Belmont Previews: Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay, Grade 3’s Ft. Marcy & Westchester

By Ryan Martin —-

Holy Helena seeks repeat victory in G2 Sheepshead Bay

ELMONT, N.Y – Stronach Stables’ three-time graded stakes winner Holy Helena will go for back-to-back wins in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay over the inner turf course at Belmont Park.

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper will be seeking to defend her title in the 1 3/8-mile event for fillies and mares. In her most recent outing, she scored a victory in the Grade 3 The Very One on March 2 at Gulfstream Park, a race which she also won last year en route to a win in the Sheepshead Bay.

Early in her career, Holy Helena showcased her talent against fellow Canadian-breds at Woodbine, taking the Woodbine Oaks and Canada’s crown jewel – the Queen’s Plate – during her sophomore campaign in 2017.

Holy Helena is the only horse in the Sheepshead Bay field to have accumulated over one million dollars in career earnings, which currently stands at $1,175,578. She is out of the Holy Bull broodmare Holy Grace who also produced graded stakes winner Holy Boss and is a half-sister to graded stakes winners Rookie Sensation, Mark One and Daiwa Carson – a Group 2 winner in Japan.

Jerkens said Holy Helena would prefer a firm turf course on Saturday.

“She doesn’t seem to be as effective over the boggy going and we’re not getting the greatest forecast in the world but maybe we’ll get lucky,” Jerkens said. “I think she’ll do some more good things this year. I like how she’s done since she came back from Florida. We’re hoping for a nice trip and as long as the turf isn’t too soft you should see her usual self.”

She will be ridden by Jose Lezcano from post 5.

Looking to turn the tables on Holy Helena after running third in last year’s Sheepshead Bay is Santa Monica. Trained by Chad Brown, the 6-year-old daughter of Mastercraftsman was beaten a half-length in last year’s running in only her second start in the United States after being formerly trained by Charles O’Brien in her native Great Britain.

Santa Monica has finished in the money in all but one of her eight starts for Brown, including graded stakes victories in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly last June at Woodbine and, most recently, the Grade 3 Orchid on March 29 at Gulfstream Park.

Santa Monica is out of the Zamindar broodmare Zacchera who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Sakhee’s Secret. She will receive the riding services of Joe Bravo from post 6.

Seeking her second graded stakes victory is Lady Montdore, who took last year’s Grade 2 Glens Falls at Saratoga in wire-to-wire fashion. Owned by Godolphin and trained by Tom Albertrani, the 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro began her career in France for Andre Fabre and won her first two starts in America for Albertrani. Prior to winning the Glens Falls, she was victorious against allowance company over the turf at Saratoga.

Lady Montdore will be making her 2019 debut. Last out, she was a close seventh in the Grade 3 Long Island at Aqueduct, where she was beaten three lengths. She is out of the Grade 1-winning Distorted Humor broodmare Hystericalady. She will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche and breaks from the rail.

Completing the field for the Sheepshead Bay are Semper Sententiae (post two, Dylan Davis), Giant Zinger (post seven, Eric Cancel) and Vexatious (post eight, Adam Beschizza).

Unbridledadventure and Matty’s Magnum are entered for main track only.
The Sheepshead Bay is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 12-race card with a 1:36 p.m. post time. First post is 12:00 p.m.

Brown enters tough trio for G3 Fort Marcy

By Najja Thompson

ELMONT, N.Y. – After kicking off opening week with two victories and one second-place finish from nine starts, defending Belmont Park spring/summer meet leading trainer Chad Brown will look to sustain momentum entering a talented trio in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Fort Marcy for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf.

Headlining Brown’s threesome is Convento Viejo’s multiple graded stakes winning Chilean-bred Robert Bruce. Set to make his first start since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf last November, the 5-year-old son of Irish-bred Fast Company began his career in his native Chile where he wheeled off six consecutive victories as a 3-year-old before being transferred to Brown.

Robert Bruce made his North American debut by winning last year’s edition of the Fort Marcy, before going on to win the Grade 1 Arlington Million at Arlington Park and finish second in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont.

With Jose Lezcano aboard, Robert Bruce will depart from post 2.

Rounding out Brown’s entrants are pair of runners each set to make their North American debut, with Olympico, for owners Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stable and Bethlehem Stables; and Arrocha for Nova Estrela LLC.

A 4-year-old French-bred gelding, Olympico has made each of his 19 prior starts in France, where he amassed three victories and three second-place finishes including a victory last November in the Prix Henri Chapelle at Marseille-Borely Racecourse.

Arrocha, a 5-year-old Brazilian-bred multiple Group 1 winning horse in South America, enters the Fort Marcy after capturing the Copa ABCPCC Mathias Machline in his most recent start on August 4 at Gavea Racecourse in Brazil.

Olympico will leave from post 3 with Kendrick Carmouche in the irons. Arrocha will leave from outside post 9 with Joe Bravo aboard.

Looking to present a formidable challenge to Brown’s trio is Dr Edgar, for trainer Barclay Tagg and owners Peter and Eloise Canzone.

The 6-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky holds an impressive record of four victories from seven starts with a pair of second-place finishes on the Belmont turf and enters the Fort Marcy on a two-race win streak including a last-out victory in the Grade 3 Appleton at a mile on March 29 at Gulfstream.

“He’s a nice horse; we’re trying to see if we can stretch him out,” Tagg said. “He goes a mile-and-a-sixteenth the same as he goes a mile. If he can get an easy lead and slow it down, maybe he can go further than that.”

With Dylan Davis named to ride, the pair will leave from post 7.

Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey entered Doctor Mounty for owner Larry Pratt.

Sired by multiple graded stakes winner Street Sense, 6-year-old Doctor Mounty captured the Grade 3 Baltimore Washington International Turf at Laurel last September for one of his two victories in 2018. He made his 2019 debut a winning one, capturing the Grade 3 Tropical Turf on January 12 at Gulfstream. He will look to rebound off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Makers Mark on April 12 at Keeneland.

Trainer Todd Pletcher entered a pair of runners with Channel Cat for Calumet Farm and graded stakes-winner Maraud for Treadway Racing.

Channel Cat, a 4-year-old English Channel colt, will make his 2019 debut in the Fort Marcy after ending his 2018 campaign with back-to-back wins in the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs and Bald Eagle at Laurel Park last September.

Maraud, a 4-year-old son of Blame, won the Grade 3 Palm Beach at Gulfstream and Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill as a 3-year-old. He returned to finish third in the Danger’s Hour on April 7.

“He [Maraud] came out of that race in good shape,” said Byron Hughes assistant to Pletcher. “He’s breezed back well and we’re looking forward to him having a big effort. Channel Cat shipped up here from Palm Beach Downs in good form and he’s shown good energy as well heading into this race.”

Maraud will leave from post 8 with Eric Cancel in the irons. Channel Cat will leave from post 5 with Adam Beschizza aboard.

Also entered is Cullum Road for Three Diamonds Farm and trainer Mike Maker and main track only entrant Control Group for owners Michael Dubb and David Simon and trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

The Fort Marcy is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 12-race card. First post time is 12 p.m.

Prince Lucky looks for charmed trip in G3 Westchester

By Brian Bohl

ELMONT, N.Y. – Daniel McConnell’s Prince Lucky will go for his third consecutive graded stakes win and fourth straight victory overall in challenging an eight-horse field in the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester for 4-year-olds and up on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The 90th running of the Westchester, contested at one mile, is one of three graded stakes on Saturday’s 12-race Belmont card on Kentucky Derby Day, along with the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay and the Grade 3, $150,000 Fort Marcy.

Prince Lucky shipped up from his Florida training base at Palm Beach Downs, where he will attempt to build on back-to-back triple digit Beyer Speed Figures after a 4 ¾-length score as the 1-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 30. That effort came after he earned a 106 Beyer with a six-length romp in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope on February 23 at the same track, marking an impressive return off an eight-month layoff for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“He’s shipped up here in good form. Watching his races at Gulfstream this winter, he’s really established himself,” said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes. “He’s shown good energy since he’s been up here and we look forward to him running a big race.”

The 4-year-old will return to Belmont for the first time since winning the Easy Goer on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9. A Pennsylvania-bred son of Corinthian owned and bred by Daniel McConnell, Prince Lucky is 3-for-4 since being gelded in April 2018.

Prince Lucky, 6-0-2 in 10 career starts, will see Joe Bravo pick up the mount, drawing post 8.

Calumet Farm’s Bandua, making just his second career start on dirt, will be going for his first North American win since arriving last year from Ireland. The 4-year-old son of The Factor earned a personal-best 99 Beyer in his seasonal bow with a runner-up effort to Synchrony on the turf in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on February 16.

Trainer Jack Sisterson moved Bandua to the main track for the first time last out, resulting in a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on March 23. Cutting back in distance, the Kentucky-bred will get his first opportunity to compete on Belmont’s Big Sandy.

“His last race was his first time on dirt. He was breezing great at Fair Grounds and I was pleased with the way he ran that day,” Sisterson said. “We shipped him up to Keeneland and his energetic and workmanlike works were transferred from Fair Grounds to there. He has a huge stride and high cruising speed and we’re excited to get him over the one turn configuration at Belmont. He won’t be on the lead, but he should be right behind whoever wants to go up front.”

Should Bandua continue to adjust well to dirt, his connections said the Runhappy Metropolitan on Belmont Stakes Day on June 8 could be in play.

“If he runs a winning race, we’ll look at the Met Mile,” Sisterson said.

Adam Beschizza, who won 82 races at the recently concluded Fair Grounds meet to lead all riders, and has been aboard for the last four of Bandua’s starts and all the mounts since Sisterson took over training duties from Dermot Weld, will travel to Belmont to ride, drawing post 5.

Stakes-veteran Realm returned from a six-month layoff to run third in the Skip Away at 1 3/16 miles on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. The 6-year-old Barclay Tagg trainee will be returning to Belmont for the first time since a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Kelso on September 22 at the Westchester distance.

After making seven consecutive starts against optional claimers from 2017-18, Realm, owned by Eric Dattner, Tagg and Harry Astarita, returned to stakes company in August, winning the Alydar by a neck over Kurilov at 1 1/8 miles. He is 1-1-3 in eight career starts at one mile.

“He’s doing great, there aren’t that many places to run him anymore,” Tagg said. “I don’t think the distance makes a big difference. I think he’ll be comfortable. At a mile, he doesn’t get into too much trouble. He’s a pretty honest horse. He likes to place himself. You have to let him do his thing.”

Kendrick Carmouche will be in the irons from post 2.

Courtlandt Farms’ Carlino will make his first start of the new campaign, returning to action for the first time since running fourth in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 29 at Belmont.

The 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid returns to action seeking his first stakes win with a nearly eighth-month layoff since earning a 97 Beyer in competing against a talented field that saw Discreet Lover, Thunder Snow and Mendelssohn comprise the top-three finishers.

Trained by Mark Hennig, Carlino will be cutting back to a mile for the first time since 2017, carrying a 2-1-0 record in four career starts at the distance. Eric Cancel will ride from post 3.

Dennis Drazin’s Sunny Ridge, the reigning New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year, has finished on the board in three of his last four starts, including a runner-up to Mr. Buff in the 1 1/8-mile Jazil on January 26 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The son of Holy Bull ended his 2018 campaign with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap on December 1 at the Big A, building on a second-place finish by one length to Patternrecognition in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap on September 22 in his last Belmont start.

Trained by Jason Servis, Sunny Ridge is 1-3-2 in seven career starts at mile. Jose Lezcano will pick up the mount, departing from post 1.

Rounding out the field are a trio of entries looking for their first respective stakes win in Stan the Man, trained by John Terranova, from post 4; Nicodemus, conditioned by Linda Rice, out of post 7; and Hoffenheim, trained by Jeremiah Englehart, from post 6