HALL OF FAME PROMISE

There are three feature races on tap for the traditional Hall of Fame Day program and, of those, it’s the nominal feature that’s the most interesting. Apropos, indeed.

What makes the one mile inner turf event for three-year-olds fascinating is the handicapping dilemma of accomplishment vs. promise. The thing is many of the entrants combine this disparate elements, making for a good betting race.

We could easily have made a case for three or four of these, but we landed on Moon Colony (7-2).

Mark Casse trainee showed excellent turn of foot taking the G2 Penn Mile–today’s trip–then was ambitiously placed going a route of ground at the Grade 1 level at Belmont Park.

Now he returns to his best trip after being sharpened on the front end on Long Island and is likely to revert to his rating style going shorter with quicker rivals here.

Moon Colony had a sharp half-mile dirt blowout which should enable him to gain position from the outside slip in a relatively paceless field. As always, grass racing is all about the trip.

Taking Moon Colony, needing somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-1, to win. Long striding English Bee (9-2) and Casa Creed (3-1), second to Moon Colony at Penn National, are the main rivals.

YESTERDAY: Johnny Velazquez and Graham Motion had the Birdstone field over a barrel. Who knew? Not me. Rocketry was a non-threatening third.