Believe You Can is going to take space between races according to trainer Larry Jones
The major goal of the year, of course after the Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks for, Believe You Can is the Breeders’ Cup this fall at Santa Anita Park, and since the filly has raced four times already this year, trainer Larry Jones will give her space between raced from now on to ensure things go according to plan.
The Kentucky Oaks winning filly Believe You Can last raced on 4 May, 2012, at Churchill Downs, and she is now pointed toward the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on 23 June, 2012.
So, the Proud Citizen filly will have a rest of a month nearly three weeks – which is the plan for Believe You Can.
It is a given that Believe You Can will participate in the Saratoga meet this year, and after she is done with the Mother Goose Stakes the next race on the agenda will be the Grade 1 Betfair TVG Alabama Stakes on 18 August, 2012.
This is a very well planned schedule, ensuring that the Brereton C. Jones homebred filly isn’t hurt with cramped up races, but still Larry Jones isn’t too sure about Mother Goose Stakes yet, because he is eyeing a start in the Alabama Stakes, and Mother Goose could get replaced by the Grade 1 Betfair TVG Coaching Club American Oaks on 21 July, 2012, also at Saratoga.
Whatever is best suited for the filly will be prioritized, but at the moment Believe You Can is riding on a two race win streak, having captured the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks at Fair Grounds Race Course prior to the Kentucky Oaks win.
“It just was great,” Larry Jones said of Oaks Day. “Of course, I’m from Kentucky, and we all think the Kentucky Oaks is the second-best horse race in the world. The Derby is the only thing better than that for an old Kentucky boy. People tell me that winning the Derby, or winning the Oaks, a lot of people can do it once. But, if you win it twice, maybe you really do deserve to do it. So that gives you a little bit of logic that maybe the first time wasn’t pure luck! You’ve got to get lucky, but hopefully it’s more than just luck.”
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