Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Notes 06/04

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Four G Racing, Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, III and Valley View Farm’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan stretched his legs over Saratoga Race Course’s main track Tuesday in preparation for the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday at the Spa.

Trainer Kenny McPeek noted the son of Goldencents appeared to enjoy his trip around the famed oval.

“It was good,” said McPeek. “Easy-peasy. Got him a little spin over there, and we might take him back over there Thursday. We’ll see. He’s doing good. Some people came by and spoiled him with some peppermints. He’s happy.

“You like to be in this position more than anything else, and it’s hard to get in here, much less win it,” McPeek added.

Mystik Dan enters the 10-furlong Belmont Stakes off a valiant runner-up effort to returning rival Seize the Grey in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Preakness on May 18. The effort came two weeks after a dramatic victory in the Kentucky Derby where he rode the rail near the quarter-pole to take the lead. He responded well to urging from returning pilot Brian Hernandez, Jr. in the lane, and reached the wire a nose better than Sierra Leone, who outdueled the game Group 2 UAE Derby-winner Forever Young to earn place honors by a nose in a three-way photo.

Mystik Dan emerged from post 3 in the Derby and will exit the same post again in the Belmont Stakes. McPeek said he has full confidence in Hernandez, Jr., who also piloted Thorpedo Anna to victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks one day before the Derby.

“Lance said to me yesterday morning, ‘We want post 3.’ I said, ‘Ok, I’ll go do it,’” McPeek said, with a laugh. “It’s going to be interesting. The pace in this thing is interesting on how it might set up. It’s Brian Hernandez’s job, not mine. I’ve always said he is a consummate professional. When we work horses, he’s there early and the input he gives us is always good. He rides horses consistently for us, so he knows the horses. In many cases, I don’t need to give him instructions because he already knows.”

McPeek sent out Nader Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing’s Thorpedo Anna to gallop over the Oklahoma dirt training track this morning after going to the main track yesterday in preparation for the Grade 1, $500,000 DK Horse Acorn on Friday at the Spa. The daughter of Fast Anna was considered for the Belmont Stakes, but McPeek opted for the Acorn to keep her and Mystik Dan apart.

“She loved it. She was impressive over the main, and this morning, she’s just hitting on all cylinders,” said McPeek. “I wouldn’t have been scared to run her Saturday [in the Belmont] at all.”

McPeek added Thorpedo Anna is likely to return to the main track for her gallop tomorrow.

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Seize the Grey in pole position for G1 Belmont Stakes

Seize the Grey, a frontrunning winner of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, drew the inside post at Monday’s Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets post-position draw held at Universal Preservation Hall in downtown Saratoga Springs. The talented grey colt could be on the lead once more when 10 sophomores line up for Saturday’s $2 million 10-furlong test, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by 88-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas for MyRacehorse, Seize the Grey pounced to a 1 1/4-length score in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 4 on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs and followed last out with a gate-to-wire 2 1/4-length win over Kentucky Derby-winner and returning rival Mystik Dan in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness on May 18 at Pimlico Race Course.

Lukas, who has won the Belmont Stakes with Tabasco Cat [1994], Thunder Gulch [1995], Editor’s Note [1996] and Commendable [2000], said his horse is versatile enough to handle the challenge.

“If I had to choose a post, I wouldn’t choose post one but it’s not a dealbreaker by any means,” Lukas said. “With our tactical speed and everything else we have going for us, it’s no big deal.”

Seize the Grey, who shipped into Saratoga on Saturday, galloped over the Spa main track Tuesday as he reacquaints with a surface he graduated over last summer.

“I got him over to the main track and let him stretch his legs over there and that worked out very well,” Lukas said. “He doesn’t need any special attention or anything – he just gets out there and does what he does.

“Even though that [his maiden score] was a long time ago, he showed that he got over the racetrack here very well and he did this morning, too,” Lukas added. “He worked at home, so he’ll just have a couple strong gallops here and that’s all he needs. He’s fit by now.”

Lukas has captured 15 Triple Crown events over a storied career with four Kentucky Derby wins and seven Preakness scores to go along with his Belmont Stakes haul. And although Mystik Dan is the only member of Saturday’s 10-strong field to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown, Seize the Grey has mirrored the Derby winner’s race spacing leading into the Belmont.

“The Coach” said he is focused this week on making sure his horse is mentally ready for the challenge.

“Fitness wise when you’re in the Triple Crown series that’s almost a given. Every one of the trainers that pursue that avenue over the years are pretty much convinced they’ve got them fit,” Lukas said. “The part that changes is the mental aspect of it. You have to have a horse that’s going to adapt to a 20-horse field at Churchill and you have to have one that mentally doesn’t fall apart on you coming back in two weeks. A lot of horses don’t fall apart because they’re tired – some of them do, some of them tuck up – but it’s usually a horse that worries about racing that doesn’t make the two weeks.

“A horse that is mentally comfortable in his own skin is going to come back in two weeks,” Lukas continued. “That’s the thing as a trainer that is so overlooked. All those guys I had in my program, I pushed that mental aspect all the time. Try to get that horse to settle where the Derby is just another day and two weeks later, we do it again.”

Lukas was a picture of contentment after training hours on Tuesday morning while resting comfortably in a lawn chair near Seize the Grey in a serene shed row.

“I felt I had him really good for the Preakness and I was pretty right. I’m not so sure I don’t have him a little further down the basepath for this one.” Lukas said. “I’m watching him mentally the last two weeks and watching him today, there’s no reason why we won’t get that same effort or better. No reason at all. We might walk over there and get a better effort.”

Seize the Grey, listed at 8-1 on the morning line, will again have the services of his regular pilot Jaime Torres. By Hall of Famer Arrogate, who sired last year’s Belmont Stakes-winner Arcangelo, the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase has banked more than $1.8 million from a 10-4-0-3 record.

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Trombetta turf sprinters in strong form for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

Trainer Michael Trombetta has entered a pair of turf sprinters for 5 1/2-furlong graded stakes events during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, including multiple graded-stakes winner Arzak in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing in Race 9 and last-out stakes-winner Future Is Now in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions in Race 9.

Sonata Stable’s Arzak [post 2, Jaime Torres, 7-2ML] will look to keep the ball rolling after his successful seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Shakertown at Saturday’s distance on April 6 over good turf at Keeneland. The one-length score over returning foe Mischief Magic, who is among an overflow field, came in his first start since a sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November at Santa Anita Park.

“It is a hugely competitive race. It is basically a Breeders’ Cup race,” said Trombetta regarding the Grade 1 Jaipur. “We are hoping he can show up and have a good performance. I think he’s pretty versatile, the only thing that would be an unknown would be if we get a lot of rain, like yielding or something, but other than that he seems to handle whatever we throw at him.”

Before last year’s Breeders’ Cup attempt, the 6-year-old Not This Time horse upset a Saratoga allowance in August and the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in October. The chestnut seemed to return to his 4-year-old form, where he captured Woodbine Racetrack’s Grade 3 Jacques Cartier before a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Highlander there.

“He just put it all together at the second half of last season. It was nice to see that we were able to do that,” said Trombetta.

The Jaipur offers a ‘Win and You’re In’ berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint which will be contested at five furlongs in November at Del Mar.

Bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, Arzak, out of the Tapit mare Delightful Melody, boasts a record of 25-8-3-1 with $824,019 in earnings,

R. Larry Johnson’s Maryland homebred filly Future Is Now [post 5, Paco Lopez, 8-1ML] looks to make the grade after a 2 1/4-length closing score in the The Very One on May 17 over good turf at Pimlico Race Course. The 4-year-old Great Notion bay was awarded a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the five-furlong stakes score.

“Yet again, a very, very good race. We are all going to try and take a shot to beat the favorite [Roses for Debra, 6-5ML],” Trombetta said. “My filly is in good form and I’m excited to run her.”

Future Is Now had previously finished fifth versus males in the King T. Leatherbury on April 20 at Laurel Park. Usually on or near the lead, as seen when second in the Captiva Island in March at Gulfstream Park, she employed new tactics when rallying from 2 1/2 lengths off-the-pace to her last-out The Very One score.

“She has a good turn of foot. What she did the other day was nice, she rated off the pace and made a run late,” Trombetta said. “It was good, she had not done that before, so that was good.”

After winning her debut when sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in August at Colonial Downs, Future Is Now has assembled a record of 10-4-1-0 with $214,935 in earnings, all at seven-furlongs or less with eight efforts coming over the grass.

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Neecie Marie to make G1 debut in $750K New York presented by Rivers Casino

Michael Milam’s Grade 3-winner Neecie Marie will test Grade 1 company for the first time in Friday’s $750,000 New York presented by Rivers Casino, a 1 3/16-mile Mellon turf test for older fillies and mares, at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Cross Traffic enters off a career-best performance on May 11 in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont at the Big A, where she defeated Grade 1-winner Whitebeam by a neck with a deep-closing trip under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario.

“We’re taking a big shot here, but she’s doing really well,” said Reid, Jr. “Her last race certainly earned her way into the big time. The distance is right up her alley and I don’t think we’ve tried her long enough just yet. I think she’ll handle it very well.”

Neecie Marie flashed her talents last fall when coming within a respective neck and a half-length of Eternal Hope when second in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational and nine-furlong Grade 2 Sands Point, both at Belmont at the Big A.

Reid, Jr. said he has full faith in Rosario to work out a trip from post 7 [15-1 ML] in the hefty 13-horse field Friday.

“It’s a big, bulky field and that’s the biggest problem because she’s going to come from pretty far out of it,” said Reid, Jr. “But the way Joel rode her last time, he knows her even better this time. I’ll just leave it up to him and I’m sure he’ll have a plan in mind. There’s not a whole lot of instructions to give.”

The talented bay has worked once since the Beaugay, covering a half-mile in 49.90 seconds over Parx Racing’s main track Saturday.

“She’s been training good, and I didn’t do too much with her. The turf horses, you don’t have to do a ton with them,” said Reid, Jr. “She had a very nice half a mile the other day. It was just what we were looking for; finished up good and hasn’t missed a note. We’re looking forward to taking the shot.”

Neecie Marie, bred by Jon A. Marshall, has banked $361,950 in total purses through a 10-5-2-0 record.

Reid, Jr. could have a banner weekend at the Spa as he also sends out LC Racing’s Ninetyprcentmaddie [post 1, Jose Lezcano, 8-1 ML] in Saturday’s Grade 2 True North presented by F.W. Webb and Maximus Meridius [post 11, Joel Rosario, 15-1 ML], whom he co-owns with LC Racing and Cash is King, in the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun.

Reid, Jr. also entered Cash is King and LC Racing’s Carmelina in Thursday’s Listed $150,000 Jersey Girl but said the multiple stakes-winner is likely to skip the six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies after she drew the rail.

“She’s more than likely going to pass. I think the race is coming up tough and I really don’t like her post position,” said Reid, Jr. “Unless I hear of some scratches, I’m going to pass on the Jersey Girl.”

The Maximus Mischief bay was last seen finishing eighth in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. She boasts three stakes wins as part of a 9-4-1-0 record.

“We were coming back a little quick anyways from the Miss Preakness,” said Reid, Jr. “She’s a nice filly and has run at seven different racetracks and has handled them all, so maybe it’s time to be good to her and give her a few extra weeks before the next one.”

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