(Edited NYRA report)
With nine horses entered in the main body and Dubinsky entered for the main track only, the one-mile Hill Prince (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park on June 5 is loaded with horses that have shown talent in tough company. Phipps Stable’s Conservative, for instance, won two in a row and then closed wide to run second in the grade II Coolmore Lexington over Keeneland’s Polytrack on April 18.
But there are cases to be made here for Wertheimer et Frere’s Affirmatif and Earle I. Mack’s Elmfield Boy.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Affirmatif has won two of three starts on three different turf courses. The Unbridled's Song colt won the Woodlawn at Pimlico at the Hill Prince distance.
Elmfield Boy, a son of Medaglia d'Oro , has had only two starts, but won both. He debuted on turf at Newcastle last June, and in his first start in this county, won a Presque Isle allowance on a synthetic surface on May 9 for new trainer Steve Klesaris.
Dogwood Stable’s Lime Rickey tried the dirt in Aqueduct’s grade I Wood Memorial and ran last. Back on turf, the Frank Alexander-trained son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid won a mile allowance at Belmont in his last start.
Hill Prince Stakes (gr. IIIT), $100,000, 1 mile (turf), 3-year-olds
PP--Horse--Jockey--Weight--Trainer
1--Duke of Homberg, R A Dominguez, 120, T Albertrani
2--Despite the Odds , J Rose, 116, M J Trombetta
3--Rendezvous, G K Gomez, 116, J Hollendorfer
4--Florentino, A Garci, 116, K P McLaughlin
5--Lime Rickey, J Castellano, 116, F A Alexander
6--Heros Image, C H Velasquez, 116, E P Begley, Jr.
7--Elmfield Boy, E Coa, 116, S Klesaris
8--Conservative, K J Desormeaux, 116, C R McGaughey III
9--Affirmatif, J R Velazquez, 116, T A Pletcher
Also Eligibles:
10--Dubinsky, (No rider named), 118, R E Dutrow, Jr.
