Brilliant Speed pointing toward the Manhattan Stakes on the Belmont Stakes day
Other than a brilliant win as a 3-year-old on the Derby trail last year when, Brilliant Speed, nabbed the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, the Thomas Albertrani colt struggled the rest of the season, but he did come to terms, slightly, a start after the
Triple Crown when he downed the all important Grade 3 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The 4-year-old Live Oak Plantation owned colt, Brilliant Speed, was always home at turf and sometimes poly track, and the decision last year to take him to Churchill Downs to run in the Kentucky Derby against a dirt trained crop was a peculiar one.
However, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds because Brilliant Speed, in a field of 20 over a distance of 1 ¼ miles at Churchill Downs did run a respectable race when he finished seventh to Animal Kingdom.
With an automatic berth to the Preakness Stakes, Albertrani decided to skip the Preakness Stakes and head for the Belmont Stakes.
One and a half mile trip was an unfamiliar distance for Brilliant Speed, but the, then, three-year-old colt got a huge favour from the weather, and he relished over the sloppy track where the main protagonists struggled.
The Florida bred son of Dynaformer finished third on the day to winner, Ruler on Ice.
Out of Gone West mare Speed Succeeds, Brilliant Speed kicked off his season in the Grade 3 Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park going at one mile over the venue’s dirt course on 31 March, 2012.
Brilliant Speed finished fifth to winner, Corporate Jungle, who downed the 1 mile race in 1 minute and 33.99 seconds.
His next start was at the Churchill Downs turf course, where he participated in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Stakes, where Little Mike plugged away from the field surprisingly to post a massive victory.
Beaten three lengths by Little Mike, Brilliant Speed is now looking for a run in the Grade 1 Manhattan on the Belmont Stakes day.
“He ran very, very well,” Albertrani said. “He got bottled up at the three-eighths pole, and Johnny [Velazquez] thought it cost him second place. I think the mile and a half of the Manhattan should be to his liking.”
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