Curlin winner Street Life and Grade 2 Jim Dandy runner-up Neck n’ Neck were pronounced in fine
form this morning by their respective connections after the two worked Tuesday
in preparation for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Travers.
Street Life, trained by Chad Brown, went five furlongs on the main
track in 1:01.04, while the Ian Wilkes-trained Neck n’ Neck covered the
same distance, also on the main track, in 1:00.29, the second-fastest of 21 at
the distance.
“He came out of his work really well and he’ll work once
more, maybe on Monday,” said Brown of Street Life, who in the Curlin
stayed closer to the pace than in previous outings before coming five-wide to win
by 1 ¾ lengths. “He’s been very consistent since the Curlin, and
that’s all I’m really looking for, to maintain where he is.”
Both Brown and Wilkes will have representatives in Travers Week filly
races, with Brown sending Book Review
to make her stakes debut in the Travers Day Grade 1 Test for 3-year-old fillies
and Wilkes pointing Island Bound
to the Grade 1 Ballerina next Friday.
Book Review, a Giant’s Causeway filly bred and owned by Gary and
Mary West, broke her maiden on May 20 at Belmont Park in her third start and
went on to post identical 98 Beyer Speed Figures as runner-up in a one-mile
optional claimer on June 24 at Belmont and the winner of a seven-furlong
allowance on July 20 at the Spa.
Island Bound, who will be making her ninth start of 2012 in the
seven-furlong Ballerina, was most recently second by a neck to C C’s Pal
in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at six furlongs.