Brooklyn Handicap 2013 at Belmont Park

Las Vegas, NV - Belmont Park in Elmont, New York will be a busy place this weekend - the graded stakes action kicks off Friday with the 125th running of the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap - a 1 1/2 mile race for horses three years old and upward. A purse of $200,000 will be on the line for this second of two graded stakes races on the Belmont Friday schedule.

A field of eight has been confirmed for the Brooklyn - race 10 on Belmont Park's Friday card. Post time is 5:45 PM. Here is a look at the past performances of all eight entries for this Grade 2 stakes.

2013 Brooklyn Handicap Race Favorites

Calidoscopio - Argentinean entry recorded a terrific upset win in the Breeders' Cup Marathon in November after five months off and a win in the Group 2 General Belgrano in Argentina. Before that was a ninth in a Group 1 race in his native land and a win in February also in Argentina. He won two huge races in a row despite long layoffs - but is coming off a rather disappointing fifth as 5-2 favorite in the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup Stakes at Santa Anita March 23. A lot is expected of this Mike Pyupe trained entry and so is a bounce back from a rather poor outing in the Tokyo City. A 10-year-old son of Luhuk, Calidoscopio will carry high weight of 122 pounds in the Brooklyn.

Ruler On Ice - won the 2011 Belmont Stakes and was the third in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs that year to go along with numerous seconds and thirds at multiple graded stakes events. In 2012 Ruler on Ice started four races with disappointing results - a eighth in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, a seventh in an Allowance Optional Claiming, a second in a similar race at Delaware Park on August 25 and a distant tenth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in September. After four months away he returned January 30 to a win in an Allowance Optional Claiming and went on to a fifth in the Grade 3 Excelsior and a fourth in an Allowance at Parx in April. Last time out was an OK second in the minor Majestic Light Stakes at Monmouth Park May 25. He will be looking for his first stakes win since the 2011 Belmont Stakes and enters in so-so form.

Brooklyn Handicap 2013 | Remaining Field Entries

Percussion - Todd Pletcher pupil raced 11 straight Allowance Optional Claiming races and had two straight wins both at Aqueduct in March and April. He stepped up two back and finished a decent fourth in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic April 20 and followed that last time out with his first ever stakes score - the minor Albert the Great Stakes in May on this track over Fast Falcon and Birdrun. He is improving and could be a factor Friday.

Quick Casablanca - Argentinean trained entry had 11 career starts in Argentina with three wins, six seconds and two third place finishes. He won two of his last three starts in Argentina before shipping to North America including a Group 1 race at Hipodromo Argentino De Palmero last March. He made his return to the track after a year away with an OK third in the minor Good Reward Stakes on this track May 15.

Brooklyn Handicap betting at Belmont Park with OffTrackBetting.com

Fast Falcon - made his stakes debut with second in the Easy Goer Stakes to Teeth of the Dog on June 9 and followed that with another good second in the Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont on June 30. He was a pedestrian seventh in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 28 but rebounded with a third in the highly competitive Grade 1 Travers in August. Since then he has been less-than-impressive - a fifth in the Grade 1 Jockey Gold Cup September 29, an eighth in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap November 23 and an OK second in an Allowance Optional Claiming December 27. He started 2013 with a seventh in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap in February but since has two second place finishes - at the minor Albert the Great Stakes last time out behind Percussion and at an Allowance Optional Claiming in March.

Birdrun - was the 2011 Brooklyn Handicap champ but has been very inconsistent with a win to follow that victory followed by a pair of sixths - in the Grade 1 Jockey Gold Cup Stakes on this track in October 2011 and in the Grade 3 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct March 17 2012. He also had two second place finishes - in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Marathon and in the minor Milesius Stakes on this track on May 3, 2012. Birdrun finished ninth in this race last year before enduring nearly a year away. He returned May 12 with an OK third in the minor Albert the Great Stakes.

Flashy Sunrise - has 22 career starts for trainer Dallas Stewart with just one stakes try which resulted in an eleventh in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby last April. Since then he has concentrated on MSW and Allowance Optional Claiming races. He enters having won three of his last four races however - a MSW race in February and a pair of Allowance Optional Claiming including last time out at Churchill Downs.

Keep Me Informed - will make his graded stakes debut Friday for trainer John Toscano and is coming off an Allowance Optional Claiming score on this track May 5. He also has two third place finishes among his other five starts in 2013. His only stakes action in the last 2 1/2 years came February 16 - a fourth in a Starter Stakes at Aqueduct. Needless to say that the Brooklyn is a huge step up in competition for Keep Me Informed who has six wins, two seconds and 10 third place finishes in 27 career starts.

2013 Brooklyn Handicap Entries & Odds

Race 10 on Belmont Park's Friday card with a Post Time of 5:45 PM.