After stepping to the head of the freshman class with impressive wins in the Metro and the Champlain, pacing colt Beyond Delight will take a step back out of the limelight for the time being.
According to trainer Tony O'Sullivan, Beyond Delight has a lengthy break in his schedule since he's not eligible to race in the Grand Circuit events at The Red Mile or the Breeders Crown. That puts his next start in November.
"He'll race in the Matron, I believe it's November 3rd," O'Sullivan told Trot Insider. "And then he's got the Governors Cup and that's it...so just three more starts.
"It's a big break; we didn't put him in the Breeders Crown so we'll freshen him up and get him ready for those two final races and maybe get a qualifier or an overnight or both into him going into the Matron.
While Beyond Delight hit everyone's radar with his Metro win, he was flying under it for the majority of the summer. That was his ninth race of the year, with the subsequent Champlain score in his tenth start.
"That will give him 12 or 13 starts, and that's enough. And these races aren't hurting him, he comes out of each race better and sharp and I'm really happy with the way he's handled these five stressful weeks in a row. He couldn't have done it better."
Owned by Jeffrey & Michael Snyder of New York and Four Friends Racing Stable LLC of New Jersey, Beyond Delight (Bettors Delight - Outtathisworld) boasts a 3-1-3 from his seasonal starts and more than $423,000 in the bank. He's only missed one cheque in those ten starts, and while he's missing out on some of the lucrative October stakes O'Sullivan thinks the time off will benefit Beyond Delight going forward.
"The break will hopefully benefit him and some of the others might keep racing and maybe we'll reap the rewards at the end of the year again."