Belmont Stakes Previews

By Ryan Martin —-

World traveler Royal Approval seeks stakes victory in G3 Matron

ELMONT, N.Y. – Three Chimneys Farm’s Royal Approval will seek to parlay an impressive maiden victory into graded stakes company when taking on seven other juvenile fillies in Sunday’s 111th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Matron going six furlongs over the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

Originally contested on dirt, the Matron – along with its male counterpart the Grade 3, $100,000 Futurity – was moved to the grass in 2018 upon introduction of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to give 2-year-old turf sprinting fillies an opportunity to garner black type. The historic race has seen some of racing’s finest fillies notch a victory early on in their storied careers including Maskette (1908), Top Flight (1938), Busher (1944), Bed o’ Roses (1949), Cicada (1961), Numbered Account (1971) and La Prevoyante (1972). The Matron was also used as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Meadow Star (1990), Flanders (1994), Storm Flag Flying (2002) and Folklore (2005) all notching the Matron-Juvenile Fillies double.

Trained by Wesley Ward, who saddled Happy Like a Fool to victory in the 2017 Matron, Royal Approval arrives off her best performance yet when besting a maiden special weight field going 6 ½ furlongs at Kentucky Downs, where she drew off to a 6 ¼ length victory.

Following a runner-up finish on debut to stablemate Campanelle at Gulfstream Park, the daughter of Tiznow faced her stablemate once more in England at Royal Ascot, where she was off slow and was never a factor, finishing 17th in the Group 2 Queen Mary to Campanelle, who replicated that effort to win the Group 1 Prix Morny on August 23 at Deauville.

Ward said soft turf appears to be the filly’s kryptonite and blamed her lackluster performance at Royal Ascot on the wet ground.

“Royal Approval is really training some kind of good,” Ward said. “She’s a really nice filly. She’s a big filly, that’s why she was the favorite going into her first start. The only thing she can’t do is run on the soft turf. We took her over to Europe and she ran dismal. We took a chance just because we were there, but she can’t stand up on the soft turf. That’s why we brought her home, gave her a little freshening and we took her to Saratoga. The bad luck continued there where she entered twice and was scratched twice with the soft turf. I didn’t want to make the same mistake again.”

Ward spoke volumes of Royal Approval’s maiden triumph and said that he has been impressed with her breezes heading into the race. She worked five furlongs in 1:02 flat over a firm Keeneland turf on October 4.

“We finally caught a firm turf at Kentucky Downs and she just powered home,” Ward said. “It was an extremely impressive maiden win, and her works since have been eye-openers. I’m looking for a big race with her.”

A Kentucky homebred, Royal Approval is out of the Malibu Moon mare Touch the Moon and comes from the same family as 2005 Kentucky Oaks winner Summerly.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride from post 7.

Trainer Christophe Clement notched the first Matron contested on turf with Robert Evans’ Lonely Road and will send out Magisterium who makes her North American debut for Madaket Stables.

The bay daughter of Elzaam has never been worse than second or beaten more than a neck in four starts and boasts two victories at seven furlongs in her native Great Britain.

Clement said his filly prefers firm footing and will be keeping a close eye on Sunday’s weather forecast, which as of Thursday afternoon calls for a 50% chance of rain showers for the Elmont area.

“I’m keeping all my options open,” Clement said. “I’ll take a look on Sunday morning and make a decision. But she’s been training well.”

Jockey Joel Rosario will ride from post 8.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will debut Union Gables on the turf after a distant third-place finish in an off-the-turf edition of the P.G. Johnson on September 3 at Saratoga. Owned by GMP Racing and F Bellavia, the daughter of Speightstown was beaten 8 ¾ lengths to Simply Ravishing last out, following a victory on debut at Saratoga going 5 ½ furlongs over the main track on August 9.

Pletcher is a two-time winner of the Matron having scored with Marylebone (2003) and Kauai Katie (2012).

Luis Saez, who won the 2016 Matron with Arella Rockstar, will pilot Union Gables from post 3.

Rounding out the field are Rossa Veloce [post 1, Jose Ortiz], Fabricate [post 2, Manny Franco], Amalfi Princess [post 4, Junior Alvarado], Bravo Regina [post 5, Dylan Davis], and Niente [post 6, Jose Lezcano].

The Matron is slated as Race 9 on Sunday’s 10-race program, which offers a first post of 12:50 p.m. Eastern. America’s Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America’s Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the 27-day fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Momos to make turf debut in G3 Futurity

By Brian Bohl

ELMONT, N.Y. – Ironhorse Racing Stable and Secure Investments’ Momos will look to build on a third-place effort last out in his graded stakes debut when he tries turf for the first time in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Futurity for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on Belmont Park’s Widener course.

The 130th running of the prestigious Futurity, which counts 16 eventual Hall of Famers as winners before the race was moved from the main track to turf in 2018, is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 6 at Keeneland. It is one of two turf stakes for juveniles on the 10-race card, with the Grade 3, $100,000 Matron for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs also on the docket.

Momos won his debut for trainer Christophe Clement with a 6 1/2-length maiden win going 5 ½ furlongs on July 18 over Saratoga Race Course’s main track. Returning just three weeks later, the Distorted Humor colt ran third in the six-furlong Grade 2 Saratoga Special, finishing behind winner and eventual Grade 1 Runhappy Hopeful victor Jackie’s Warrior.

Purchased for $180,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale in March, Momos has breezed twice on Belmont’s inner turf since shipping from Saratoga, including a four-furlong work in 50.75 seconds on October 4.

“He’s been training well,” Clement said. “I trained him on the grass and thought he worked well over it. I know he can handle the firm turf, not sure about softer turf. He’s a fast horse. I could always bring him back on the main track.”

Manny Franco, aboard for his first two starts, will have the return call from post 9.

Breeze Easy’s After Five, one of three entrants for trainer Wesley Ward, showed potential on debut when he ran second by a nose to his more experienced stablemate and fellow Futurity contender Trade Deal in a 6 ½-furlong turf sprint on September 10 at Kentucky Downs. The Ward-trained duo both earned a field-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure.

A $165,000 purchase at the same sale as Momos, Ward said he was impressed after watching After Five make his debut on a challenging course.

“It’s always tough being a maiden down at Kentucky Downs with the course being big, and wide, and he was beaten by a nose by Trade Deal,” Ward said. “First-time starters are at a big disadvantage starting there as opposed to if he had a start. But he ran an incredible race and we’re looking forward to him moving on and getting better from here.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., aboard for the maiden appearance, will ride again from post 2.
Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Trade Deal broke his maiden via that victory over After Five, building on his second-place first-out performance on August 31 at Indiana Grand.

A son of Fed Biz, Trade Deal will ship to Belmont for the first time, drawing post 10 with Junior Alvarado aboard.

Rockingham Ranch’s Gypsy King, broke his maiden at third asking for Ward going 5 ½ furlongs in August at Ellis Park before running fifth stepping up to stakes company for the first time in the More Than Ready on September 7 at Kentucky Downs.

Jose Lezcano has the call from post 11.

Sky’s Not Falling won his debut on dirt July 1 at Delaware Park and trainer Michael Trombetta has finished in the money in three straight stakes starts. After running third in the Hansel in July at Colonial Downs on the main track, Trombetta moved him to turf for the first time in the Skidmore on August 21 at the Spa, which resulted in a third-place effort before running second to Credit River in the Ontario Racing on September 19 over the Woodbine turf.

Luis Saez will ride from the inside post.

Stakes-winner County Final, who captured the Tyro on August 8 at Monmouth in a stakes moved off the turf, ran fourth last out in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint on September 12. Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook and Anna Marie Shannon, County Final is graded stakes placed on dirt, running second in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor in June at Churchill.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, County Final will be ridden by Jose Ortiz from post 8.

Rounding out the field is Newbomb, a $155,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, who ran third on debut on August 29 on the Saratoga turf for trainer Todd Pletcher [post 4, Hall of Famer John Velazquez]; Irish-bred Bright Devil, making North American debut and first start for trainer Mark Casse, from post 7 [Joel Rosario]; Second of July, a debut winner going six furlongs on the Belmont turf on September 20 and trained by Phil Gleaves [ Dylan Davis, post 3].

Nutsie, trained by David Cannizzo, and Kentucky Knight [Amira Chichakly] are entered for the main track only.

The Futurity is slated as Race 7 on Sunday’s 10-race card which will feature a 12:50 p.m. Eastern first post. America’s Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America’s Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.