Belmont: Brown looks for repeat win in G3 Wonder Again

By Brian Bohl —-

ELMONT, N.Y. – Stephanie Seymour Brant’s Significant Form will look to make a triumphant return to Belmont Park when she headlines a field of 10 in the fifth running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again for 3-year-old fillies on the inner turf on Thursday, Opening Day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Thursday.

The Creative Cause filly won her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo on October 17 at Belmont, recording her first career win after being disqualified from first and placed seventh in her debut on August 27 at Saratoga.

Significant Form – one of three entrants for trainer Chad Brown in addition to Mighty Scarlett and Altea – ran fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf to cap her 2-year-old season and started her current campaign with a personal-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure for winning the Memories Of Silver by 6 ½ lengths on April 22 at Aqueduct.

“She was able to change tactics and go to the lead, which I don’t think is a preferable way to run, but with no pace in the race, she did it and drew off nicely,” said Brown, who won last year’s Wonder Again with New Money Honey and in 2015 with Lady Eli. “She ran terrific. I think the longer [distance], the better for her.”

Purchased for $575,000 at the 2017 Ocala Breeders’ Sales as a 2-year-old, Significant Form went gate-to-wire to win the Memories Of Silver, marking her first effort since the Breeders’ Cup in which she stalked early and turned for home five wide in the field of 14 to check in 2 ½ lengths behind stablemate Rushing Fall.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. has ridden each of Significant Form’s four career starts and will be in the irons again from post 5.

The French-bred Altea will be seeking her first stakes win after a few near-misses on two continents. In her native country, the Siyouni filly broke her maiden at third asking and then recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes in stakes, including in the Group 3 Prix des Reservoris, before Brown took over training duties.

In her U.S. debut, Altea rallied from last of 11 to earn third in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 10 at Tampa Bay Downs and returned nearly two months later to run fifth in the Grade 3 Edgewood on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

“Her first start was real good and last time, there was some give in the ground and it wasn’t a real clear run and a little disappointing as well,” Brown said. “I think she has the potential to be quite a nice filly, I just need to get her going forward.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will break from the rail.

Mighty Scarlett, who broke her maiden at second asking on April 27 at Keeneland, will make her first stakes appearance in tandem with Jose Ortiz from post 2.

Graded-stakes winner Andina Del Sur will return to Belmont for the first time since winning her debut on October 28. The Tom Albertrani trainee finished fourth in the Grade 1 Ashland on dirt last out on April 7 at Keeneland, marking the only time in five starts the Giant’s Causeway filly was worse than third.

Andina Del Sur won the Florida Oaks in her last start turf start, edging Goodthingstaketime by a head. Albertrani said he is hopeful she can return to that form.

“[The Ashland] was just to try something different, but she ran like a typical [turf] horse and made a really good move on the far turn and just spun her wheels in the last quarter,” Albertrani said. “It was just something to try. She didn’t like the surface too much, so we’re back on the turf after a nice win in Tampa. She’s training well and hopefully she can pick up where she left off.

“Distance-wise, it shouldn’t be a factor,” he added. “She always looks like she finishes up well and has more at the end and gallops out well after the races. We’re confident.”

Albertrani said a solid performance could have Andina Del Sur targeting the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational at 1 1/4 miles on Stars & Stripes Day, July 7.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will have call from post 6.

Another French-bred will look for stakes success as La Signare will make her first start at Belmont. The lightly raced filly, who like Altea is sired by Siyouni, will be stretched out to the Wonder Again distance for the first time.

Trainer Brian Lynch said a good effort in the Wonder Again could set up a start in the Belmont Oaks Invitational as well.

“I thought her first effort state-side was very honest, she lost a bit of ground going into the turn. We looked at this stake because if she does well and looks good, then we could get a possible invitation to the Belmont Oaks, which would be the main goal with her.”

Joel Rosario rides from post 9.

Daddy Is a Legend, the winner of the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante in November at Del Mar, registered a career-high 90 Beyer in a third-place effort last out in the Grade 3 Edgewood on May 4 at Churchill for trainer George Weaver.

The Scat Daddy filly broke her maiden at 1 1/8 miles on October 27 at Keeneland and will have the services of Manny Franco from post 8.

Armoricaine, who finished eighth in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte in her debut, will be looking to find transatlantic success and break her maiden for trainer Christophe Ferland. The English bred will break with jockey Maxime Guyon from post 3.

Rounding out the field are Spinning Top, for trainer Troy Green, out of post 7; Camila Princess, trained by Oscar Gonzalez, from the outside post; and Animosity, a Patrick Gallagher trainee, from post 4.