Second start on turf for Brilliant Speed in the Grade 1 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park
After running 3 of his last 4 starts on dirt, the 3-year-old Thomas Albertrani trained colt, Brilliant Speed returns to his much preferred surface, turf, and he is in fine form after tackling with top 3-year-olds on dirt.
Brilliant Speed represented his connections in the 104th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac on 4 September, 2011, at the Saratoga race course and won the grade 3 event in style defeating Queen’splatekitten and King Congie covering the 1
1/8 miles in 1 minute and 48.73 seconds.
Now, he is pointed to run in the Grade 1, $250,000 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park on 8 October, 2011, as he was pegged as the 9 to 5 morning line favourite to win the race.
The son of Dynaformer, out of Speed Succeeds by Gone West, Brilliant Speed will face seven other sophomores over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on grass.
In the Saranac, Brilliant Speed was sent as the 2 to 1 favourite, and that is exactly what he did as he came off the pace under jockey John Velazquez, to win by 2 ½ lengths.
Brilliant Speed last ran on turf was back on 6 February, 2011, when he participated in the Hallandale Beach at Gulfstream Park at about 1 1/16 miles.
Under the same rider, John Velasquez, the pair left it a little too much to do in the end and rolled in a close third, defeated by King Congie and Master Dunker.
He bounced back in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland on 16 April, over his favoured distance of 1 1/8 miles, and won the Grade 1 event on Poly Track with the winning time of 1 minute and 50.92 seconds.
Brilliant Speed spent the entire summer at Churchill Downs, Belmont Park and Saratoga, where he failed to win a single race, and the closest he got to winning was when he finished third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on 11 June.
The Live Oak Plantation owned Brilliant Speed returns to Belmont Park, but this time to run on grass over his favoured distance of 1 1/8 miles against a mild field.
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