarthy 120 Horacio De Paz 20/1 2 2Arzak (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 126 Michael J. Trombetta 4/1 3 3Nothing Better (KY) Jairo Rendon 124 Jorge Duarte, Jr. 12/1 4 4Seven Scents (KY) Javier Castellano 124 Thomas Morley 15/1 5 5Yes and Yes (KY) Dylan Davis 122 David G. Donk 10/1 6 6Voodoo Zip (KY) Joel Rosario 120 Christophe Clement 5/1 7 7Thin White Duke (NY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 David G. Donk 9/2 8 8Value Proposition (GB) Eric Cancel 120 Gedaliah Goodman 20/1 9 9Fauci (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Philip Antonacci 15/1 10 10Dancing Buck (NY) Manuel Franco 122 Michelle Nevin 6/1 11 11Chewing Gum (KY) Jose Lezcano 126 William I. Mott 8/1 12 12Scuttlebuzz (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 124 Rudy R. Rodriguez 10/1 13 13Greeley and Ben (KY) Rider TBA 124 Jeffrey S. Englehart 3/1
