Six months after a promising career debut, Charge It is still playing catch up with the top runners in his 3-year-old crop.
After he made up a ton of ground on the division leaders when he rallied to finish second by 1 1/4 lengths in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) in his third career try, he suffered a setback in no less of a setting than the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
Breaking from post eight in a 20-horse field for trainer Todd Pletcher, the Whisper Hill Farm homebred was steadied and altered course entering the first turn. He never recovered, finishing 17th. The gray colt also came out of the Run for the Roses with a displaced palate, requiring a minor surgical procedure that knocked him off the Triple Crown.
Two months after the first Saturday in May, the son of Tapit will embark on another game of catch-up when he tops a field of six July 2 in the $250,000 Dwyer Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park.
"He's training really impressively and we're looking forward to getting him going again and hopefully the Dwyer can bring him up to some bigger races down the road," Pletcher said.
Depending on what happens Saturday in the one-turn mile test, the Aug. 27 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course could be the main summer objective for Charge It with a prep race in the July 30 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) a possibility.
"The long range goal is the Travers and we'll see what we do in between, with the Jim Dandy in the mix," Pletcher said. "Hopefully we can get things moving in the right direction."
Out of the Indian Charlie mare I'll Take Charge, a daughter of multiple grade 1 producer and $2.4 million earner Take Charge Lady, Charge It's lone victory came in his second of four starts when he romped by 8 1/2 lengths in a Feb. 12 maiden race at Gulfstream Park.
A month before that, he was second by a neck in his career debut.
Charge It is the second of three foals and lone winner for I'll Take Charge, who also has an Into Mischief colt born earlier this year.
Among the five rivals, Peter Brant's Nabokov enters off a front-running 3 1/4-length maiden win in a May 15 1 1/16-mile test at Belmont for trainer Chad Brown.
"He's a lightly raced horse but we've always thought a lot of him. I want to give him a shot running against his own age group rather than searching for an allowance race against older horses that may not go," Brown said. "He's all legs. He always looked like a true two-turn horse."
The son of Uncle Mo out of the Bernardini mare Peppy Rafaela was second at Keeneland in his April 14 career debut at 6 1/2 furlongs.
"I was a little disappointed in the Keeneland race," Brown said about the $775,000 purchase by BSW/Crow from the Mulholland Springs consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "I don't know if he handled the track. He had a tough trip with an inside draw."
The Dwyer could continue a stellar Belmont meet for Brown, who enters the penultimate week with 40 wins, four wins shy of the meet record set by David Jacobson in 2013. With a mark of 124-40-27-16 (32% winning percentage) through June 26, he has won a meet-high 13 stakes, including the last three open stakes.
Bred by Frank Batten, Nabokov is a full brother to both grade 2 winner Mopotism and a weanling filly.
The field also includes recent Delaware Park allowance optional claiming winner and stakes-placed No Sabe Nada (Jersey Town ), Fluid Situation (Warrior's Reward), Runninsonofagun (Gun Runner ), who was third in the six-furlong Gold Fever Stakes, and Unbridled Bomber (Upstart ).
