Belmont Park Notes 9/24

NYRA COMMUNICATIONS —-

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Belmont Park Notes

Delacour hopeful for continued Belmont Park success with Evershed in G2 Flower Bowl
Dutrow, Jr. reaches 2,000 wins, has Ignite the Light in G3 Vosburgh
De Paz with stakes runners in multiple states this weekend

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Arnaud Delacour is 1-for-1 at the new Belmont Park after sending out Life’s Dynamic to win an optional claiming turf sprint on September 19, and will look to further his success on Saturday with Evershed in the Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl.

“It makes me not want to run anything else and keep my stats perfect,” Delacour said, with a laugh. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there [last weekend], but from what I can tell on TV, it looks like a fantastic facility with a lot of space, and the turf looked amazing. That was very exciting for us to win there for sure.”

The Flower Bowl, a 10-furlong inner turf route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf in October at Keeneland, and features a field of 11 talented turf specialists.

The Flower Bowl is slated as the final race on Saturday’s 11-race card which also offers the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic [Race 10], the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom [Race 4] and the Grade 3, $250,000 Vosburgh [Race 9], a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

General admission at Belmont Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and provides fans with access to grandstand seats on most days, all areas within the first floor of the grandstand and the backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

Evershed is one of two Flower Bowl entrants that arrives off a win, having taken Saratoga Race Course’s 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Waya on August 28.

“She’s coming off that good win at Saratoga, and obviously this race is a little tougher and she’ll need to keep moving forward, but as far as the way she’s feeling and what I can see in her training, I couldn’t be happier,” Delacour said.

Campaigned by Mark Grier, the 4-year-old Churchill filly was more forwardly placed in the Waya than in her previous two outings, and stalked 1 1/2 lengths off the pace under Flavien Prat with an inside trip before showing a strong turn-of-foot in the lane and zipping up the inside of Flower Bowl entrant Storm Miami to notch the three-quarter-length score in a final time of 2:15.12. She matched her career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Delacour said the useful filly can adapt to a variety of pace scenarios.

“On paper, it doesn’t look like a lot of pace again, so we’ll probably have to duplicate what we did the other day and see if it’s good enough,” Delacour said. “The difference might be the weather, because there is a bunch of rain in the forecast, which could change the pace and how we ride her. I don’t think she’s a better filly on soft than firm, but I think she can run on it for sure.”

The Waya was a breakthrough performance for Evershed, who made two previous efforts in graded events that included a 1 3/4-length second to Laurelin in the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational last August at the Spa. She has hit the board in 6-of-8 starts, including an additional stakes placing when a three-quarter-length second to As Catch Can in the Listed Old Dominion Oaks last September at Colonial Downs.

Delacour said he’s pleased with the way Evershed had developed over this season, which began in July with a one-length third from well off the pace in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming tilt at Colonial off an eight-month respite.

“I’m very happy with her because she keeps improving,” Delacour said. “We’ve had a few setbacks with her, but since she came back, she hasn’t missed a beat. Being third off the layoff this time of year, you still have a fresh filly and hopefully she can deliver on Saturday and keep moving forward.”

Evershed, a $369,665 purchase at the 2023 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale, will exit post 7 in rein to Dylan Davis on Saturday.

Delacour also provided an update on Starlight Racing and John Cronin, Jr.’s Life’s Dynamic following her aforementioned optional claiming coup last week. The sophomore daughter of Practical Joke is a perfect 3-for-3, with her latest win garnering a career-best 86 Beyer for the half-length score over Queen Martina in a 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint versus elders.

“She came back in good shape and I’ve been very high on her since Day One,” Delacour said. “She keeps improving and everything we throw at her, she takes it in stride. She has a very calm demeanor, she was quiet before the race and delivered. She looked nice and fresh coming back, so I’m happy with her.”

Life’s Dynamic has made each of her three starts against elders, beginning with a wire-to-wire victory in her June debut sprinting six furlongs over the Colonial main track in a 4 3/4-length romp. She followed with a determined nose score from off the pace when trying turf for the first time in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance in July at the Virginia oval.

Delacour said he’s pointing the talented filly to a stakes debut in the seven-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Glen Cove for sophomore fillies on October 25 here.

“It’s a little more distance, but it’s a logical spot to me,” Delacour said. “I think that will be fine if she’s in good form and keeps moving forward. She should be competitive.”

A $160,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, Life’s Dynamic is out of the winning First Defence mare Amber Isle, a full-sister to multiple group-winning millionaire Dundonnell.

Additional news, notes, advances and recaps are available at: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/news/.

For more information about the new Belmont Park, visit NewBelmont.com.

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Dutrow, Jr. reaches 2,000 wins, has Ignite the Light in G3 Vosburgh

Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. reached the 2,000-win milestone as Long Pour dominated a competitive nine-horse field in Sunday’s seventh race, a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer for New York-breds, at Belmont Park.

“Glad it happened. Just look around and you’ll see my favorite memories,” Dutrow, Jr. said as he gazed at his barn’s walls lined with win photos. “Got plenty of big win pictures. And plenty of them were here.”

Two of Dutrow, Jr.’s four Breeders’ Cup scores came in 2005 at Belmont Park, with Saint Liam in the Classic and Silver Train in the Sprint. He also won the Mile in 2007 with Kip Deville at Monmouth Park and the 2023 Classic with White Abarrio at Santa Anita Park. His American classic scores were the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Big Brown.

Now, Dutrow, Jr. turns his attention to Jay Em Ess Stable’s Ignite the Light in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Vosburgh, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up. The event is a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in October at Keeneland.

Ignite the Light would be returning off one week’s rest from a head runner-up finish to Buccherino in the 6 1/2-furlong Stable Recovery on Saturday at Parx Racing. The 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding was making his stakes debut in his 19th career start, rallying strongly to just miss the win.

“Really good effort. I saw it was raining for this weekend, that’s the only reason why I entered him, because maybe he’ll like it and maybe they won’t,” Dutrow, Jr. said of the bay who has won 2-of-5 starts over wet tracks. “If I saw nothing but clear skies, I would not have entered.”

Of if Ignite the Light would run on a clear day, Dutrow, Jr. said, “Probably not, because I don’t see anything to our advantage. I see a couple horses in there that are tough, so we don’t have an advantage over them and maybe we are running back too quick, but if it rains, and it’s muddy and all, we’ll run, because he likes it.”

Ignite the Light has won 2-of-5 starts at seven furlongs, including optional claimers in February and April this year at Aqueduct Racetrack, the former returning a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

“That’s his distance, we think,” Dutrow, Jr. said.

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De Paz with stakes runners in multiple states this weekend

Trainer Horacio De Paz will be represented by stakes starters in New York, Delaware and Maryland this weekend with Twenty Six Black entered in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint at Belmont Park, Low Country Magic in Saturday’s Grade 3 Delaware Handicap, as well as with Howard’s Hope in the $125,000 Laurel Futurity and Awesome Czech in the $100,000 All Along on Saturday, at Laurel Park.

Roger Cimbora, Jr.’s New York homebred Twenty Six Black finished third in last year’s Belmont Turf Sprint at Belmont at the Big A and has amassed $815,310 through a 21-8-5-2 ledger.

The 6-year-old War Dancer gelding is out of the First Dude mare Brazo de Oro, who was represented by two of her progeny last weekend here on the return to racing at Belmont Park. The 3-year-old full brother to Twenty Six Black, A Little At First, who is dual stakes-placed, finished 1 1/4-lengths back of 6-year-old Conman in a second-level state-bred optional claimer at 1 1/16-miles on turf on Friday; while the 2-year-old Raise the Roof, by Tourist, overcame a troubled start to land 1 1/2-lengths back of Captain George in a one-mile state-bred maiden on Saturday.

“A tough beat for A Little At First – he’s a 3-year-old and he got beat by a 6-year-old while stepping up to the ‘2X’ condition,” De Paz said. “No disgrace in the effort, just a mature horse [Conman] was able to save ground, and we were caught wide from the get-go. It wasn’t a rider mistake, just the spot we inherited, and the other horse saved ground the entire way.”

De Paz said he’ll look to find a comfortable spot for A Little At First as the next logical stakes spot on the schedule is the $200,000 Mohawk at nine furlongs for 3-year-olds and up on October 24 here as part of Empire Showcase Day which features 10 stakes exclusively for horses foaled in New York State.

De Paz does have a contender for the Mohawk in Sounds Like a Plan.

“I’ve got Sounds Like a Plan for that race and in New York-bred company going long right now it’s a very salty group with Spirit of St Louis and even a horse like Rhetorical,” De Paz said. “Maybe next year for A Little At First with that race.”

Raise the Roof, with Samuel Marin up, finished sixth on debut in August at Saratoga Race Course in a 5 1/2-furlong state-bred maiden sprint over firm turf. He stretched out to one-mile on Saturday over firm footing here and was squeezed by rivals on both sides at the gate and subsequently checked back to race in last-of-12 and nine lengths off the pace. Captain George sat a perfect trip in a ground-saving third and kicked to the lead at the three-sixteenths, staving off the charge of fast-closing Raise the Roof for a 1 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:36.16.

De Paz said he will point Raise the Roof to the next state-bred maiden race going long.

“He shows that he handles the distance. He had an unfortunate start where he broke well but he got sandwiched, clipped heels and stumbled and lost position after that,” De Paz said. “Samuel did a great job to give him a schooling race after that, tucked him in, put him behind horses and taught him to rate. He swung out and it almost looked like he was going to get there, but the horse that beat us had a perfect trip saving ground on the rail all the way around there.

“He behaved in the paddock,” De Paz added. “When he ran at Saratoga, he was all over the place, not really focused or paying attention. I think this race showed he’s got the ability, he just needs to mature as well.”

Howard’s Hope, a New York-homebred for Barry Schwartz, earned a 59 Beyer Speed Figure for a rallying one-length score under Manny Franco traveling 1 1/16-miles on August 6 at the Spa versus fellow state-breds. The aforementioned Captain George finished third in that event.

The Karakontie 2-year-old gelding was entered in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on September 5 at the Spa but was a private vet scratch. He got back to the work tab on September 12, covering a half-mile in 50 flat over the Belmont main track and followed with a half-mile breeze in 51 on September 20 at Laurel.

Howard’s Hope will exit post 1-of-8 in the 1 1/16-mile Laurel Futurity, which also features fellow New York-breds in Fullcup [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Riley Mott and Fire Marshal [post 8, Angel Cruz] for trainer Mike Maker.

“I figured this would be a good spot for him after we weren’t able to run in the With Anticipation,” De Paz said. “Manny was very high on Howard’s Hope, and everyone seemed impressed by his race. It’s just a matter of getting him back to the races.”

Howard’s Hope is out of the winning More Than Ready mare Blue Atlas, a half-sister to stakes winner Iron Mizz and dual stakes-placed Iron Power. His second dam is stakes-winner Iron Goddess.

Awesome Czech, also a New York-homebred for Schwartz, is a 5-year-old daughter of Mendelssohn out of the winning Awesome Again mare Marvelous Martina. She has banked $653,490 through a 23-6-4-4 ledger and enjoyed a tremendous 2025 campaign with state-bred stakes wins in the Yaddo at the Spa and the Ticonderoga at Belmont at the Big A.

The talented bay is winless in four starts this year but enters the nine-furlong All Along from deceptively good 1 3/4-length fourths in stakes company at the Spa, including in the restricted Listed De Le Rose on July 17 won by next-out Grade 2 Ballston Spa presented by STIHL winner And One More Time; and to the victorious Midnight Concerto last out in her attempted title defense in the Yaddo on August 30.

Awesome Czech exited the outermost post eight in the Yaddo and traveled in seventh position and 10 lengths off the pace while in tight behind rivals into the first turn. She lacked room out of the final turn and swung out to make her run, getting up to complete the superfecta by a head.

De Paz said he is hopeful a good effort Saturday will set up Awesome Czech for a title defense in the nine-furlong $200,000 Ticonderoga on Empire Showcase Day here.

“I think she was sitting on a win last time but had a terrible trip,” De Paz said. “It showed she still wants to run. The trip was just bad from the get-go and maybe the post didn’t help us, but she gets back in the All Along and that will set her up for the New York-bred stakes at the end of October.”

Lezcano has the call from post 5 aboard Awesome Czech in the All Along.

Haymarket Farm’s Kentucky homebred Low Country Magic will exit post 3-of-11 in Saturday’s nine-furlong Delaware Handicap with Julio Hernandez named to ride. The multiple stakes-placed 5-year-old Good Magic chestnut enters from a runner-up effort in an optional-claiming mile in August at the Spa.

De Paz will have a promising pair of juveniles for one-turn mile $200,000 stakes on the Empire Showcase Day program with the Solomini colt Professor Plum pointed to the Sleepy Hollow and the Greatest Honour filly B Yutiful Carly set for the Maid of the Mist.

Professor Plum, trained and owned by De Paz in partnership with John Foster and Dennis O’Neill, was purchased for $40,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Professor Plum rallied to a one-length score over next-out maiden winner Road Show in his July 12 debut at the Spa sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over the main track versus fellow state-breds. He followed last out with a runner-up effort to Scramjet in the six-furlong Funny Cide on September 7 at Saratoga after exiting post 1 with Franco up.

B Yutiful Carly, owned by Triple B Stables, Madaket Stables and William Strauss, brought $90,000 at the same sale as Professor Plum. She won her debut at odds of 35-1 with a rallying three-length score on July 11 traveling 5 1/2-furlongs over the Spa main track. She followed with a distant third to well-regarded Linda Rice trainee Velora in the Spa’s six-furlong Seeking the Ante on September 4.

De Paz noted the two young stablemates are a study in contrast, pointing to an August 23 breeze from the gate over the Spa main track which B Yutiful Carly won in 48.52 over a dawdling Professor Plum [50 flat].

“I worked ‘Carly’ and Professor Plum out of the gate two weeks out from their second race and B Yutiful Carly just annihilated him,” De Paz recalled. “She was three in front when they left the gate, and he was out there lollygagging. She breezed in 48 and he went in 50 in an all-out drive.

“Come race day she misses the break, and he breaks on top, so I just don’t understand it,” De Paz added, with a laugh. “She’s so good in the mornings but in the afternoon, she missed the break. She lost her position in that race made a nice move around the turn – wide – and came up a little short. Obviously, Linda’s filly is a nice filly, but if we break better and maybe with more distance too, it will be a bit better.”

Bred by Dr. John and Laura McDermott, B Yutiful Carly, a $90,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the Indian Charlie mare Little Brave. Her second dam is multiple graded stakes-placed May Night, who produced Grade 1-placed Red Rifle.

De Paz said he is hopeful that Professor Plum will find a new level with another race under his belt and added ground in the Sleepy Hollow.

“Professor Plum is one that the distance will help him,” De Paz said. “I was concerned with the spacing between [his first two] races he’d have forgotten how to run but he’s more of an afternoon horse than a morning horse. He’s definitely not a morning glory, he’s lazy to work and unfocused.”

Bred by Jimbo and Torie Gladwell, Professor Plum, a $40,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the Quality Road mare Overlook Ground and his second dam is Argentine Group 1-placed Renacere.

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