ELMONT, N.Y. – Flying P Stable’s Locally Owned earned his first stakes victory at the marathon distance last year and will look for another in Friday’s $100,000 Flat Out for 4-year-olds and upwards traveling 1 3/8 miles over the main track at Belmont Park.
Trained by Tom Morley, the 6-year-old son of Distorted Humor has been away from the races since a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance going 1 5/8 miles on November 6 at Del Mar. It was the second start at the marathon distance for the gelding, who won the 1 5/8-mile Grand Prix American Jockey Club in September at Belmont by a length in his first try beyond nine furlongs.
Locally Owned began his career sprinting for trainer Al Stall, Jr. and broke his maiden as a sophomore going six furlongs at Fair Grounds Race Course. He picked up two more victories at the allowance level before moving to Morley’s barn where he won first off the claim last April at Belmont.
Morley, who describes Locally Owned as, “a gigantic teddy bear,” said the bay gelding was originally scheduled to make his seasonal debut in the nine-furlong Excelsior on April 2 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“We had him ready and he must have stood on a stone or something about 10 days before, and it actually really bugged him for about two weeks,” said Morley. “It was frustrating to miss the race, but his last three works have been really good.”
Locally Owned has posted a series of works over the Belmont main track, including a six-furlong breeze in 1:12.19 on April 10 with jockey Dylan Davis up.
“Dylan worked him three-quarters out here three weeks ago and he had a huge gallop out that day without being asked,” said Morley.
“Dylan came back and said he is absolutely spot-on. He looks fantastic and we’re really excited to get his year started.”
Morley expressed concern for Locally Owned starting the year off at the marathon distance.
“I would have loved to have started in the Excelsior. A mile and three-eighths on dirt off a long layoff is always a little bit of a question mark, but if they have that natural stamina, then we’ve got to get the year started somehow,” said Morley. “But he loves this track. He’s a horse who tells you when he’s doing good, and when he’s good, he’s pretty good. Fingers crossed.”
Davis, who piloted Locally Owned to his Grand Prix American Jockey Club win, returns to ride from post 3.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will send out two contenders with stakes winner First Constitution and Grade 3-placed Portos.
First Constitution, winner of the Jazil on January 22 at the Big A, is a Group 1 winner in his native Chile where he won the 2020 Gran Criterium Mauricio Serrano Palma going 1 3/16 miles at Hipodromo Chile. The 5-year-old son of Constitution was on-the-board in 3-of-4 American starts for Pletcher before his breakout win in the Jazil going nine furlongs over the fast main track and earning a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.
Owned by Don Alberto Stable, WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables, First Constitution enters from the Excelsior on April 2 where he finished a pacesetting third behind upset winner Forewarned and stablemate Untreated after an awkward start under the leading Aqueduct spring meet rider Kendrick Carmouche.
Jose Lezcano picks up the mount from post 2.
Wertheimer and Frere’s Portos was last seen finishing fifth of nine in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer on April 13 at Keeneland where he chased in third under Luis Saez and tired after putting in his run at the three-eighths marker.
The 5-year-old son of Tapit picked up a graded stakes placing with a third-place effort in the 2020 Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct behind eventual Grade 1 winner Max Player. He earned another stakes placings when finishing third in the Isaac Murphy Marathon going 1 1/2 miles last April at Churchill Downs. He has won 2-of-12 lifetime starts with four other in-the-money efforts.
Carmouche will ride from post 4.
The veteran Blewitt will make his 26th start in the Flat Out and rides a two-race win streak into his second start at the marathon distance. He was a last-out winner of the Stud Muffin starter stakes going 1 3/8 miles over the main track on March 26 at the Big A.
The son of Uncle Mo has gone 2-for-3 for trainer John Toscano, Jr. and owner Gus Ginesin since he was claimed out of a winning effort in December at the Big A for $25,000. His first start off the claim was a disappointing eighth-place finish in a $32,000 claiming race, but he quickly rebounded to score easy wins in another claiming event on March 6 and the Stud Muffin.
“We got lucky with him,” Toscano, Jr. said. “We kind of got him to relax and calm down. He used to be speed crazy. Now he’s nice and relaxed and responded well to that. I was afraid for him to try the marathon, but he liked it. He’s 8-years-old and he’s all settled in.”
Blewitt, who began his career with Pletcher, earned a third in the 2020 Lubash over the turf at Saratoga Race Course and is still in search of his first stakes victory.
Trevor McCarthy rides from post 1.
Completing the field is Will E Sutton [post 5, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], who sold for $1 million as a yearling at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale, and five-time winner Warrior in Chief [post 6, Jose Gomez] for trainer Dylan Clarke.
The Flat Out is slated as Race 8 on Friday’s nine-race card and honors the multiple Grade 1 winner who captured back-to-back editions of the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2011 and 2012 at Belmont. First post is 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
NYRA Press Release
Photo: NYRA Photo
