Antiquarian takes the Peter Pan at Aqueduct, Credit Susie Raisher
Keith McCalmont
Centennial Farms president Don Little, Jr. is hoping for a vintage performance from their Grade 1-winning millionaire Antiquarian in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 5-year-old son of the Centennial Farms-campaigned Preservationist will make his seasonal debut in the one-turn mile for older horses. The talented chestnut, winner of last year’s 10-furlong Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course, was eased last out in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar but has trained forwardly at Palm Beach Downs for his return, including a half-mile in 48.77 seconds on April 26 in company with Grade 3-placed Tuscan Sky.
“He couldn’t be doing any better, knock wood,” Little, Jr. said. “He’s just thriving as an older horse right now. He does everything you ask. He relished the time off. He’s blossomed and grown and looks terrific.”
Antiquarian [10-4-3-0, $1,014,100] is just $70,450 shy of equaling the career purse earnings of his sire, Preservationist [11-6-1-2, $1,084,550], who captured the Grade 2 Suburban and Grade 1 Woodward in 2019 for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
“His dad didn’t win a Grade 1 until he was six, but the son was able to eclipse that,” Little, Jr. said. “With all things in good shape and staying sound, I think he will be a major factor this year.
“I really believe that patience will pay off for him in the long run as a stallion prospect,” Little, Jr. added. “The way he’s been training, I’m not too worried about anybody right now.”
Antiquarian [post 3, John Velazquez, 124 pounds] enjoyed an impressive sophomore campaign, winning the 2024 Grade 3 Peter Pan here ahead of a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at the Spa while looking to provide Centennial Farms with a second Belmont winner following Colonial Affair [1993].
Little, Jr. said he’s hopeful that Antiquarian, like Preservationist, will be able to find new levels as an older horse.
“In one way, he matured a little bit quicker than his dad. His dad grew pretty quickly but Antiquarian just needed time. Todd did a masterful job to get him to the Belmont,” Little, Jr. said.
Antiquarian proved he could be effective around one turn in last year’s seasonal debut with a pacesetting 2 1/2-length score over next-out stakes winner Shaq Diesel in a seven-furlong optional-claimer in April 2025 at Gulfstream Park.
“After that allowance win in his first start back as a 4-year-old, even Todd said, ‘wow, he showed a little more speed than I thought he had,’” Little, Jr. said. “He’s been showing that again in his works. His times have been good, but the way he does it, he’s making it look effortless.”
A good effort on Sunday could see Antiquarian come under consideration for the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday, June 6, during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. The one-mile test for 3-year-olds and up offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in October at Keeneland.
“The plan was to work back from the Breeders’ Cup, like Sovereignty and the others, but this seemed like an ideal spot because he showed speed last year. If he does very well, the door is open. You might consider that distance again,” Little, Jr. said.
Last year, Antiquarian subsequently stretched out from his sprint score to finish a 1 1/4-length second to Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Blame in May at Churchill Downs. What followed was a memorable Saratoga summer that saw him finish a head second to Phileas Fogg in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban presented by Subourbon in July ahead of a 1 1/2-length score over Sierra Leone in the Jockey Club Gold Cup under returning Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.
In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Phileas Fogg came over several paths shortly after the start, resulting in a chain reaction that caused Mindframe to unseat jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Sierra Leone to alter course around the fallen rider.
Antiquarian, who exited the outermost post 8, managed to avoid trouble and settled in fourth position behind the runaway pacesetter Contrary Thinking. Phileas Fogg took command turning for home, but a determined Antiquarian was rolling on the outside and in charge inside the final sixteenth with more than enough in the tank to stave off the onrushing Sierra Leone in a final time of 2:02.16. The winning effort registered a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure.
Little, Jr. noted the importance of the win for Antiquarian and how it reflects the soundness of the Centennial Farms program that has another up-and-coming prospect in recent Grade 3 Holy Bull winner Nearly, who is currently being freshened for 60 days.
“I emphasize the handicap races,” Little, Jr. said. “We were close to having a horse in the Derby again this year, but it’s not the be all and end all of our business model, which is to increase the value of these horses by winning stakes races throughout their career. The best horses we’ve campaigned that have gone on to stud are the ones that have won as 4-and-5-year-olds.
“Antiquarian is that Classic model,” Little, Jr. added. “He has a strong pedigree for distance but also shows speed. We love to win the big races in New York because those are stallion-making races.”
Little, Jr. said he is content to draw a line through Antiquarian’s try in the Breeders’ Cup Classic under Luis Saez.
“He didn’t benefit from that racetrack that day. Luis said he wasn’t getting a hold of the track,” Little, Jr. said. “If there was one thing that might have been an issue coming out of it – he was a little foot tender – but nothing major. We were going to give him two months off after it anyway and that’s what we did, and he came back to Todd in great shape.”
Centennial Farms have been involved in the highest levels of thoroughbred racing and breeding and, through the use of racing partnerships, has opened the door for many people to enjoy the sport. In addition to Colonial Affair and Preservationist, they have also campaigned Grade 1-winners Corinthian, Wicked Strong and Rubiano – the latter captured the Westchester in 1991-92.
Little, Jr. said he is hopeful that Antiquarian will provide another memorable summer for their team beginning on Sunday when the chestnut will try and see Centennial Farms join Alfred G. Vanderbilt, II, King Ranch and Edward P. Evans as the only three-time winners of the Westchester.
“We’d be in pretty good company,” said Little, Jr. with a laugh. “All the credit to Todd, his team and our purchasing team of Dr. Stephen Carr and Paula Parsons. They are instrumental in all of this.”
The $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, is out of the winning Istan mare Lifetime Memory, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Speaktomeofsummer and stakes-winner Proud Reunion.
KAS Stables’ Bishops Bay [post 2, Flavien Prat, 124 pounds] will look to defend his Westchester title for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.
The 6-year-old Uncle Mo bay won 6-of-8 starts last year, including a perfect 3-for-3 over course and distance with scores in the Westchester, Grade 3 Forty Niner in November and the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap in December. He was last seen finishing a 5 3/4-length fourth in the Group 1 Saudi Cup on February 14 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and has trained into this event at Payson Park in Florida.
Bishops Bay was a game winner of the Cigar Mile where he carried a co-field high 125 pounds and tracked from second position as Mika showed the way through a swift three-quarters in 1:09.63. Mika held a 2 1/2-length lead at the stretch call but Bishops Bay, under strong encouragement from returning rider Flavien Prat, made up ground inside the final sixteenth and got up to earn a narrow win over the pacesetter in a final time of 1:34.62. The winning effort earned a career-best 107 Beyer.
Prat is perfect in six starts aboard Bishops Bay, including stakes scores in the restricted American Pharoah last March at Oaklawn Park and the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June at Monmouth Park along with the aforementioned Westchester and Forty Niner.
Bishops Bay, out of the dual graded stakes-placed Pioneerof the Nile mare Catch my Drift, was purchased by current connections for $1.3 million from the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale. He was initially a $450,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is a half-brother to the Cox-trained Grade 2-winning millionaire Catching Freedom.
Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Bishops Bay has banked in excess of $2.4 million through a 14-9-3-0 record.
Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable and Woodford Racing’s Pentathlon [post 1, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds] brings a two-race win streak into the Westchester for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.
The 5-year-old Speightstown chestnut finished fifth in his graded stakes debut in the Cigar Mile Handicap in December here but has returned in career form this campaign with back-to-back scores in Florida.
Pentathlon opened his account in February with a five-length romp in a seven-furlong optional-claimer at Tampa Bay Downs and followed with a half-length score in the seven-furlong Listed Army Mule on March 28 at Gulfstream Park that earned a 95 Beyer.
Pentathlon is out of the Grade 3-placed Tapit mare Parade, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Parading. His fourth dam is Hall of Famer Personal Ensign, the 13-for-13 McGaughey-trained great and subsequent Reine-De-Course broodmare.
Paul Berube, Karen Linnell and Heather Hunter’s Maryland homebred Quint’s Brew [post 4, Forest Boyce, 122 pounds] also enters on a two-race win streak and in career form for trainer Ned Allard.
The 5-year-old Mosler gelding has finished second in each of his two outings at the Big A, missing by a neck to Crazy Mason in last year’s Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets ahead of a half-length second in this event to Bishops Bay.
Quint’s Brew arrives in good order from efforts at Laurel Park with a neck win in the restricted six-furlong Not For Love in March before scratching from this year’s Carter to post a 5 3/4-length frontrunning score in the seven-furlong Frank Y. Whiteley on April 4 that earned a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.
All seven of Quint’s Brew’s career wins have come at Laurel Park, including additional stakes scores in the Jennings [2025-26] and the 2025 Listed General George.
Quint’s Brew, out of the winning New York-bred Jump Start mare Gansett, has banked $561,240 through a 12-7-4-1 ledger.
A talented field is completed by St. Elias Stable’s Florida homebred Rated by Merit [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 122 pounds], who suffered his first career defeat last out when a 2 3/4-length fourth in seven-furlong Grade 2 Carter on April 4 here won by Point Dume over the reigning Champion Male Sprinter Book’em Danno.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Battalion Runner colt made just one start last year, returning from a more than 10-month layoff in October at Belmont at the Big A to capture the restricted one-turn mile Discovery where he posted a career-best 106 Beyer.
Rated by Merit, who required time off for bone bruising ahead of the Discovery, made his first four starts as a juvenile in 2024 at Gulfstream Park in the care of trainer Michael Yates. His victories included restricted stakes scores for registered Florida-sired horses in the six-furlong Dr. Fager, the seven-furlong Affirmed and the 1 1/16-mile In Reality.
Rated by Merit is out of the winning Speightstown mare Banner Waving, while his second dam, Freedom Flag, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Revolutionary. His third dam is Grade 1-winner Runup the Colors.
The Westchester is slated as Race 7 on Sunday’s stakes-laden 12-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Beaugay in Race 8, the Grade 3, $175,000 Vagrancy in Race 10, and the Listed $150,000 License Fee in Race 11. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
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