Belmont Park Notes – 05/15

NYRA PRESS RELASE —–

Belmont Park Notes

Jockey Trevor McCarthy basking in glow of first G1 victory in $700K Man o’ War
Rougir G1 New York bound following triumphant debut for Brown
We the People registers 103 Beyer Speed Figure; will remain at Belmont to prepare for final leg of Triple Crown
Bella Sofia impresses in G3 Vagrancy score
Duggan in search of the right next spot for Drafted
Duke of Hazzard breezes in prep for $100K Seek Again; Arrest Me Red targets G1 Jaipur
Step Dancer and Doswell breeze on the turf

ELMONT, N.Y. – When Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s Highland Chief emerged from post 5 in Saturday’s Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont Park, he was the longest shot on the board at odds of 19-1. The long odds didn’t faze Trevor McCarthy, who confidently piloted the Graham Motion-trained son of Gleneagles to a one-length score and earn the first Grade 1 triumph of his career.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” said McCarthy on Sunday. “This morning it was pretty nice to go out and go to work – it was pretty easy to wake up early. To get all the praise, it means a lot to me. It shows how many people believe in me and have faith in me.”

McCarthy settled Highland Chief in second as the field of five rolled through slow fractions over the firm course, which held some moisture as afternoon rain doused the grounds. McCarthy swung the 5-year-old four-wide in upper stretch and gave a strong ride to overtake the lead at the top of the lane and hold off late charges from multiple Grade 1-winner Gufo and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf champion Yibir. He earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Highland Chief entered from a troubled ninth-place effort in an optional claimer on April 14 at Aqueduct where he was squeezed at the break. He broke better in the Man o’ War and was more forwardly placed as the Todd Pletcher-trained Abaan set the pace.

“There was no pace in the race other than Todd’s horse, and I was really the only one that could go with him,” McCarthy said. “I learned a lot from riding him the first time, and he broke well that day but got crushed by other horses.

“I thought if he breaks like the day I rode him or better, he would be in a pretty forward spot and I wouldn’t have to use him that much,” McCarthy added. “That’s what he did. He carried me the whole way nicely and when I asked him for more, he kicked on nicely and kept giving it to me.”

McCarthy, who turns 28 on Monday, said winning a Grade 1 felt like an early birthday gift.

“My mom asked, ‘What do you want for your birthday,’” McCarthy said. “I told her I don’t want anything. I already got my present.”

***
Rougir G1 New York bound following triumphant debut for Brown

Following a successful conquest in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at Belmont Park, Peter Brant and Michael Tabor’s Rougir, who captured last year’s Group 1 Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp in France, could seek her first Grade 1 win in the United States in the $750,000 New York on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Rougir made her debut for trainer Chad Brown in the 1 1/16-mile Beaugay for older fillies and mares on the inner turf, displaying a phenomenal turn of foot to rally from last-of-seven. Rougir, with Flavien Prat up, made a five-wide sweeping move in upper stretch to win by three lengths. The 4-year-old daughter of Territories registered a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the triumph.

“She came out of her race well,” Brown said. “It looks like she’ll be headed to the New York Handicap.”

Brown, a three-time winner of the New York, could also have Brant’s Virginia Joy or Bleecker Street point to the ten-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares. Virginia Joy captured last Saturday’s Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay at Belmont while Bleecker Street kept an unbeaten record intact when taking last Friday’s Grade 3 Modesty at Churchill Downs.

“I’d probably only run two, but I’ll speak to Mr. Brant about what we want to do and how the horses are doing,” Brown said. “There’s still plenty of time between now and then so we’ll see how everyone is doing. Hopefully, we have two representatives in there.”

Following her Prix de l’Opera coup in October, Rougir shipped to Del Mar for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf for previous conditioner Cedric Rossi. Brant joined forces with Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier to purchase the talented filly in December out of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in December, where she was acquired for nearly $3.4 million.

Brown noted her forward training over the winter at Payson Park in Florida.

“She’s got a terrific turn of foot and she had a terrific winter. We got her down to Payson Park and gave her time to acclimate. We turned her out for a little while. She just really adapted well,” Brown said. “Obviously, she had good form prior and was a super talented horse before we got her. But we were able to get her acclimated and put a lot of weight on her. Her coat really came around and was shining by the time we had her ready to run. I was just so pleased with how she looked and trained going into the race. I’m very relieved to see her show that good turn of foot and get her 4-year-old campaign started the right way.”

Brown also saddled Brant’s Lemista in the Beaugay. The 5-year-old Raven’s Pass mare finished second in last year’s Beaugay, but could do no better than fourth this time around when returning to action off an eight-month layoff from a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Beverly D. in August at Arlington Park.

Brown indicated that Lemista and Rougir would go their separate ways next out.

“She just got out of position midway through the race and doesn’t have the turn of foot that Rougir has,” Brown said. “It didn’t work out for her, but I was proud of her to try and to pick up some horses late. She was just out of position for her style of running. She’s back off a long layoff with a race under her belt now. We’ll separate them now and find a race for her.”

Brown had multiple horses work over Belmont’s inner turf on Sunday morning, including Brant’s dual Grade 1-winner Regal Glory, who went five furlongs in 1:02.12 in company with maiden winner Credit Event.

Regal Glory, a 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom, is unbeaten in two starts this year when capturing the Grade 3 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park en route to a victory three months later in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland.

Brown said he and Brant contemplated retiring Regal Glory following the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf, but opted to keep her in training for another year due to her strong effort in that race.

“We were at least going to run in the Pegasus prior to breeding season and then decide on her 6-year-old campaign based on how she did there, and she ran terrific,” Brown said. “So, we decided to run her another year and so far, it’s paying off. She’s an outstanding racehorse.”

Regal Glory is targeting the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game at one mile on turf for older fillies and mares on June 11.

Brown also worked Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron, and Team Hanley’s Haughty, third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, in company with Klaravich Stables’ Customer List, a debut winner over the Monmouth Park turf in September. Both fillies went five furlongs in 1:02.33.

Brown said one, but not both, of the sophomore fillies could entertain the $150,000 Penn Oaks on June 3 at Penn National. He said the Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly on May 28 is a possibility for Haughty, as well as a local allowance event for both fillies.

“I like what I see from Haughty. She’s training quite well,” Brown said. “She fell a little bit behind this winter. She got a little sick on me and we got started a little later than I wanted to, but she’s making up for lost time rapidly now in her works. She might be headed to the Penn Oaks, I won’t run two in that race. Allowance races in New York are also on the table.”

***
We the People registers 103 Beyer Speed Figure; will remain at Belmont to prepare for final leg of Triple Crown

WinStar Farm, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm’s We the People made amends for a troubled seventh-place effort in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby when commanding through every point of call in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at Belmont Park for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The bay son of Constitution earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for the 10 1/4-length romp in the one-turn mile and an eighth test for sophomores, which equaled the best number registered by a 3-year-old this season. The astonishing effort has Brisset thinking an engagement in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 11 will be in the works for We the People’s next start.

“Everything went pretty smooth; he had a clean break,” Brisset said. “We didn’t know if we were going to be on the lead or not, but we were hoping to be in the clear. It looked like they let us cruise on the lead.

“Obviously it’s flattering for the horse. But now, I think we have to put everything back in context,” Brisset added. “He got an easy lead, and everything went his way. At the same time, it’s a good race and a good effort from where we feel like he got his confidence back from the Arkansas Derby.”

Brisset noted that We the People raced wide into the turn of the nine-furlong Arkansas Derby in April and was out of position throughout after showing tactical speed when stalking the pace in his respective maiden and allowance wins over the winter at Oaklawn Park.

“With those kinds and how good they are, they can do pretty much anything. He has the tactical speed, he has the high cruising speed, and he can just do pretty much anything you ask him to do,” Brisset said.

Brisset also saddled Peter Pan fourth-place finisher Western River, who is still not out of the question for the Belmont Stakes. Both We the People and Western River will remain at Belmont for the time being.

“We decided to leave the horse at Belmont. He doesn’t have to go back to Keeneland,” Brisset said. “The horse showed enough good signs over the week before the race, and we feel he likes it at Belmont. I’ll fly back down to Kentucky this afternoon and check on my horses at Keeneland and Churchill and then drive back up to New York on Tuesday.”

September Farm, Union Park Thoroughbreds, Black Fern, Michael Motley and Tammy Motley’s Western River, a full-brother to 2016 Belmont Stakes winner Creator, arrived at the Peter Pan off a fifth-out maiden victory going two turns at Oaklawn Park.

“He just missed second, it was a head and a neck,” Brisset said. “The setup of the race was not the best for him and the pace wasn’t fast enough. But the horse looked good this morning, so we’ll keep him around too. I have to see how he trains and moves. It’s going to be a decision made between the ownership. We have no pressure. If we want to go to an allowance we can, if we want to run in the big race, we can. We’ll see what the horse shows us.”

***
Bella Sofia impresses in G3 Vagrancy score

Michael Imperio, Medallion Racing, Sofia Soares, Vincent Scuderi, and Parkland Thoroughbreds’ Bella Sofia made a winning seasonal debut with a hard-fought nose score over Frank’s Rockette in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy at Belmont Park.

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the 4-year-old Awesome Patriot dark bay won 4-of-6 sophomore starts, including scores in the Grade 1 Longines Test in August at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap in September at Belmont. She completed her season with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Del Mar.

Bella Sofia posted a series of strong works at Belmont heading into Saturday’s test and proved to be sharp under Luis Saez, pressing the early pace of Miss Brazil through a quarter-mile in 22.67 before taking command at the five-sixteenths to brace for the challenge of Frank’s Rockette, who had worked out a perfect stalking trip under Flavien Prat.

Bella Sofia had a head in front of the inside-rallying Frank’s Rockette at the stretch call and the two rivals battled all the way to the wire to complete the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares in a final time of 1:16.02.

Rodriguez said Bella Sofia demonstrated grit and class to secure the win.

“The other filly is a very nice filly and she had a perfect trip. We had to fight the whole race,” Rodriguez said. “She’s a very special filly and to see her come back and win was very impressive. She seems happy with herself this morning. She’s a little tired, but she’s OK.”

Bella Sofia’s main goal this summer is the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina on August 28 at Saratoga, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Keeneland.
However, Rodriguez said he hasn’t yet identified a prep race for Bella Sofia to use as a springboard to the Ballerina.

“We’ll keep all our options open. We have to do the right thing by the filly, so we’ll give her the time to get over this race and she’ll tell us when she can dance again,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t get many opportunities with these kind of horses and you have to make the most of them. I’m very proud of her. She’s been a special filly since we got her.”

***
Duggan in search of the right next spot for Drafted

Dublin Fjord Stables, Racepoint Stables, Kevin D. Hilbert and Thomas E. O’Keefe’s Drafted powered past pacesetter Chateau to notch a one-length score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Runhappy, a six-furlong sprint for older horses at Belmont Park.

Trained by David Duggan, the 8-year-old Field Commission gelding entered the Runhappy from a distant fifth in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on April 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Drafted dropped down a notch in class on Saturday but was left with plenty to do when an expected pace battle between Chateau and Repo Rocks didn’t materialize after the latter horse broke poorly.

Duggan credited Jose Ortiz, who guided Drafted to a win in the Grade 3 Toboggan in February at the Big A, with engineering a perfect trip.

“We were at the right punching weight yesterday. It set up perfectly and Jose gave him a great ride,” Duggan said. “ I didn’t think he was going to get there. I thought the other horse had slipped away, but he just lunged late and got there. It was a little different scenario to the race we were in prior to that, so it worked out good.”

Duggan said he was worried when Chateau spurted away to a lone lead through splits of 22.61 and 45.57 leaving Drafted with everything to do from near the back of the compact five-horse field.

“Our concern going in was that no one was going to take him on and then he got the loose lead, but our horse was doing good,” Duggan said. “He trained well and was in good order going in there. We knew he was going to show up but whether we’d be able run him down or not, we weren’t sure. But it worked out to our advantage. He’s a cool old horse.”

Duggan said he would prefer not to jump back into Grade 1 company with Drafted and will take his time to find the next stop for the popular multiple graded stakes winner.

“He came out good and we’ll absorb it all before we make any major plans. We’ll stick him where he can punch properly and be effective,” Duggan said.
***

Duke of Hazzard breezes in prep for $100K Seek Again; Arrest Me Red targets G1 Jaipur

Trainer Wesley Ward has seen a rapid improvement over the past month from Mrs. F. Hay’s Duke of Hazzard, who is set to make his first start off an eight-month layoff in the $100,000 Seek Again on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Duke of Hazzard breezed in company with maiden winner Chardy Party on Sunday, covering six furlongs in 1:14.88 over the good inner turf. Chardy Party finished her exercise in 1:15.44.

“His last couple of works, including today, were ‘wow’ works,” Ward said of Duke of Hazzard. “I’m really happy with him. I wouldn’t have told you this 30 days ago. It’s nothing I’ve done, it’s just the horse is really coming into himself.”

A bay son of Lope De Vega, Duke of Hazzard was last seen finishing a close sixth in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on September 18 where he was bumped at the start, tracked in second and faded down the lane to be defeated 3 3/4 lengths by Town Cruise. The French-bred gelding will be looking for his first win since a Group 2 victory in the 2019 Celebration Mile at Goodwood in England.

“I’ve been waiting for Duke of Hazzard to kind of pop up. We gelded him last fall and gave him the winter off,” said Ward. “He’d been breezing OK and I train the majority of my horses with no shoes. I wasn’t overly impressed with his works in the morning, but we put some shoes on him and I’ll tell you what, that guy just turned it around immediately.”

Chardy Party was a debut winner for Ward and owner Stonestreet Stables sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the lawn on April 27 at Keeneland. The grey filly rallied from ninth-of-12 under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and showed an impressive turn of foot down the lane to inhale her rivals and earn a half-length victory.

“That was a very impressive race,” said Ward.

Ward said Ortiz, Jr., who was aboard for Sunday’s breeze, believes the filly is best from off-the-pace.

“We put Chardy Party in front and she won her race coming from behind, but that’s Duke of Hazzard’s style so we chose to put her in front,” Ward said of the breeze. “Irad said she’s much better coming from behind. She was in front kind of looking around and isn’t quite used to being by herself. She usually breezes in company with somebody right beside her, so that was kind of foreign to her, especially on the grass course there.”

A 3-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Dark Angel, Chardy Party will look to make her next start in the Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly going seven furlongs over the turf on May 28 at Belmont.

Stonestreet Stables’ other top sophomore turf filly, Twilight Gleaming, has already passed the graded stakes test with a victory in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last year at Del Mar. She returned from that effort with a second in the Palisades on April 10 at Keeneland before finding the winner’s circle again on Saturday at Churchill Downs with a tenacious Mamzelle victory sprinting five furlongs under the lights.

The bay daughter of National Defense stumbled at the start, broke fourth-of-11 and was rushed up by jockey Tyler Gaffalione to make every pole a winning one. The victory was hard-fought as Devine Charger and Artos both made a menacing bid for the lead and hit the wire in a three-way photo with Twilight Gleaming. Devine Charger came up a head short while holding onto place honors by a nose over Artos.

“It was nighttime and Tyler said she stumbled badly at the start,” Ward said. “She rushed up to take the lead all within five strides and that kind of took a little out of her. She was kind of wanting to go around the turn and down the lane she was looking over at the grandstand and all the lights. But we were crossing our fingers that she held on and that was a great effort from a nice filly.”

Twilight Gleaming, who finished second in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Ascot last year for Ward, may make another trip overseas to Goodwood in the Group 2 King George on July 29 for her next outing.

“There’s no real race for fillies sprinting at Ascot unless you go against the boys in the [Group 1] Commonwealth, which is six furlongs,” said Ward. “As we saw last night, five furlongs and two jumps and we would have been in trouble. There’s another race called the King George at Goodwood and it’s downhill. That’s another really nice meeting that I’ve run at before, but I’ve never run a horse in that particular race.

“She seems like she’d be suited and ideal for that type of course,” Ward added. “In America, there’s just no real race for a filly of this magnitude. Pending she comes out of the race well, which she has now, and she trains forward, we may shoot for that after speaking with the [owners].”

Multiple graded stakes winner Arrest Me Red was last seen winning the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on May 6 at Churchill Downs where he earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure for his off-the-pace victory under Irad Ortiz, Jr. The Pioneerof the Nile colt will now be pointed to a start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur Invitational on June 11 at Belmont Park, one of eight Grade 1 races on the lucrative Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets card.

“We’re heading to the Jaipur. I was proud of him. It’s a new course over here at Churchill and the roots haven’t quite set in yet, so some kind of handle it better than others,” said Ward. “He really handled the course and bounced away from there in good order. Irad is a man of the moment and he decided when everyone was going [for the lead] to take him back and give him a little breather. It should set us up for the Jaipur and get us ready to go.”

Arrest Me Red was a graded stakes winner over the Belmont turf last year when he went wire-to-wire in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.

“That day, he overcame a lot,” Ward said. “He’s a smart horse and a laid-back guy. For whatever reason that day, he was a handful to saddle. He got really hot and went out onto the track all lathered, and that’s just not him. For him to win in spite of that, if you can get him there with his mind right, he’ll run that much better. I’m looking forward to this race coming up and I think he’s going to show he’s rising to the top of the ranks here in America.”

Ward’s many promising juveniles include Dias Alegres, a bay Uncle Mo filly out of the Elusive Quality mare Better Than Most. Dias Alegres, a Kentucky homebred for Douglas Scharbauer, hails from the family of Japanese graded stakes winner and multi-millionaire Matikane Kinnohosi.

“She’s one that I sent in early on for Mr. Sharbauer, who is an awesome owner to train for,” said Ward. “She’s almost there, but not quite. She just needs to figure things out. She’s a big, beautiful filly and I’m sure she’s going to come around.”

Dias Alegres breezed a half-mile from the gate in 51.10 seconds on May 13 over the Belmont main track.
***
Step Dancer and Doswell breeze on the turf

Trainer Barclay Tagg sent out a pair of workers in Step Dancer and Doswell to breeze over the inner turf Sunday at Belmont Park.

Hayward Pressman, Diamond M Stable and Donna Pressman’s New York-bred Step Dancer breezed five furlongs in 1:02.14 under Dylan Davis in preparation for the $125,000 Kingston, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for older New York-breds on May 30 at Belmont Park.

“He’s doing well,” said assistant trainer Robin Smullen. “He had a nice work in the fog in 1:02. It was very hard to see, but he did what we wanted him to do. The track had some give in it.”

The 4-year-old War Dancer colt, bred in the Empire State by Sugar Plum Farm and Richard Pressman, had a productive juvenile campaign, finishing third in the Grade 2 Pilgrim ahead of a score in the Awad, both at Belmont. Last year, Step Dancer posted a record of 5-1-1-1, capturing the NYSSS Cab Calloway in July at the Spa.

Smullen said Step Dancer is in good order after wintering at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.

“He hasn’t got any bigger, but he’s coming into this race really well,” Smullen said.

Joseph Allen’s Kentucky homebred Doswell, a 7-year-old Giant’s Causeway gelding, worked five-eighths in 1:01.89 under Kendrick Carmouche.

“He always works well on the turf,” Smullen said. “He’s an old man so anytime we can breeze him on the turf we do. We like to take him out on Thursdays on the infield turf [to gallop]. He’s doing great.”

Doswell was scratched from the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on May 7 here after rain rendered the course yielding. He will instead target a 10-furlong turf allowance on June 2 at Belmont with the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan at 10 furlongs for older horses on June 11 as a lucrative backup plan.