Chad Brown duo heads Saturday’s Grade 3 Pennine Ridge at Belmont Park

May 30 – By New York Hot List Staff

Trainer Chad Brown will send out Demarchelier and Value Proposition in Saturday’s $200,000 Pennine Ridge (G3) with eight 3-year-olds, which is scheduled to be run on the inner turf at 1 1/8-mile at Belmont Park.

Saturday will be the sixth edition of the Pennine Ridge which has been won by very talented turf horses the past four years in Catholic Boy, Oscar Performance, Camelot Kitten, and Divisidero.

The race is named for Pennine Ridge, a turf specialist, who did his best running as a 3-year-old in 1994 when he won three graded stakes races including the Jamaica Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park. He raced until he was a 7-year-old and had a career record of 48: 9-6-3 with total earnings of $490,841.

Both of the Brown runners were bred in England and have unbeaten records. Value Proposition is the morning line favorite at 5-2. The son of Dansili, broke his maiden at first asking on the Belmont Park turf in April. Demarchelier (9-2), who is named for the famous fashion photographer, is by Dubawi. He won his first race at Aqueduct in November and then added an allowance score at Keeneland in April.

Brown is looking ahead to July 6 and the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) which is the first leg of the new Turf Trinity for 3-year-olds.

“Both horses are training well and the distance should be good for them,” Brown said. “We’re using this race as a prep for the Belmont Derby Invitational if they prove that they’re good enough.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher also has a pair of sophomores in the field. Clint Maroon is the 3-1 second choice based on victories in his last three starts including the Woodhaven at Aqueduct back in April. Social Paranoia at 7-2 on the morning line was last seen racing third in the American Turf (G2) at Churchill Downs behind the unbeaten Digital Age.

The Cross-Country Pick 5 is fast becoming a wager where big payouts are expected. This weekend it is an all-turf affair that begins with the Pennine Ridge (G3) and ends with the Penn Mile (G2) from Penn National.

Full analysis of the Pennine Ridge is available in the New York Hot List picks that can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Leg A: Belmont Park – Grade 3 Pennine Ridge – Race 8 (5:18 pm)
Leg B: Penn National – Susquehanna Stakes – Race 8 (6:05 pm)
Leg C: PA Governor’s Cup – Race 9 (6:40 pm)
Leg D: Penn Oaks – Race 10 (7:15 pm)
Leg E: Grade 2 Penn Mile – Race 11 (7:50 pm)