Silius turns back in distance for $175K Casa Creed

Wertheimer and Frere’s Group 3-winning Irish-homebred Silius cuts back in distance for Sunday’s $175,000 Casa Creed, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont Park.

The Casa Creed is slated as Race 10 on Sunday’s stacked 11-race card, which is headlined by the Grade 3, $200,000 Forty Niner in Race 9 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler in Race 2. The lucrative program also offers the Listed $175,000 Turnback the Alarm in Race 8 and the state-bred $175,000 Notebook in Race 4. First post is 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

Silius [post 14, John Velazquez] was transferred to trainer Graham Motion following a sixth-place finish last out for his former conditioner Christophe Ferland in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on September 12 at Woodbine Racetrack. There, he tracked in third position through three-quarters in 1:10.73 under returning Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez before fading. The one-two finishers of that event – Notable Speech and Deterministic – are entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.

“He's a cool horse and a pretty forward-training horse,” Motion said. “He was very sharp at Woodbine going the mile and that's why we feel cutting back to the seven-eighths might help him.

"I think he needs to settle," Motion continued. "Johnny knows him now and I think that will be a big help."

The 4-year-old Silius has compiled a 22-8-5-2 record led by a neck win over Listed-winner Familly in the one-mile Group 3 Prix Messidor in July at Chantilly. The third-place finisher of that event, Erdenali, returned to win the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Silius has posted six of his eight wins at distances ranging from 6 3/4 – 7 1/2-furlongs with four of those scores coming over soft or heavy ground.

Silius, a winner over synthetic in January at Chantilly, has worked back four times over the Fair Hill all-weather for Motion, including a half-mile breeze in 49.40 seconds on October 10 in company with Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint contender Roja.

“They both got quite aggressive. We decided to keep him on his own after that,” Motion said.

The regally-bred Dubawi colt, out of the dual Group 1-winning Monsun mare Silasol, is a full-brother to last year’s Grade 1 Canadian International-winning Silawi.

Despite a pedigree that suggests stamina, Motion feels Silius will thrive at a shorter distance.

"He seems like shorter is better for him," Motion said. "He's not a real big horse, to be honest. He's a slight horse."

Exline-Border Racing, Michael Jawl, Aaron Kennedy and Tom Zwiesler’s multiple Grade 2-winner Gas Me Up [post 8, Antonio Fresu] exits a third-place finish in the Woodbine Mile and a fifth last out in the Grade 2 Nearctic at Woodbine.

Trained by Kevin Attard, the 6-year-old Hard Spun gelding won back-to-back renewals of the one-mile Grade 2 King Edward [2025-26] at Woodbine Racetrack and shipped out West in December to take down the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez at Santa Anita Park in the care of trainer Peter Eurton. There, the dark bay rallied from last-of-10 and 11 lengths off-the-pace in the 6 1/2-furlong downhill sprint to score by 1 1/4-lengths in a final time of 1:10.88 and earn a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

Gas Me Up exited his good third in the Woodbine Mile to run a non-threatening fifth as the favorite in the six-furlong Grade 2 Nearctic on October 3 at Woodbine.

Attard said the seven-furlong distance Sunday should suit Gas Me Up, who took honors as last year’s Champion Male Turf Horse in Canada.

"He's had a lot of success at a mile, but he's won sprinting on the downhill course at Santa Anita - it was a pretty impressive race that day,” Attard said. “His last race, I was a little disappointed. He was maybe carried a little bit wide, but we might have brought him back a little quick off the Woodbine Mile after hooking the likes of the two that ran in front of him [Notable Speech, Deterministic]. He's no slouch to run third to them.”

Attard, who expects to have a strong contingent at Belmont this winter, said he has been paying closer attention to the races here.

“I think his style will suit that turf course,” Attard said. “It seems like you have plenty of time to swing out at the top of the stretch and come with a run. I think his style and the way that course plays should suit him.”

Gas Me Up, out of the stakes-placed Smart Strike mare Chic Thrill, was bred in Ontario by the historic Sam-Son Farm. His stakes-winning second dam, Catch the Thrill, and graded stakes-winning third dam, Catch the Ring, were both Canadian Champions from a family that goes back to the nation’s 2003 Broodmare of the Year Radiant Ring.

"When you think of Sam-Son Farm, you think of the glory days here at Woodbine - the amazing turf pedigrees stand out especially, but versatile in every facet of the game,” Attard said.
 
Giocoso [post 7, Jose Lezcano] has banked a field-best $1,321,423 in purse earnings through an 18-5-2-3 record.

Trained by Keith Desormeaux for Rocker O Ranch, the 4-year-old Not This Time colt boasts a pair of graded wins on the turf, including victories last year with a stalking trip in the one-mile Grade 2 Secretariat at Colonial Downs and a deep-closing score in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs.

Giocoso stretched out to win the nine-furlong Texas Turf Classic in June at Lone Star ahead of a closing third in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Green River Island in August at Ellis Park.

Last out, he attended a swift pace in the one-mile Grade 3 Mint Millions Invitational on September 7 at Kentucky Downs under Jaime Torres, marking the half-mile in 44.38 seconds before fading to ninth.

“He was way too close to an insane pace. Kentucky Downs will do that," Desormeaux said. "I think the good break and when the track is playing speed it gets into jockey's heads. Jaime might have expected him to carry his speed a little better. We’ll throw that one out."

Giocoso is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Nutcracker Suite, while his second dam, the Storm Cat mare Dietrick, was a dual Group 3-winner for trainer Aidan O’Brien. His third dam, Piquetnol, is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Denon.

Desormeaux said Giocoso’s strengths are directly attributed to his rich pedigree.

“His best attributes are speed - if he needs it - and his heart, which is a direct result of his pedigree and class,” Desormeaux said. “I think a mile and an eighth is maxing it out for him distance-wise and seven-eighths should be perfect. He's never run seven-eighths, but it seems like that distance is just what the doctor ordered and that's why we’re coming to Belmont.”

Trainer Ned Allard will send out The Estate of Charles T. Matses’ Grade 3-winning Kentucky homebred Alogon [post 5, Forest Boyce].

Alogon has banked $711,999 through a 28-8-3-6 record. The 7-year-old California Chrome gelding competed in four straight editions of the six-furlong Belmont Turf Sprint [2023-26], winning last year’s renewal by a neck over Bold Journey and landing fourth in this year’s edition last out on October 1 here. The first three of his Belmont Turf Sprint efforts were contested at Belmont at the Big A, beginning as a Listed event in 2023 before being upgraded to a Grade 3.

The hard-knocking chestnut has posted four additional stakes scores, including a dead-heat victory with Works for Me in the Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in November 2024 at Aqueduct Racetrack. He won a key renewal of the six-furlong Laurel Dash in September at Laurel Park ahead of his recent Belmont Turf Sprint try, stalking and pouncing to a neck score over Victory Achieved, who exited that effort to the win the Grade 2 Nearctic at Woodbine. The third-place finisher of the Laurel Dash, Senbei, returned to win the New York Turf Sprint Championship here last Saturday.

Alogon has worked back twice, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:02.20 October 27 over the Delaware Park dirt.

John Sullivan’s Kentucky homebred Fond Farewell [post 6, Flavien Prat] will look to run his win streak to three, while making his stakes debut for trainer Will Walden.

The lightly-raced 4-year-old Caravaggio gelding graduated at first asking last June in a Churchill Downs maiden special weight and completed his sophomore season with a fifth-place try around two turns one month later at Saratoga.

He returned to sprinting for his current campaign, making two six-furlong starts in optional-claiming company over the Turfway Park synthetic beginning with a neck second to next-out winner Dr. Saikali in February.

Fond Farewell, out of the Uncle Mo mare County Clare, then posted a neck win of his own in March before returning to action more than six months later to annex a seven-furlong optional claimer by 5 1/4-lengths on the front end on September 19 here. The winning effort returned a career-best 98 Beyer and the Grade 3-placed runner-up, Attfield, exited that event to win a local optional-claiming sprint.

“This time, he should improve being his second start off the layoff,” Walden said. “He's a super talented horse; we've always loved him. I'm excited to bring him up there and hopefully get some black type for the family." 

TEC Racing’s dual stakes-placed Runnin’ Rocket [post 9, Samuel Marin] has made his last five outings for trainer Joe Sharp, beginning with a neck win in an optional claiming sprint in December at Turfway.

The 5-year-old War Front gelding was off-the-board in his next two efforts there in stakes company. However, he returned from a more than five-month layoff to finish a pacesetting second in an optional-claiming sprint on August 30 at Kentucky Downs when one length back of next-out Keeneland allowance winner Clock Tower.

Last out, Runnin’ Rocket stalked and pounced to a neck second to Eakly in the five-furlong Great West Turf Sprint on September 27 at Remington Park. Runnin’ Rocket has posted four of his five career wins on synthetic and sports a 10-1-2-0 record over turf.

“That last race was very impressive, and so was the one at Kentucky Downs,” Sharp said. “I think he is a horse that can handle seven furlongs. Previously, most of his big efforts have been on synthetic, so it’s good to [see him] open the door and be able to be good on the turf.”

Also entered amongst an overflow field are a trio for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in Grade 3-winner Spiced Up [post 10, Edgard Zayas], dual graded stakes-placed Capitol Hill [post 4, Junior Alvarado], and Stars and Strides [post AE15, Junior Alvarado], winner of last year’s 1 1/16-mile Listed restricted Saranac at the Spa; as well as Grade 1-placed Intellect [post 12, Manny Franco] for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown; multiple graded stakes-placed Piper’s Factor [post 3, Rajiv Maragh] for trainer Katerina Vassilieva; Grade 3-placed Chasing Liberty [post 13, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Rob Atras; recent allowance-optional claiming winner Rose Ruler [post 11, Dylan Davis] for trainer Mike Maker; three-time winners Bonus Move [post 1, Paco Lopez] for trainer Mark Hennig, and We’re in Trouble [post 2, Javier Castellano] for conditioner Michael McCarthy; and Mission Improbable [post AE16, Edgard Zayas], a last-out starter allowance winner here for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

General admission at Belmont Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and provides fans with access to grandstand seats on most days, all areas within the first floor of the grandstand and the backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.