Belmont at the Big A Stakes Previews; G1 Champagne. Grade 2 Miss Grillo

By Keith McCalmont/Mary Eddy —-

Regally-bred Verifying set for stakes debut in G1 Champagne

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor’s regally-bred Verifying, a half-brother to 2019 Champion Older Dirt Female Midnight Bisou, will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, a one-turn mile for 2-year-olds, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

The 151st renewal of the Champagne, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November at Keeneland, co-headlines a stacked card that includes the Grade 1 $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up going nine furlongs; the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo for 2-year-old fillies affording a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; and the six-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational for 3-year-olds and up.

Trained by reigning two-time Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, Verifying enters from a frontrunning maiden win traveling six furlongs on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course.

By 2018 Triple Crown-winner Justify and out of the graded stakes-winning Repent mare Diva Delite, Verifying was purchased for $775,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Cox said he was confident Verifying would perform well on debut.

“We had free rein to run where we thought he could be competitive when he was ready,” Cox said. “I felt like when he was ready to debut he was fit enough to win, and responded well. He’s a very intelligent horse and I’m happy with what I’ve seen from him since that race.”

Verifying has trained into the Champagne at Churchill Downs where he breezed five-eighths in 1:00.20 Saturday.

“He’s doing really good,” Cox said. “We’ve been happy with the way he’s trained since the maiden win. He’s been stabled at Churchill and will ship up tonight. We’re excited about the opportunity.”

Cox said Verifying is likely to be prominent again on Saturday.

“I want to be up close, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be on the lead,” Cox said. “He has enough natural speed going a mile that he’s going to be in the mix. He’s a good-looking horse. Based on pedigree and how he looks, I think he’ll like more ground.”

Cox said he is hopeful Verifying will share the competitive spirit of his famous half-sister, who banked in excess of $7.4 million through a record of 22-13-6-3.

“If he does, we’ll be in good shape,” said Cox, with a laugh.

Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 3.

Ron Lombardi’s Mr. Amore Stable captured the 2017 Champagne with his Florida homebred Firenze Fire and will look to double up on Saturday with a three-quarter brother in New York-homebred Andiamo a Firenze. The last siblings to win the prestigious event were Bold Lad [1964] and Successor [1966], who were out of two-time Champion Misty Morn.

By Speightstown and out of the Langfuhr mare My Every Wish, Andiamo a Firenze graduated gate-to-wire in his June 3 debut at Belmont Park traveling 5 1/2-furlongs over a sloppy and sealed main track for trainer Kelly Breen.

He followed with a pair of starts at the Spa, finishing third after pressing three-wide in the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford on July 16, but found redemption last out with a powerful 5 1/2-length score in the Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, besting fellow state-breds by 5 1/2-lengths in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint over a muddy and sealed main track.

Andiamo a Firenze exits the inside post under Jose Lezcano.

William Heiligbrodt, Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm and Coolmore Stud’s Gulfport [post 6, Jose Ortiz] enters from a pacesetting second in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Hopeful on September 5 at Saratoga for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

The Uncle Mo bay, purchased for $275,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, romped by 12 1/4-lengths in the six-furlong Bashford Manor on July 4 at Churchill Downs. He followed with a troubled second in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in August where he checked hard into the stretch run between Super Chow and the victorious Damon’s Mound.

Gulfport motored through a half-mile in 45.57 seconds in the Hopeful, which was contested over a sloppy and sealed main track, but drifted out seven-wide late in the turn as Forte, who is under consideration for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on October 8 at Keeneland, made an inside rush to win by three lengths.

Bred in Kentucky by Diamond Creek Farm, Gulfport breezed a half-mile in 49.53 Sunday over the Oklahoma training track.

Rodeo Creek Racing’s Blazing Sevens [post 5, Flavien Prat] will look to become the fourth Champagne winner for trainer Chad Brown, who captured this event previously with Practical Joke [2016], Complexity [2018] and Jack Christopher [2021].

Blazing Sevens made his first two starts at Saratoga, garnering an 85 Beyer in his 6 1/4-length maiden score on July 24 ahead of a distant third in the Hopeful.

Brown said he was impressed by the maiden win.

“The horse had trained really good and you never know at Saratoga what you’re going to run into in those races, but he showed up and identified himself as one of our top prospects,” Brown said. “He got a muddy track in the Hopeful and it was difficult for him, but he tried and he galloped out well. I think as the distances increase, we’ll see the best of this horse.”

By Good Magic, the 2017 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt conditioned by Brown, Blazing Sevens is out of the Warrior’s Reward mare Trophy Girl – a half-sister to 2012 Grade 1 Jamaica Handicap winner King David.

Brown said conditioning progeny of his past Champions is a unique experience.

“It feels good. Now that we’re starting to see some of the offspring that we worked with here in our barn, it’s extra special for sure,” Brown said.

Blazing Sevens was purchased for $225,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.

Top Recruit [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], trained and co-owned by Mike Maker with Paradise Farms Corp., David Staudacher, and Three Diamonds Farm, enters from a game head score on August 14 in the seven-furlong Ellis Park Juvenile over Curly Jack, who exited that effort to win the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs.

The $170,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase graduated at first asking in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill ahead of a distant third to the undefeated Tyler’s Tribe in the Prairie Gold Juvenile on July 9 at Prairie Meadows.

The Midshipman colt is out of the Afleet Alex mare Oh So Bella, who is a full-sister to Afleet Again – winner of the 2010 Grade 3 Withers at the Big A and the 2011 Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Churchill.

Completing the field is Rosedown Racing Stables’ Champions Dream [post 4, Manny Franco], who enters from a frontrunning maiden score traveling seven furlongs on September 3 at the Spa for trainer Danny Gargan.

By Justify, the $425,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the graded stakes-winning Tapit mare Dancinginherdreams.

The Champagne is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 11-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.



America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Be Your Best ready for graded test in G2 Miss Grillo

OZONE PARK, N.Y. –Michael J. Ryan’s Irish homebred Be Your Best will vie for her second stakes score and first at the graded level for trainer Horacio De Paz in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

The Miss Grillo is one of two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifying races on Saturday’s lucrative card, offering the winner a berth into the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Keeneland. Also featured are the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, a one-turn mile qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up traveling nine furlongs; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs over the lawn.

Be Your Best, a daughter of Muhaarar, enters from a strong stakes score in the P.G. Johnson going the Miss Grillo distance on September 1 at Saratoga Race Course. There, she broke well from post 6 and tucked in along the rail under a confident Jose Ortiz to save ground throughout and wait for racing room. The bay filly was able to find a seam at the top of the lane under expert piloting from Ortiz and secured the victory by 3 3/4 lengths over good footing.

The P.G. Johnson came on the heels of another impressive performance when she scored on debut in a 1 1/16-mile maiden on July 31 at the Spa, defeating a field that included next-out winner and returning rival Free Look.

“She placed herself forwardly in the P.G. Johnson and the main thing we got out of her maiden win was Jose’s confidence in her,” said De Paz. “He put her on the rail [last time] and waited for something to open up. To be able to kick clear is something that shows she moved forward from her first race. It was nice to see.”

De Paz said he is confident Be Your Best, the only stakes winner in the field of six, will continue to show her class and maturity in the Miss Grillo.

“She fits great in this spot,” De Paz said. “She’s won twice and going long, so the distance shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully the weather stays together and we don’t get a lot of rain, but even if we did get some rain, she’s a horse that likes turf with a little give as well. Everything is very positive for her. She overcomes things.”

Ortiz will return to the irons from post 6.

Klaravich Stables’ Free Look will face her familiar rival again and hope to build upon a strong last-out maiden score on September 4 at the Spa as she makes her stakes debut for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

Free Look, who finished third on debut behind Be Your Best, earned her maiden win despite some trouble at the start when she broke inwardly, made contact with a foe and raced 8 1/2 lengths off the pace at the half-mile call. She went four-wide in the final turn of the 1 1/16-mile route and displayed an impressive turn of foot to overtake the lead just past the eighth pole and secure the 2 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:42.02.

Brown said the daughter of Tapit, who breezed a half-mile in 49.55 seconds on Sunday at Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, is “doing good and training fine.”

Out of the unraced Medaglia d’Oro mare Wild Mint, who is a full-sister to Grade 1-winning and producing sire Violence, Free Look was a $300,000 purchase at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Flavien Prat has the call from post 2.

Also looking to add to a last-out Spa maiden score is Georgees Spirit, a daughter of Mor Spirit trained and co-owned by Jorge Abreu with Robert Photos and Sportsmen Stable. The dark bay was last seen taking a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on September 1 in her turf debut, closing from seventh-of-10 to kick on down the lane and score a gutsy half-length victory in 1:05.25. The win was a great improvement from her debut when an even sixth in an off-the-turf sprint on July 21.

Georgees Spirit will stretch out considerably from her first two outings, something Abreu said he is looking forward to.

“She came out of the race in pretty good shape and I think she wants to go a little farther than five and a half than the way she ran,” Abreu said. “We’ll give it a try and see what happens.”

The $80,000 OBS October Yearling Sale purchase breezed a half-mile in 48.46 over the Belmont Park inner turf on Saturday.

“She had a very good breeze and a great gallop out,” said Abreu. “She’s well put together and she’s got a great head.”

Georgees Spirit will emerge from post 1 with Manny Franco aboard.

Abreu will also saddle Lawrence Goichman’s Alluring Angel, who was last seen finishing a heartbreaking second in the Untapable on September 13 at Kentucky Downs. The daughter of Fastnet Rock rated close to the pace throughout under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and took a narrow advantage at the stretch call in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, battling on valiantly down the stretch to be bested a nose by Danse Macabre.

One start prior, Alluring Angel was an off-the-pace winner on debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on August 4 at the Spa, rallying to score by a half-length under Ortiz, Jr. Jose Lezcano will pick up the mount in the Miss Grillo from post 4.

Completing the field are two last out maiden winners in Chester and Mary Broman’s New York-bred Im Just Kiddin [post 5, Joel Rosario] for trainer John Kimmel; and Emory Hamilton’s Pleasant Passage [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The Miss Grillo is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s 11-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.



America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

-30-