Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Redemption Road has been doing well in his preparations at Palm Meadows for this race, most recently working a half-mile in :49 1/5 seconds on Tuesday morning.

During the first seven sessions of the Keeneland September yearling sale, Centennial purchased an Elusive Quality —Shady Reflection colt and a Corinthian —On Kris’s Wings colt for $210,000 and $90,000, respectively. Centennial also bought a Me¬daglia d’Oro—Veiled Threat filly and a Mr. Greeley—Back Bay Dixie filly for $170,000 and $150,000, respectively.

“The stallion market has cooled off,” said Dr. Steve Carr, Centennial’s manager of horse operations. “The only way you’re going to get a lot of money for a colt as a stallion prospect right now is to have a home run kind of horse like our horse Corinthian (who stands at Gainesway Farm near Lexington). You need to have a multiple grade I winner, a Breeders’ Cup race winner, or a Triple Crown race winner. The horse has to have everything, including (a commercially appealing) pedigree.”

According to Carr, who provided what he called “a little bit of an exaggerated example,” a grade III-winning colt with an “OK pedigree” is worth $75,000 while a grade III- or grade II-winning filly is worth several hundred thousand dollars. For a partnership business that emphasizes racing over breeding, that’s important because the goal is to sell the horses after they are finished competing.

“Donald Little Jr. (Centennial’s president), Paula Parsons (Centennial’s yearling trainer), and I have discussed it and decided to supplement our purchases with some fillies and our partners are happy with that,” Carr said.

Corinthian, an 8-year-old son of Pulpit , won the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I), Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II), and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2007. Members of his first crop are beginning to race this year. Through Sept. 18, he had five winners: Buccella, Hunt Crossing, My People, Preach Easy, and Takes the Gold.

“There didn’t look like there was any speed in there,” said Jerkens when asked if he was surprised to see Convocation on the lead and pressed by Ice Box of all horses on Friday. “I thought he ran very well.”

Convocation, who has been graded stakes placed on several occasions, received a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory. That matched the number he earned when finishing fourth four weeks earlier in the Grade 2 Suburban.

Our partners are also invited to attend the prestigious Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale with us on August 8-9. Our selection team lead by Dr. Stephen Carr and Paula Parsons has purchased five Grade I winners from this sale over the last 20 years. We plan on purchasing one or two individuals from this sale; interested parties are encouraged to let us know as soon as possible.

Saratoga has long been the place to unveil future champions and this season will feature the first crop of two-year-old runners by Corinthian, our Breeders’ Cup winning millionaire now a promising sire in Kentucky. We have heard from many prominent horsemen excited about their horses by Corinthian and it will be thrill to see his offspring heading to post at the Spa.

We were fortunate to win allowance races at Saratoga last season with Desert Key and Convocation. The stable looks primed for success this year, with five horses expected to carry the Centennial colors to the post this Saratoga season.

Arch Traveler, already a three-time winner this year, looks to improve on his third-place finish from the Grade II Woody Stephens Stakes when he heads to the post in the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on Monday, August 1. This race could very well serve as a prep for the Grade I King’s Bishop Stakes on Travers Day.

Convocation, a winner over allowance runners in Saratoga last season, is expected to start in the $75,000 Birdstone Stakes on Thursday, August 4 going 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

Second Empire, a three-year-old son of Empire Maker out of the graded stakes winning mare Penny’s Valentine, should be ready to run towards the second half of the season.

“He’ll have to run the race of his life to win it, no doubt about it,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. “He’s been training very good.”

The Suburban is one of three stakes on an 11-race card that begins at 1 p.m. and includes the Grade 2 Dwyer for 3-year-olds and the $60,000 Recording Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf.

Convocation, a 5-year-old son of Pulpit, is 0 for 7 in graded stakes, but has twice finished second in the Grade 3 Westchester and was also runner-up the Grade 2 Dwyer in 2009 and last year’s Grade 2 Suburban. In his most recent start, Convocation finished third in the four-horse Easy Goer Stakes, but that race – won by Friend or Foe – was run in a near-track-record time of 1:40:13.

“He finished up some, but he wasn’t catching up to them,” Jerkens said. “It looked like the track was speed-favoring that day.”

Convocation, owned the Centennial Farms, shows a bullet half-mile breeze in 47 seconds on Tuesday, and he gets the services of Ramon Dominguez.

Rodman will likely go off the favorite in the Suburban off a strong second-place finish to Tizway in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap here on May 30. Rodman came from well off the pace that day, but has also had success on the front end, a style he used to win the Grade 3 Queens County in 2009 and the Irish Tower Stakes at Aqueduct in April.

Trainer Mike Hushion said the fractions in the Met were hot enough that he was glad Rodman was off of the pace. There does not appear to be as much early speed in the Suburban, and Rodman drew the rail under Javier Castellano.

“I’m going to let him place himself,” Hushion said. “If he happens to be revved up and on it a little bit he is, if not we’ll late Javier play that hand.”

Rodman earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 108 in the Met Mile, and Hushion knows that a regression, or bounce, is possible. The 6-year-old horse, however, put in one of his best workouts Sunday when he drilled five furlongs in a bullet 59 seconds.

“I’m hoping that’s a little message that he’s really on his game,” Hushion said.

If Rodman isn’t on the lead, then Colizeo figures to be. Colizeo ran a race that was too good to lose when he was beaten a neck by Apart in the Grade 3 William Donald Schaefer at Pimlico. In his lone performance at Belmont, Colizeo won an overnight stakes going 1 1/16 miles here last October from just off the pace.

“He’s a sharp horse from the gate and puts himself into the race, but you can certainly make adjustments if the pace is too quick,” said Jonathan Thomas, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher. “He’s coming into the race in great shape.”

Hymn Book comes off a solid victory in the off-the-turf Three Coins Up Stakes here on May 19, beating I Want Revenge by a 1 1/4 lengths. He is unproven on a dry fast track, however. Icabad Crane, a multiple New York-bred stakes winner and Flat Out, sixth in the Stephen Foster Handicap two weeks ago, complete the field.

In 1993, Colonial Affair carried Julie Krone to a historic victory when he captured the 1 1/2 miles "test of a champion" in one of the most memorable victories of the modern era, as she became the only female rider to win a Triple Crown race in the process.

This year, Centennial is looking to extend on a three-year winning streak on Belmont Stakes Day, as the stable has won a race on the biggest day of racing in New York since 2008.

The expectations are high for Arch Traveler; he is expected to be one of the favorites in the $250,000 Grade II Woody Stephens Stakes going 7 furlongs.

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the Sky Mesa colt has won three of his last four races and was impressive when skimming the rail to a three-lengths victory in the Ziggy's Boy Stakes four weeks ago.

He is expected to face a midsized field that should include Grade II winner Travelin Man and graded-stakes placed Justin Philip.

Royal Straight will not only race for Centennial, but also the legacy of his sire Smarty Jones, who lost in his attempt at the Triple Crown in 1994 when he finished second in the Belmont Stakes while attempting to join racing immortality.

Royal Straight has been a consistent competitor against allowance company and he should fit well on either dirt or turf this Saturday.

Arch Traveler raced a close-up fourth while rating on the inside behind fractions of seconds and 45.58 seconds set by Glickman. Coming to the top of the stretch, Lezcano got into a brief wrestling match with Arch Traveler before guiding him through a narrow opening along the rail. It took a few strides before Arch Traveler would go through the opening, but once he did he closed in a solid 12.48 seconds for the final furlong.

Arch Traveler, a son of Sky Mesa owned by Centennial Farms, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.87 and returned $3.80 to win.

“He doesn’t accelerate right away,” Jerkens said, adding that Lezcano told him “you feel like you turn the reins loose he’s going to surge, but he doesn’t, he stays there. You got to ask him, then he’ll go.”

Arch Traveler was making his first start since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 3. Before that, he won a first-level allowance race going 1 1/8 miles after winning a seven-furlong maiden race. Those efforts came three weeks apart at Gulfstream.

“He probably prefers this, but I think he could win at a route in the right spot,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens said.

While questions were asked before the race about the quick turnaround and extended distance, the colt passed both tests with high marks to establish himself as a possible starter for either the $1,000,000 G1-Florida Derby on April 3 or the $750,000 G1-Wood Memorial on April 9.

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the colt broke sharply and he was briefly in front as the field entered the first turn. At that point, jockey Jose Lezcano slowed down the pace and took Arch Traveler back to second, where he settled a half-length off the lead as the field moved down the backside. Arch Traveler moved to the front as the field turned for home before kicking clear through the final eighth of a mile. Nacho Business made a bold move late, but Arch Traveler was always safe, posting a ¾-length victory to confirm his status as one of the better three-year-olds on the East Coast.

“He’s now run three races pretty quickly by today’s standings but I wanted to get this one under his belt,” said Jerkens. “There’s a chance he could come back in the Florida Derby. We’ll see if there are any defections along the way. We’ve got plenty of time to decide but this could also give us the chance to wait until we get back to New York.”

Arch Traveler was purchased by the Centennial Farms selection team of Dr. Stephen Carr, Paula Parsons and Don Little, Jr. at the 2009 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $260,000.

Royal Straight will soon ship to Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, FL and he is expected to make his next start in January at Gulfstream Park.

Another Centennial horse also left a positive impression last week at Aqueduct when Arch Traveler finished second in his career debut on December 11.

A two-year-old son of Sky Mesa, Arch Traveler rated off the early pace before coming with a solid run through the stretch to finish 1 ¼ lengths behind the highly-regarded Rift.

The $260,000 purchase earned an 84 Beyer rating for the race and he should only improve in his future races as the distances increase.

The pair were purchased by Jim Wells and Everett Dobson’s Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington.

The Corinthian Mares LLC. was formed in partnership with Gainesway to support Corinthian in his stallion career.

Four mares were originally purchased by the Centennial selection team of Dr. Stephen Carr, Paula Parsons and Don Little, Jr.

The partnership realized a significant gain at the 2010 Keeneland September Sale, selling a Smart Strike colt out of the mare Madame Thor for $550,000.

The partnership remains active and currently has two mares that are being boarded at Gainesway: Madame Thor and Union Creek.

Gainesway’s Director of Sales, Michael Hernon, believed Mykindasaint and the aforementioned Corinthian weanling had the credentials to be successful in this current market.

“The weanling is a January foal, and is a well-grown, mature foal with good bone and substance underneath him. Certainly the sire stamped him.”

Hernon also believes Corinthian’s appeal will only grow as his two-year-old being racing in the Spring.

The dark bay yearling is a son of Tiznow from the Forest Wildcat mare Yaddo Cat. This colt is by the only horse to have won the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice. Tiznow is among the leading sires in North America, producing Breeders’ Cup Juvenile filly winner Folklore and Travers winners Coloniel John from his six crops to date.

The dam, Yaddo Cat, was a stakes winner on the racetrack and she is from the immediate family of prominent sire and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Wild Again.

The purchases continued with Hip Number 618, a son of Centennial’s Corinthian that was purchased for $335,000.

This colt is from the mare Dream Street, a half-sister to Champion Sprinter Housebuster. This is a deep female family and a cross that has proven to be successful with sires from the A.P. Indy line.

Hip Number 798, a son of Florida Derby winner Scat Daddy, was purchased for $150,000 from the first crop of his sire. This colt is the first foal out of the mare Heading Home, a daughter of Dance Skirt, a stakes-producer that has produced eight winners on the racetrack.

The final purchased was Hip Number 857, a son of Empire Maker from the Seeking the Gold mare It’s Our Time that was purchased privately for $135,000.

This colt comes from a deep female family and the dam is a half-sister with two stakes winners in Europe.

The son of Pulpit will attempt to give trainer Jimmy Jerkens major wins on consecutive weekends, as he saddled Afleet Express to a victory last Saturday in the $1,000,000 Travers Stakes.

“He has a victory at the distance here,” said Jerkens of Convocation, who breezed a half-mile in 48.96 on Tuesday. “You have to think that’s big going into a stakes.”

Convocation is listed as the 6-1 second-choice on the morning line for the Woodward Stakes. Quality Road, a winner of three graded stakes already in 2010, is expected to be an odds-on favorite in the 1 1/8 miles event.

Centennial expects to have starters on Sunday and Monday as well.

Devon Rock, a three-year-old colt that finished third against older horses in his last race, has been entered on the $100,000 Grade III Saranac Stakes going 1 3/16th miles on the turf.

On Monday, Desert Key will be entered against N3X allowance company going six-furlongs. The E Dubai horse has done well throughout his career in Saratoga, finishing second in both the G2-Amsterdam and G1-King’s Bishop Stakes as a three-year-old before returning to the winner’s circle earlier this season with a sharp score over allowance runners.

Jockey Javier Castellano, tied for leading rider at the Saratoga meeting entering Thursday’s racing program, is expected to ride all three Centennial horses this weekend.

"He never stopped running and bulled his way out of a tight spot," said Castellano, who won five consecutive races on the program to set a Saratoga record. "I never went to the stick and he did it under a hand ride. There was plenty more there if I needed to ask, but we were a good team and he gave just enough for the win while keeping plenty in reserve."

Most recently, Convocation finished fourth in the G1-Met Mile behind Quality Road, the top older male in-training and the current early book favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“Convocation ran credibly in the Met Mile,” said Don Little, Jr. “He broke in the air at the break and was farther back than we ideally would have liked, but he came with a nice run through the stretch and was the only horse gaining on the top two finishers. He has trained well leading up to this race and we are hopeful the added furlong will help our colt.”

* * *

Centennial Farms’ three-year-old Devon Rock will go from a maiden victory directly into stakes company this Monday in the $100,000 Choice Stakes going 1 1/8 miles over the turf at Monmouth Park.

A son of Rock Hard Ten, Devon Rock broke his maiden in his second career start on Belmont Stakes Day while making his turf debut.

“We would not normally go from a maiden win directly into a stakes race, but this colt is doing well and we would have to face older horses if we took the allowance route,” said Little, Jr. “We will get a better idea of his talent level after this race, but we all expect he will be very competitive in this spot.”

Devon Rock finished third in his career debut over the main track on April 30 at Belmont Park, he now shows earnings of $41,700 from two career races.

“Winning a race on Belmont Stakes Day is an achievement for any stable,” said Don Little, Jr. “We have now accomplished the feat three years in a row, as Desert Key won an allowance in 2008 and Convocation broke his maiden last year. Both of those horses are now graded-stakes placed and competing at the highest levels of the sport. Devon Rock is a horse with tremendous potential and we expect he will develop into a stakes horse in the near future.”

Devon Rock races on behalf of the Bluegrass partnership. The other colt in this syndicate, Aridus, broke his maiden over MSW company last week at Delaware Park for trainer Michael Matz.

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Convocation was injured behind last summer, and that necessitated time off. He returned to the barn in late December.

"I thought he ran just how you'd like,'' Jerkens said. "He doesn't ever come out of the gate too good, but you let him sit there and get his act together and when you ask him he goes.''

Kent Desormeaux rode Convocation, who ran a mile in 1:36.34 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 97.

Dynamoor covered the mile in 1:35.35 and earned a Beyer rating of 90 for the victory. He is expected to make his next start on the turf at Aqueduct after the Jerkens barn returns to New York.

While Dynamoor was victorious at the mile distance, both trainer Jimmy Jerkens and Racing Manager Dr. Carr feel this colt will be even more effective going longer distances in the future.

Dynamoor was three wide into the first turn before settling into his stride on the backstretch, the colt launched his bid around the far turn and wore down frontrunning The Great McGee to post a measured 1/2-length victory, covering the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.12, posting a respectable 87 Beyer rating.

This colt is a son of Grade I winner Empire Maker, winner of the Belmont Stakes and currently one of the top young sires in Kentucky.

The dam, Penny’s Gold, was a graded stakes winner at three in France and a multiple graded stakes winner in the US, capturing the G3-Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland and G3-Ballston Spa Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Saratoga to establish herself as one of the top middle distance turf mares of her generation.

This colt has a deep Overbrook farm family that will be very attractive to breeders if this colt is successful on the racetrack. He represents a rare opportunity to purchase some of the most protected bloodlines in Kentucky. Overbrook Farm raced and stood at stud the legendary Storm Cat.

Hip 715: Elusive Quality – Indigene, by Deputy Minister ($230,000)

This colt is by one of the most respected sires in the world, Elusive Quality. At stud, Elusive Quality is best known as the producer of dual-classic winner Smarty Jones and 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Raven’s Pass. He is a stallion with true worldwide appeal that currently stands at Darley in Kentucky for $75,000.

The female family of this colt is one of the most respected in the stud book, tracing back through generations of closely-guarded King Ranch lineage. The dam of this colt, Indigene, is a full-sister to multiple-graded stakes winning Atelier, who was one of the top distaffers of her era for trainer Shug McGaughey.

Atelier, is out of a graded-stakes winning full-sister to the legendary Althea, the champion two-year-old filly of 1993 that was sent to the post as the favorite in the 1994 Kentucky Derby after beating colts during her two-year-old campaign and in the Arkansas Derby as a three-year-old.

Althea’s dam, Courtly Dee, was named Broodmare of the year in 1983 and she is regarded as one of the true foundation mares of thoroughbred racing, producing 15 winners in the breeding shed, including eight stakes winners.

This is a deep, respected female family that is rarely available to be purchased at public auction. King Ranch is one of the oldest and most cherished stables in the history of North American racing and this female family combined with leading sire Elusive Quality is a tremendous mating that is sure to be popular with breeders throughout the world if this horse is successful on the racetrack.

Hip 758: Sky Mesa – Mettle, by Silver Deputy ($260,000)

This colt was bred by Gary Knapp’s Monticule Farm, a midsized breeding establishment in Kentucky. Despite having a broodmare band of just 19 mares, Monticule graduates show higher percentage of stakes-winners and grade-one stakes winners than 98% of all yearling consigners in North America. Monticule’s breeding program is highly respected throughout the world for quality over quantity and intelligent matings that produce athletic and well conformed horses. They bred and raised 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown among other top horses.

Our new colt is a son of Sky Mesa, winner of the Grade I Hopeful Stakes on the racetrack and currently a very respected sire in Kentucky. Sky Mesa is also a son of Pulpit, currently the hottest sire-of-sires in Kentucky through his sons Tapit and Corinthian. Pulpit looks to be the heir-apparent to his sire A.P. Indy and this line is expected to continue to gain prominence in the future.

The dam of this colt, Mettle, was a winner on the racetrack and has already produced two winners as a broodmare. Worth noting about Mettle is that her full-brother, Atago Taisho, was a high-level racehorse in Japan, earning over $1,960,000 on the racetrack.

This colt also has a full-brother named Brady Blue Eyes that finished second in his career debut on September 9, 2008 at Del Mar against maiden special weight company. In addition, Mettle was bred back to Sky Mesa this season, so the breeder obviously believes in this mating, as the expected foal of 2010 will be the third horse bred on this exact cross.

This a deep female family and both the third and fourth dams have proven to be successful producers of horses that are now standing stud throughout the world. This young pedigree is expected to continue to grow throughout the coming years.

The second dam is the legendary Meisque, a titan of the turf that was five-times a champion in both France and the United States. Miesque was also the first horse to win two Breeders' Cup races, scoring in consecutive renewals of the BC Mile over colts.

"This is a true stallion's pedigree and we are delighted to add such a classy colt to the stable," said Don Little, Jr. "We look forward to seeing him make it to the races with trainer Jimmy Jerkens."

Colonial Affair had finished second in the Peter Pan Stakes two weeks earlier, but both Krone and Hall of Fame trainer Scotty Schulhofer agreed that the colt was asked for too much run early in that race. A plan was hatched to get an optimum performance from the son of Pleasant Colony: take him farther back off, keep him out of the kickback from other horses, and come with one strong run.

Colonial Affair ran to the plan, winning by 2 ¼ lengths, covering the 1 ½ miles in 2:29 4/5.

The victory remains one of the most memorable for Centennial Farms, and it ranks as #55 in the Blood Horse Publications book “Horse racing’s top 100 moments”.

All said, Colonial Affair will be remembered as one of the better horses of his generation. He won both the Whitney and Jockey Club Gold Cup as a four-year-old in 1994 before getting injured on the eve of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he would have been favored in the richest race in the world.

The horse has traveled the world as a stallion, standing in the United States before seasons in New Zealand, Japan, and his current home of Argentina.

The victory also catapulted Julie Krone into iconic status . In 2000, she became the first woman inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

The Met Mile victory capped a big weekend for Corinthian’s trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, and his father, Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens, who ran second in the Met Mile with Political Force. The elder Jerkens, whose only Met Mile win came in 1971 with Tunex, saddled Ecclesiastic, who won Saturday’s Grade 3 Jaipur.

Favored Lawyer Ron finished third, as Corinthian returned $21.60 to win and the $2 all-Jerkens Met Mile exacta came back $285.

For Corinthian, a 4-year-old Pulpit colt, Monday’s victory marked his coming of age in the big leagues. As a three-year-old, he won Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth but was disqualified and placed third. He was pointed for the Aqueduct’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial, but a hairline fracture in his hind leg suddenly squelched the blossoming career. The injury did not require surgery, but after Jerkens brought him back to Saratoga in late July for a distant third-place finish, he was convinced that time would be the best medicine.

Corinthian came back with back-to-back wins in Florida, including the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap in March. In his last start, the Grade 3 Excelsior Breeders’ Cup at Aqueduct in April, he jumped in the air at the start and lost all chance.

A hot-blooded type who often gets overanxious in the paddock, Corinthian finally put it together for the prestigious Met Mile. He was kept reasonably close to a pace of :23.21; :45.70 and 1:10.29, came four-wide around the turn and drove hard for the victory in 1:34.77 on the fast main track.

Political Force, who had previously been graded stakes placed, then came with a rally that was partly stalled when jockey Edgar Prado, aboard favored Lawyer Ron, accidentally struck him in the face with his whip.

“When I saw him break and laying that close, I knew we were in business,” Jimmy Jerkens said of his first Met Mile winner. “He ran to his workout the other day. When he is juicy and on the muscle, he’s right. Usually, horses get worse the closer they get to the gate. He settled down once he got with the pony.”

“I thought we had Lawyer Ron, and then I said, `Oh my God, here comes `The Chief’ (his father).’ We were going one at a time, worrying about this race. We’ll have to discuss it with his owners where he goes next. We were willing to throw out the Excelsior to get ready for this one. He broke his maiden going a mile. The work a week ago [five furlongs in a bullet :58 on May 21] was beyond anything I ever saw. I never had a horse do what he did. He was just strong all the way. He was terrific all week. I thought if he didn’t run good today, he just wasn’t good enough.”

Corinthian, who has now won five of nine starts and more than doubled his career earnings on Monday to $694,273, not only proved his was more than good enough, but that the best may lie ahead.

“From what I know of this horse, he’s come full circle,” Desormeaux said. “You couldn’t have planted me at the half-mile pole and asked for better position. More than the position was the way he was carrying me. When a good horse is traveling well, :45 feels like :48. I thought we were going slow, but I knew the caliber of horse I was on. He was so within himself. Coming to the three-eighths pole, he kind of got into gear and acted like he wanted to go for the wire. That was the only time I restrained him and said, `No, not yet.’ When the horses engaged, he jumped back in the bridle. I didn’t have to ask him for much, even when it was time to go. In the stretch, I thought he was just doing enough, quite frankly. All I could hope for at that stage of the race was that nothing came swinging wide and he couldn’t see it. He was really determined.”

H. Allen Jerkens, also known as “The Giant Killer” for his history of upsets in racing’s biggest races, was happy for his son as well as for Political Force’s effort.

“He ran a great race,” Jerkens said. “Now, he’s starting to come into himself. I thought they would go a little faster for the first quarter, but they really started to hum in the second quarter. The only bad race (Corinthian) has ever run was last time when he got stuck in the gate. (The public) got down on him really quick, but Jimmy said he had been working really good. If we couldn’t win, I’m glad Jimmy did.”

Sun King, the 2006 Met Mile runnerup, was fourth, trailed by Latent Heat, Silver Wagon, Half Ours, Silent Name, who was left at the gate, and early pace-setter Mr. Umphrey. Accountforthegold was scratched.