(Edited NYRA press release)
Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Silver Wagon worked four furlongs in a bullet :47.81 handily Thursday morning at Aqueduct as he prepares for Monday’s 114th running of the $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I)--Belmont Park’s traditional Memorial Day feature race. The Met Mile will be race 8 (4:43. p.m.) of a 10-race card.
The 6-year-old Wagon Limit horse is looking to give trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. his second consecutive Met Mile victory. Last year, Dutrow won the Met Mile when Silver Train got his head in front of Sun King at the wire.
“I really liked his breeze today,” Dutrow said of Silver Wagon, who is winless in three tries at Belmont Park and in three tries at a mile. “Going in, he’s very, very live. If I were a handicapper, I would be betting on him. I’ve always loved this race, and it would be great to win it a second year.”
Jockey Javier Castellano has the mount on Silver Wagon, who is co-highweight at 119 pounds with Lawyer Ron.
Sun King (118 pounds) will be back to try and gain some revenge for his Met Mile loss, and also expected are Ah Day (114), Corinthian (117), Half Ours (117), Latent Heat (118), Lawyer Ron, Political Force (116) and Silent Name (117).
Fans on Monday will receive a free Belmont Park baseball cap with each paid admission, while supplies last.
