Often in sports, success is premised on luck and having the wherewithal to call an audible when necessary. In the National Football League, for instance, a quarterback calling an audible can mean the difference between punting, a first down, or sometimes a touchdown. In European football, a wisely timed substitution can make the difference between winning and losing.
The Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan was seen as the favorite for next Saturday’s G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap (the ‘Met Mile’) at Belmont Park, but he is sidelined after injury now and will not run (he wouldn’t have been allowed to take part anyway as Baffert is barred from running horses at NYRA tracks after the positive test on Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit for the banned substance betamethasone) .
Co-owner Sol Kumin told the Daily Racing Form the Saudi Cup runner-up did not appear to be 100 percent after his most recent gallop on May 15. A decision about his future would be made in late June. Given his next two starts were likely the Metropolitan Handicap and Saratoga’s Whitney Stakes, both in New York, retirement seems a likely option.
Few connections had been keen to send their runners to take on Charlatan, currently world #19 in the TRC standings, in the Met Mile. His absence changes everything.
Indeed, trainer Brad Cox’s answer was straightforward when asked why Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus winner (and Saudi Cup fourth) Knicks Go (world #32) was being rerouted from Monday’s G3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star to the Metropolitan Handicap. “No Charlatan!” he said, the Daily Racing Form reported.
Opening the door when opportunity knocks is nothing new in racing. After Swiss Skydiver finished a disappointing third in the G1 Apple Blossom Handicap, Kenny McPeek said she would point toward two-turn races, excluding the G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes from consideration even though a big horse like her might love the sweeping turns on the mile-and-a-half track. However, with Monomoy Girl’s hiatus to recuperate after a muscle strain, the race once again appeared on Swiss Skydiver’s radar. It remains to be seen if she follows through, but the race (on the same card as the Belmont Stakes and the Met Mile next Saturday) is under consideration.
In another case, Frosted was largely seen as a two-turn horse after breaking his maiden in a one-turn mile race at Aqueduct before cutting back to a mile in the Metropolitan Handicap. Godolphin’s son of Tapit had just set a track record at Meydan in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 at 8½ furlongs. He had also finished second behind Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes. In cutting him back in distance, the result was a new stakes record of 1:32.73.
And Honor Code, a son of A.P. Indy largely seen as a two-turn horse after his win in the 9-furlong G2 Remsen Stakes in 2013 at Aqueduct was cut back to a one-turn mile in the G2 Gulfstream Park Handicap after a 6½-furlong allowance win at Aqueduct. He won at Gulfstream against a strong field that included multiple G1 winner Private Zone. After faltering in the G2 Alysheba, Honor Code returned in the Met Mile, where he continued his successful campaign for champion older male with his most impressive performance, winning by almost four lengths against another top field.
There are four horses possibly in contention for the older male championship who could benefit from Charlatan’s defection:
By My Standards
A son of two-time Breeders Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents, Brett Calhoun’s 5-year old broke his maiden at 8½ furlongs and has never raced in a one-turn race since. Impressive last out in the Oaklawn Mile, he defeated Graded winners Rushie and Wells Bayou by a nose. Monday’s (May 31) G3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park is a possible. Given his runner-up finish to champion older male Improbable last year, the Whitney Stakes is the summer target, so Calhoun may want to keep to his schedule. However, the team’s goal is also to earn a G1 win for the horse.
Knicks Go
After the Saudi Cup, trainer Cox took his time with the son of Paynter, giving him a chance to fully recover for shipping halfway around the world. Cox has stated that he sees his charge as much more competitive in two-turn rather than one-turn races, though the disappointing Riyadh performance could be a result of not shipping well.
Maxfield
After suffering his first career loss in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap, the Godolphin homebred made an emphatic return in the G3 Alysheba Stakes, winning by 3¼ lengths from Kentucky Cup Classic winner Visitant, G2 New Orleans Classic winner Chess Chief, and Santa Anita Derby winner Roadster. Maxfield (world #30) is another who since breaking his maiden has not participated in one-turn races. The G2 Stephen Foster on June 26 was the next leg in the campaign of this talented colt, but a Metropolitan Handicap win could get the horse right back into contention in the top older male ranks.
Silver State
The winner of the 2021 G2 Oaklawn Handicap is under consideration for the Met Mile, according to trainer Steve Asmussen. The horse is on a 5-race winning streak after a couple of allowance wins. The son of Hard Spun took the Fifth Season Stakes and the Essex Handicap before notching his career best performance in the Oaklawn Handicap, where he defeated Graded winners Fearless and Express Train. Asmussen already has two Met Mile wins to his credit, with Bee Jersey in 2018 and Champion Male Sprinter Mitole in 2019.
Presently, the Met Mile field only includes a single G1 winner, Mischevious Alex (world #79), who captured April’s 7-furlong G1 Carter Handicap. He appears to be trying to take the route Vekoma took last year in capturing the Carter/Metropolitan Handicap double.
G3 Westchester Stakes winner multiple G1-placed Dr Post is also targeting the race, along with the G1-placed Lexitonian, NY Traffic and CZ Rocket. While this is a nice field, none of the contenders have the gravitas in the older male ranks of By My Standards, Knicks Go and Maxfield.
Nominations for the Metropolitan Handicap closed on May 22, but late editions can be supplemented up until entries are drawn the week of the race.
Todd Sidor, an attorney by trade, has helped produce equine law seminars, and has been a member of racing partnerships for a number of years. His more than two decades passion and respect for the sport of horse racing will always make him, first and foremost, a racing enthusiast with a penchant for racing history.