By Joe Bianca
Stonestreet Stables' Stanford (Malibu Moon), a wire-to-wire winner of the Charles Town Classic S. last year, will go for a repeat in the $1.25 million feature Saturday, but figures to have to work much harder on the front end this time around.
Allowed to dictate dawdling splits of :24.75, :48.86 and 1:13.75 in his 2016 victory, Stanford was not for catching in the lane, and the bay has added victories in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S. and Challenger S. since. Rail drawn in this year's renewal, Stanford will likely have to be forwardly placed, and will likely face early heat from a pair of other frontrunners.
Lady Sheila Stable's Matt King Coal (Cool Coal Man), fourth in the GI Wood Memorial S. in his only previous graded stakes try, comes in off of a pair of pacesetting tallies at Laurel this winter, and projects to be in Stanford's hip pocket from the jump. The $250,000 OBS April buy sharpened up for this test with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00 1/5 (1/22) Apr. 14 over the Belmont training track.
Cautious Giant (Giant's Causeway) was claimed for $62,500 by Loooch Racing Stables and Imaginary Stables out of a narrow second in a downhill turf sprint Mar. 2 at Santa Anita. The gelding should be on the engine, if nothing else then to try and set the table for his owners' other entrants, Imperative (Bernardini) and War Story (Northern Afleet).
Imperative pulled off a 26-1 upset in this event three years ago, and was second at 31-1 the following year before running deceptively well when closing into the slow pace to be fourth last year. The 7-year-old gelding upset Stanford in the inaugural Poseidon H. Jan. 28 at Gulfstream before finishing a dull eighth in the GI Santa Anita H. last out Mar. 11.
War Story dominated the Queen's County S. with a career-high Beyer of 106 Dec. 17 at Aqueduct, and ran a respectable fifth behind Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational before filling the same slot in the GIII Fred Hooper S. last out Mar. 4. Trained by Jorge Navarro, War Story drilled a bullet five panels in 1:00 flat Apr. 15 at Gulfstream West.
The improving Sunny Ridge (Holy Bull) is not without a chance. Victor of the GIII Withers S. last winter, the gray went winless in his next five starts before dominating the Jazil S. Jan. 14 at Aqueduct and repeating in that track's Stymie S. Mar. 12.
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