Belmont: Newspaperofrecord headlines G3 Wonder Again

By Ryan Martin —-

ELMONT, N.Y. – Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Newspaperofrecord will look to get back to her winning ways when she headlines a six-horse field for the sixth running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again on Thursday, opening day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Chad Brown, the sophomore daughter of Lope de Vega put together an undefeated 2-year-old campaign which included stakes wins in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo over the inner turf at Belmont and a 6 ¾ length win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs. Newspaperofrecord made her seasonal debut over the Matt Winn turf course in the Grade 3 Edgewood on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, but was run down in the final eighth of a mile by Concrete Rose, finishing as the runner-up by 3 ¾-lengths in the 1 1/16-mile route.

“I think I had her a little short, but she seems to be good now. She’s fit and ready to go,” Brown said.

Newspaperofrecord will be piloted by regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 3.
Also entered for Brown is graded stakes winner Cambier Parc, who won the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride on March 2 over the turf at Gulfstream Park. The OXO Equine-owned daughter of Medaglia d’Oro was fourth in the Edgewood last out and graduated in her prior start when taking her turf debut by four lengths on January 2 at the South Florida oval.

Bred in Kentucky by Bonne Chance Farm, Cambier Parc is out of 2007 Canadian Horse of the Year Sealy Hill. From post 4, jockey Jose Ortiz will ride Cambier Parc.

Making a return to grass for trainer Mark Casse is Chocolate Kisses, who was placed seventh in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks last time out. The daughter of Candy Ride is a winner on both turf and dirt. She broke her maiden over a firm turf course at Saratoga last July before a third-place effort in the P.G. Johnson behind Dogtag. After a triumphant 3-year-old debut over the grass at Fair Grounds, she moved back to dirt, taking the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park.

Chocolate Kisses, who will be guided by Dylan Davis from post 5, is a half-sister to Synchrony, who is a five-time graded stakes winner on grass. Both are out of Brownie Points, who is a stakes winner on both surfaces.

Completing the field for the Wonder Again are Kelsey’s Cross, who drew post 1 with Hall of Famer Mike Smith; and Blonde Moment, who will break from post 6 in tandem with Hector Diaz, Jr. Nonsensical [post 2, Joe Bravo] is entered for main track only.

The Wonder Again is named in honor of the two-time Grade 1 winning millionaire whose career highlights include winning the Diana Handicap at Saratoga, the Garden City (now called the Belmont Oaks Invitational) at Belmont Park. Trained by Jimmy Toner, the daughter of Silver Hark was third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Lone Star in 2004 and retired with $1,439,602 in career earnings.