SAFE CONDUCT wrote his name into the history books in August with a game head score in the $1 million Queen’s Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at 10 furlongs over Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack.
Trained by Phil Serpe, the Bodemeister sophomore followed with a fading eighth in the 1 1/2-mile Breeders’, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown contested over a yielding E. P. Taylor Turf Course.
“He just doesn’t want any part of soft ground,” Serpe said. “It had rained a lot up there and he just wasn’t getting a hold of the track.”
The big 3-year-old seeks to get back on track on November 26 at Aqueduct in New York in the $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Safe Conduct has kept good company through his sophomore season, winning a 1 1/16-mile optional-claimer over firm Belmont turf in May by 2 1/2-lengths over Public Sector, who has won his last three starts in graded company including Saturday’s Grade 2 Hill Prince.
Safe Conduct exited that effort to finish fourth in the off-the-turf Grade 3 Pennine Ridge in May and faded to eighth in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational in July over good going.
Safe Conduct sports a ledger of 8-3-1-0 with field-high purse earnings of $606,364. Unfortunately, the colt is not eligible for a Sovereign Award for Champion 3-year-old with just two starts in this country this year.
The talented bay, bred in Ontario by Mitchell Kursner, breezed five-eighths in 1:02.25 November 7 over the Belmont inner turf and followed with an easy five-eighths over Big Sandy in 1:03.86 on November 18.
Jose Lezcano, aboard for the win at Belmont in May, has the call from post 7.
Hinkle Farms’ homebred Monition will bring a perfect record into the Gio Ponti.
Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Monition hasn’t put a foot wrong through two career starts under jockey Brian Hernandez. The English Channel gelding rallied to a professional three-quarter length debut win, advancing inside rivals on the turn and splitting the leaders in the final furlong to capture a one-mile maiden special weight over firm Ellis Park turf in September.
“He broke mid-pack and had a nice turn-of-foot at the end,” DeVaux said. “He ran really well. You never know going long first time if they’re going to need a race or not, so I was really pleased with him. He had always trained well, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.”
Monition followed by demonstrating a new dimension, posting a gate-to-wire score when stretched out to nine-furlongs over good going against older allowance company on October 9 at Keeneland.
DeVaux credited Hernandez for the prominent trip.
“Brian made the decision. He saw there wasn’t a lot of speed on paper and knew the horse could break sharp,” DeVaux said. “When he made the lead, he made the right decision and let the horse stay comfortable there. It was quite impressive.”
Monition has breezed back five times at Keeneland, including a half-mile in 48.60 seconds on November 16. He will make his Big A debut under jockey Luis Saez from the outermost post 8.
DeVaux said Saez will have plenty of options with the versatile Monition.
“It’s going to be up to Luis to play the break and see. If no one is going to go, it’s definitely in his wheelhouse to do so,” DeVaux said.
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