Eye Witness looks to double up on stakes scores in $150K Paradise Creek
At 0h50, on May 18, 2023 • By BELMONT PARK
Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor’s stakes-winning New York-bred Eye Witness returns to action in Saturday’s $150,000 Paradise Creek, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for sophomores, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Wesley Ward, Eye Witness was last seen winning the six-furlong Animal Kingdom on March 25 at Turfway Park over the all-weather surface. The son of City of Light stalked close to the pace in second through the first half-mile before pouncing to the lead at the top of the lane and drawing off to an easy five-length victory that garnered a field-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.
The $650,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale debuted in September at Belmont at the Big A and finished a close third in a six-furlong state-bred turf maiden. He did not race again until New Year’s Day when graduating in a one-mile route over the Turfway synthetic, defeating next-out winners Event Detail and Quadra Island.
Ward said Eye Witness, bred by Anlyn Farms, shares many similarities with his sire City of Light, who needed time between his first two career starts in 2017 on the West Coast for trainer Michael McCarthy.
“He’s kind of a late developer. They paid quite a bit of money for him for a sire who took a while to get going himself,” said Ward. “This guy is a little bit the same.”
Eye Witness, a half-brother to stakes-winner More Mischief, is out of the Mr. Greeley mare Gracilia, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner and sire Sharp Humor.
Jose Ortiz picks up the mount from post 4.
