Belmont Park Notes

By Keith McCalmont —-

Rushing Fall and Fifty Five breeze on the turf for Opening Day G3 Beaugay; Newspaperofrecord set for return in G3 Intercontinental
Clement sends stakes quintet to train on the Belmont turf
Killybegs Captain continues march towards G1 Runhappy Carter
Get Smokin and Getmotherarose breeze on Belmont turf

ELMONT, N.Y. – Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown was trackside Thursday at Belmont Park to watch e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Rushing Fall and Peter Brant’s New York-bred Fifty Five breeze on the inner turf in preparation for the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay slated for Opening Day on Wednesday, June 3.

The duo went a half-mile in company and reached the wire together in a time of 50.48 seconds. Brown said both horses will be entered in the Beaugay, a 1 1/6-mile turf test for fillies and mares 4-year-olds and upward. Entries for the Opening Day card at Belmont will be taken on Friday.

“They both worked fine and will be entered in the Beaugay,” said Brown.

Klaravich Stables’ Newspaperofrecord will make her 4-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Intercontinental, a seven-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares slated for Saturday, June 6.

The ultra-talented Lope De Vega bay went undefeated in her three-start juvenile campaign which included a win in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Belmont ahead of a score in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs.

Last season, Newspaperofrecord completed the exacta in the Grade 3 Edgewood at Churchill Downs and Grade 3 Wonder Again at Belmont Park but was off-the-board when completing her season in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in July.

Brown said Newspaperofrecord is training well towards her seasonal debut.

“She seems pretty settled to me in her works and I’m real excited to get her career resumed. I’m going to try to keep her [at distances] only up to a mile,” said Brown. “Based on the way she’s training, and if she stays healthy, she should have a really good year.”

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Clement sends stakes quintet to train on the Belmont turf

Trainer Christophe Clement sent out five turf workers on Thursday morning at Belmont Park with an eye to upcoming stakes races at the spring / summer meet.

“I’m delighted to be back in New York and very grateful to have racing,” said Clement, who sent out Call Me Love, Madeleine Must, Arthur Kitt, Gufo and Focus Group for half-mile breezes on the inner turf.

Call Me Love, a 4-year-old British-bred daughter of Sea The Stars, has trained in Florida at Payson Park all winter for Clement and will make her North American debut in the Beaugay. Previously campaigned in Italy, the multiple group-stakes winner went in company with another newcomer Madeleine Must, a French-bred daughter of Motivator who won the Prix de la Cochere at Longchamp in September. Both fillies were clocked in 47.69, the fastest of nine efforts at the distance.

“Call Me Love is being trained for the Beaugay. She came from Italy and she has trained very forwardly all winter long,” said Clement. “She seems to have a lot of quality and it will be exciting to see her race. She may be better suited to a longer distance, but we will see.

“Madeline Must is possible for the Intercontinental,” continued Clement. “She’s eligible for an allowance race, but I thought she worked well. I’ll see how she comes out of it and make up my mind.”

The Grade 3, $150,000 Intercontinental, a seven-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares, is slated for Saturday, June 6.

Otter Bend Stables promising Declaration of War sophomore Gufo, who won the English Channel last out at Gulfstream Park, is out of the Petionville mare Floy and is a half-brother to multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Hogy. Gufo was clocked in 51.75.

The Clement stable is blessed with a strong sophomore contingent this meet, which includes Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader. Clement said Gufo and Decorated Invader could square off in the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge, a one-mile turf test slated for Belmont Stakes Day June 20.

“This is the kind of problem you like to deal with,” said Clement. “They both will train for the Pennine Ridge.

“Gufo worked well today,” added Clement. “He is a very nice 3-year-old and he won a stakes last time at Gulfstream Park.”

Clement said he is also considering sending Gufo west for the $150,000 Cinema, a nine-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds on June 6 at Santa Anita Park.

West Point Thoroughbreds, New Phoenix Stable, Louisa Stevenson and Tango Uniform Racing’s Focus Group was also clocked in 51.75.

A five-time winner from 17 starts with $494,569 in purse earnings, Focus Group was off-the-board last out in the Grade Pan American at Gulfstream Park. He is pointing to the $80,000 Tiller, a 1 3/8-mile turf route slated for Thursday, June 4.

He could be joined in the Tiller by another Clement newcomer, the 4-year-old Camelot bay Arthur Kitt, who was clocked in 49.03 Thursday morning. Arthur Kitt, who captured the 2018 Chesham at Ascot for former trainer Tom Dascombe, rallied to finish second on April 23 in a Gulfstream Park turf route for Clement.

Another Clement star expected to race early in the meet is Castleton Lyons’ Gucci Factor. Clement said the New York-bred son of Gio Ponti, who won the 2019 Grade 3 Poker, could make his seasonal debut in the Grade 2, $150,000 Fort Marcy set for June 6 at nine furlongs on the Belmont turf.

Patricia Generazio’s 9-year-old homebred Pure Sensation will also be returning to New York with an eye to the Grade 1, $250,000 Jaipur presented by America’s Best Racing. The six-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds and up is slated for Belmont Stakes Day June 20 and offers a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Calumet Farm homebred Casino Grande, a sophomore son of Cairo Prince, is perfect through two starts. The dark bay won on debut in March at Tampa Bay Downs and followed up with a resounding 3 1/4-length win in an optional-claiming mile on May 16 at Gulfstream Park.

Clement said Casino Grande will be pointed to the $80,000 Easy Goer, a 1 1/6-mile test for 3-year-olds set for Thursday, June 25.

“He is a very nice horse. We’re pointing him to the Easy Goer,” said Clement. “He won at seven-eighths first time very nicely and second time out he came back at a mile and won well.”

The veteran conditioner said he is continuing to assess which distances will best suit the talented colt.

“I’m not sure yet. He’s only had two starts and I’m still learning about him,” said Clement. “I think it would be nice to train him to see if he stays. If he doesn’t, we can come back shorter.”

* * *
Killybegs Captain continues march toward G1 Runhappy Carter

Trainer John Terranova will look to hit the ground running at the Belmont spring meet with Curragh Stables’ graded-stakes winner Killybegs Captain, who is pointed to the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Carter Handicap, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and upward on June 6. The Runhappy Carter Handicap offers a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

The 6-year-old Mizzen Mast horse, who made the grade in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash in September at Laurel Park, boasts a record of 26-7-5-3 with purse earnings of $572,453.

Killybegs Captain, who traveled to Dubai to compete in the Golden Shaheen on the canceled Dubai World Cup card in March, last raced on February 15 when capturing the six-furlong Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He’s going to the Carter. He’s training phenomenal,” said Terranova. “We went all the way to Dubai and we were really confident going there. He came back in good order and has been training exceptionally well. We’re anxious to run him in the Carter.”

Eric Fein, Christopher McKenna, Harris Fein, Guri Singh, and Jerry Walia’s Dream Friend worked a half-mile in 51.76 Thursday on the Belmont Park inner turf.

“He did fine this morning. We’re ready to run and I wanted a chance to get him on the grass. He’s ready to go,” said Terranova. “He went a half by himself. It’s his last work before he runs, so nothing too special. It was just a maintenance move.”

Terranova said the 5-year-old Ghostzapper chestnut is under consideration for the $80,000 First Defence, a seven-furlong turf sprint set for Sunday, June 7.

“He’s a good middle-distance turf runner,” said Terranova. “The seven-eighths off the layoff wouldn’t be inconceivable. He’s got plenty of speed. We’ll keep an eye on the weather.”

Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable’s multiple stakes winner Funny Guy is under consideration for the $125,000 Commentator Handicap, a one-mile test for New York-breds 3-years-old and up.

“We’re going to look at that,” said Terranova regarding the Commentator. “He’s training great and we’re just looking for the spot. He’s eligible for an allowance race as well.”

Terranova also said New York-bred stakes-placed Three Jokers could be in line for the $100,000 Mike Lee, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-bred sophomores.

“He’s been ready to run and were looking at the Mike Lee coming back off the bench,” said Terranova.

* * *
Get Smokin and Getmotherarose breeze on the Belmont turf

Trainer Tom Bush worked a pair of upcoming stakes hopefuls on the turf Thursday with Getmotherarose and Get Smokin each breezing separately on the inner turf.

Getmotherarose, a 4-year-old bay daughter of Get Stormy, was clocked five-eighths in 1:03.44.

“She finished up nice which is just what we were looking for, nothing too strong,” said Bush. “I thought the turf was fantastic. The horses are just floating over it.”

The improving turf filly won four-of-nine starts in 2019 and brought her game to another level over the winter at Gulfstream Park, which included three starts led by a rallying win in the one-mile Grade 3 Honey Fox.

“She’s matured and come a long way. She was a late foal,” said Bush.

Getmotherarose is pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Intercontinental, a seven-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares slated for Saturday, June 6.

Get Smokin, a sophomore son of Get Stormy, graduated at second asking in a one-mile maiden turf event in September at Belmont Park. He was off-the-board in the Awad to close out his juvenile campaign in October at Belmont Park, but was resurgent in his seasonal debut when a pace-setting second in the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy on January 4 at Gulfstream Park.

The chestnut followed up with a good second in the one-mile Dania Beach in February and was again stubborn on the front end when third in the Cutler Bay on March 28 on the Gulfstream green.

Get Smokin was clocked five-eighths in a moderate 1:05.03 Thursday, but Bush said he was pleased with the work from the chestnut gelding off the freshening.

“He finished the last eighth in 11.2, so I was very pleased with him,” said Bush. “I’m considering the Pennine Ridge for him. He ran in Florida a few times and I wanted to give him a little break and he’s done really well from it.”

The Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge is a one-mile turf test set for Belmont Stakes Day June 20.

Bush said he is looking forward to a return to live racing in New York.

“We’re ready. We brought some up from Florida that are ready to run right away, so we’re in good shape,” said Bush.
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