Zarak the Brave seeks G1 breakthrough in Lonesome Glory
Mrs. S. K. Johnston, Jr.’s dual Grade 1-placed Zarak the Brave seeks to break through at that level in Thursday’s $150,000 Lonesome Glory, a 2 1/2-mile steeplechase handicap for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by former jockey Thomas Garner, the 6-year-old Zarak bay enters from strong Grade 1 efforts at Saratoga Race Course with a respective third and second in the A.P. Smithwick Memorial on July 23 and the Jonathan Sheppard Handicap on August 27. The latter performance saw him carry a co-field-high 158 pounds as he tracked prominently throughout the 2 3/8 miles under regular pilot Evan Dwan. He briefly held a head lead at the two-mile call before battling bravely down the stretch with Jimmy P – who carried four pounds less – and came up three-quarter lengths shy of victory.
“He’s in good form and he came out of Saratoga good,” Garner said. “He was top weight and it was obviously a big performance last time. We were third in the Smithwick and second in the Sheppard, so hopefully we can go one better again next week.”
Zarak the Brave has bounced back from two falls in his first three stateside outings since moving from Europe last spring. He was the favorite in last year’s Sheppard, but fell at the second fence and did not race again until this year’s Grade 2 Temple Gwathmey Handicap in April at Middleburg. He fell again in the Grade 1 Iroquois in May, but returned in the Smithwick where he landed his first Grade 1 placing.
“He obviously didn’t have a clear round twice, and to come back after his fall at Saratoga last year and do what he’s done, that’s quite impressive,” Garner said. “He just needs some luck on his side. After Saratoga last year, we took the rest of the year off and he’s come back this year fresh and well. We tried giving him a quiet run at Middleburg and we thought we were in with a shot in the Iroquois, but he was unlucky.”
The Lonesome Glory will see Zarak the Brave return to 2 1/2 miles for the first time since the Temple Gwathmey, and he finished a close second at this distance in the Rathbarry and Glenview Studs over soft footing last April at Fairyhouse.
“I have no worries about that, especially with the ground we’re running on at Aqueduct,” Garner said. “It’s a lot different than the ground he was running on back home, so it will be a lot easier on him. Two and a half miles on good, quick ground won’t be a problem for him.”
Garner added that Zarak the Brave is deserving of both his name and a top-level victory.
“He’s just an honest horse, and I’d love to get a Grade 1 win for the owner – she’s been a big supporter of mine since I retired from riding and started training, so I’d love for the horse, the yard, and especially the owner to win a Grade 1,” Garner said.
Dwan will return to the irons carrying a field-high 158 pounds.
Zarak the Brave will carry 10 pounds more than a trio of rivals as Evie’s Prince [Bernard Dalton], Hidden Path [Conor Tierney] and Travesuras [Gerard Galligan] have each been assigned 148 pounds.
Shannon Hill Farm’s Evie’s Prince seeks to rebound from a pair of fourth-place finishes this summer as he returns to Grade 1 company for the first time since a close second to Proven Innocent in the Beverly R. Steinman in June at the Spa.
Trained by Neil Morris, the veteran of 35 starts finished fourth in this event last year as part of an 8-3-0-1 campaign that featured a 16 1/4-length trouncing of a 2 1/4-mile handicap in August at Colonial Downs. The 8-year-old Animal Kingdom gelding seeks his first win this year as he returns to the hurdles after a 6 1/4-length fourth in a restricted flat allowance going 1 5/8 miles on August 30 at Fair Hill, won by returning rival Welshman.
Upland Flats Racing’s Hidden Path was a rallying third in the Sheppard 4 3/4 lengths behind Jimmy P after trailing in seventh-of-8 early and having some difficulty at the sixth fence. Nevertheless, he ran on willingly down the lane to pick up his second Grade 1 placing after landing third in this event last year. Trained by Richard Hendriks, he boasts a consistent 7-2-2-3 record over jumps after beginning his career on the flat with Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.
Irvin S. Naylor’s Travesuras makes his Grade 1 bow on the heels of a distant second to Little Trilby in the Michael G. Walsh Novice going 2 3/8 miles on August 13 at the Spa. Trained by Cyril Murphy, the 6-year-old Hit It a Bomb gelding has been on the board in each of his four outings this year, led by a half-length allowance win at 2 1/8 miles in June at Laurel Park. The consistent dark bay has landed in-the-money in 10-of-13 lifetime hurdle starts.
Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher seeks his fourth win in this event as Riverdee Stable’s Welshman [Graham Watters, 146 pounds] makes his fourth start this year. The 7-year-old Flintshire bay landed his first graded win in the 2023 Grade 2 David Semmes Memorial Handicap at Great Meadow, and finished second in a pair of Grade 1s last year in the Commonwealth Cup at Great Meadow and the William H. Allison Sport of Kings in October at Middleburg. He was last seen posting his aforementioned allowance win at Fair Hill.
Completing the field are 2023 Carolina Cup-winner Caramelised [Jamie Bargary, 146 pounds] for trainer Leslie Young, last-out hurdle maiden-winner Swore [Stephen Mulqueen, 144 pounds] for trainer Keri Brion, and the Arch Kingsley, Jr.-trained pair of Bee Well [Dan Nevin, 142 pounds] and Sweet Will [Freddie Procter, 142 pounds].
The Lonesome Glory is slated as Race 1 on Thursday’s eight-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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