June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mean Mary Back For More Mayhem In Friday’s New York Stakes

A top-class field of turf fillies and mares has assembled for Friday's Grade 2, $750,000 New York at Belmont Park, a 1¼-mile inner turf test that has been won by the likes of Soaring Softly and Perfect Sting en route to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and year-end championships.

The New York is one of five stakes on Friday's card, Day Two of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival [June 3-5] that culminates with the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Friday's diverse 11-race offering kicks off with a 12:50 p.m. Eastern first post and also features the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup for turf marathoners; Grade 2, $300,000 True North for dirt sprinters; Grade 3, $300,000 Bed o' Roses for filly and mare sprinters; and $150,000 Tremont for juveniles.

Looking to defend her New York title will be the popular Graham Motion-trained mare Mean Mary, who is owned by Alex G. Campbell, Jr. and will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 7. The daughter of Scat Daddy seeks her seventh career victory in her 11th start and enters off an impressive gate-to-wire victory three weeks ago in Pimlico's Grade 3 Gallorette, her first start since finishing seventh in November's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. A dominant 5¼-length winner of last year's New York, she faces an arguably tougher field in 2021 and the possibility of more cut in the ground.

“I nominated her to both the New York and the Manhattan,” Motion said. “It's coming back a little quick, but I felt she had an easy go of it last week and we can use that as more of a prep to get us to this race. Her win was impressive, although we sort of had it handed to us. For me, it was perfect for her to have an easy go of it in her first race back. It worked out really well.”

Last year's New York runner-up My Sister Nat is one of two runners owned by Peter Brant and trained by Chad Brown, with the other being recent German import Virginia Joy. My Sister Nat, a half-sister to champion Sistercharlie and Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass, is making her second start of her 6-year-old campaign, following a fourth in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay on May 1. She was second in last fall's Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational over this course and distance and—despite solid form at the top level—has one win in 10 stateside starts.

“With a bunch of other horses retiring, Mr. Brant wanted to give her another year to come back because she's been lightly campaigned, so far,” Brown explained. “It was a tough beat in the Flower Bowl, just missing a Grade 1 for this wonderful family, so we wanted to try again in a Grade 1 at some point this year. In her past, she has needed a race to get going and seems to get better as the year goes on. I'm not totally surprised by her last effort that she sort of needed one. She's come back and worked well and is going to move forward, but she's going to need to.”

Virginia Joy was eye-catching in her American bow, a course and distance allowance win. Last year, she was third in the Group 1 Henkel-Preis der Diana (German Oaks) and won the Group 3 Mehl-Mulhens Trophy—both over 11 furlongs.

“She's doing well,” Brown said. “She ran really well here in April in her first start, winning over a mile and a quarter. She is talented.”

My Sister Nat breaks from 4 under Jose Ortiz, while Virginia Joy will have Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons from post 2.

The first three home in last year's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup—Estate of Harvey A Clarke's Bill Mott-trained Harvey's Lil Goil (post 5, Junior Alvarado), Godolphin's Mike Stidham-conditioned Micheline (post 3, Florent Geroux) and Lael Stables' Arnaud Delacour-trained Magic Attitude (post 1, Trevor McCarthy)—meet again and all three boast graded victories this season.

Magic Attitude, in particular, has proven potent over the local turf, landing last year's Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, part of NYRA's Turf Triple series for fillies, and May's Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay in her two Belmont runs. Group 1-placed in France for initial trainer Fabrice Chappet before transferring mid-2020 to Delacour, she has impressed her connections coming into the New York.

“She is in very good order right now,” Delacour said. “It's been an uneventful prep and she came back very well from the Sheepshead Bay. She's on schedule, training very well and I'm very happy with how she's coming up to the race. There's a question mark on the ground if it is too soft and I always feel that a fast track is what she prefers.

“A lot depends on the pace scenario,” he added. “Mean Mary and Harvey's Lil Goil will be very tough, but our filly likes Belmont and is comfortable there because she's very European in the way she runs, still. She needs a long stretch to get balanced and if we can get good or good-to-firm turf, I think she's going to be OK. It's definitely a good race.”

Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf third-place finisher Harvey's Lil Goil is one of two entered for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, joined by Godolphin's Antoinette, and enters off a smart tally in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 8. Antoinette won last August's $500,000 Saratoga Oaks, a Turf Triple series event last August, and enters off a fifth in Magic Attitude's Sheepshead Bay.

Fellow Godolphin color-bearer Micheline seeks to rebound from a lackluster sixth in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland on April 10, one race after defeating Magic Attitude in Tampa Bay Downs' Grade 2 Hillsborough.

The in-form yard of Christophe Clement seeks its fifth New York with a pair of runners, Al Shira'aa Farms' Sheepshead Bay runner-up Mutamakina (post 11, Javier Castellano) and Stone Farm's local allowance victress Traipsing (post 10, Kendrick Carmouche). While Traipsing arguably must step up her form to factor, Mutamakina had strong class lines in Europe prior to joining Clement in the fall, chasing home the aforementioned Arc winner Sottsass, Group 1 English Oaks winner Anapurna and Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Audarya.

“When they're running in New York and they're training well, don't make it too complicated—just run,” Clement said. “Both of them are training well. Mutamakina was very unlucky in her first race with the trip she got, but she ran well the last time. I think she's really improved since then. Traipsing has been an unlucky filly, but she's training well. She did not do all that well in Florida this winter. A filly like her, there aren't any conditions. We are shortening up a little bit to a mile and a quarter, but I do think that she is a wonderful galloper.”

Shipping in from Ireland is Shapoor Mistry's Joseph O'Brien-trained Thundering Nights, a daughter of Night of Thunder who enters off a strong second to Broome in the Group 3 Alleged Stakes over 1¼ miles at The Curragh. Broome went on to win the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes and finish second in last week's Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, backing up the form.

“She's a really nice filly,” O'Brien said. “Night of Thunder has been a great stallion in Europe. She ran a really big race at The Curragh last out. She's performed well on heavy surfaces and soft ground, as well, so she's quite versatile from a ground standpoint.”

Thundering Nights will exit post 9 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

Todd Pletcher-trained Repole Stable homebred Always Shopping seeks a return to form after failing as the favorite in the Sheepshead Bay, but picks up the services of in-demand rider Flavien Prat from outermost post 12.

Joseph Allen homebred Civil Union returns to the course and distance of her greatest triumph, last October's Flower Bowl, in her second race of the season. The Shug McGaughey pupil was a disappointing fifth in the Beaugay, her first run since finishing a close fifth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Joel Rosario rides from post 6.

Both Antoinette and Magic Attitude are eligible for the “New York Stakes Turf Bonus” which will provide $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks, who captures the 2021 edition of the Grade 2 New York, which is slated as Race 9 at 5:15 p.m. on Friday's card.

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Joseph O’Brien-Trained Baron Samedi Headlines Friday’s Belmont Gold Cup

LECH Racing Limited's Baron Samedi will seek to parlay his winning form in Europe when traveling stateside as the lone international contestant in Friday's seventh running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup at two miles over the Widener turf.

European stamina has proven to be superior in the grueling two-mile endurance test as the last three victors of the Belmont Gold Cup invaded from across the pond with Red Cardinal [2017], Call to Mind [2018] and Amade [2019].

Trained by Joseph O'Brien, Baron Samedi began his career with five unplaced efforts, but once gelded and stretched out considerably in distance, the son of Harbour Watch displayed a notable turnaround in form. He conveyed his newfound winning ways in August at Cork Racecourse going ten furlongs over heavy ground while being given a 65 rating.

Such prosperity progressed into grouped stakes company when defeating subsequent Group 1-winner Mare Australis in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris on October 25 at Longchamp Racecourse. Six months later, he handled his two-mile debut with flying colors when defeating Group 1 Irish Derby winner Santiago in the Group 3 Vintage Crop at The Curragh, where he earned a 112 rating.

Baron Samedi has shown adaptability in track conditions, forging a six-race win streak over turf labeled heavy, soft and good.

“He's been a nice, progressive horse into this season,” O'Brien said. “He's a horse that will stay well. Tactically and ground wise, he's shown that he is quite versatile. He was a relatively cheap purchase of a foal. They bought him for very little money. As he has matured physically, he's really matured. With more distance, he's gotten better.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who piloted inaugural Belmont Gold Cup winner Charming Kitten in 2014, has the call from post 8.

Wertheimer et Frere's Ziyad will be looking for his first North American victory for trainer Graham Motion.

Previously based in France for trainer Carlos Laffon-Parais, the 6-year-old son of Rock of Gibraltar was Group 1-placed behind accomplished runners Coronet and Way to Paris in Europe. Ziyad was a Group 2 winner in France before making his North American debut when a close third in the Grade 1 Canadian International in October 2019 at Woodbine.

In three starts for Motion, Ziyad has come close but is still in search of his first North American triumph. He made his debut for his current conditioner when third beaten two lengths in the Grade 3 Sycamore in October and rounded out the trifecta once more in the Grade 3 Red Smith in November at Aqueduct. Following a six-month layoff, he was last out sixth in the Grade 1 Man o' War on May 8 at Belmont Park.

Ziyad did not quite go the two-mile distance when raced in Europe but was second going 1 7/8 miles against Group 2 company at Longchamp in September 2018.

“He ran close to that distance in Europe and ran well. It's appealing. I worked him Saturday morning and he did very well,” Motion said.

Jockey Manny Franco will be aboard from post 3.

Trainer Brad Cox will send out Anstu Stables' Kinenos following a sharp optional claiming win going 1 ¼ miles over Belmont Park's inner turf.
The son of Empire Maker acquired black type once in four starts at stakes level when third to graded stakes winner Fancy Liquor in the Caesars in August at Indiana Grand Race Course.

Cox, who will saddle last year's Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Essential Quality in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on Saturday, compared a two-mile endeavor with Kinenos to racing an unproven 3-year-old in the 'Test of the Champion'.

“It's kind of like the 3-year-olds going a mile and a half [with the two-mile distance] in that you don't know until you try,” Cox said. “But he's been a horse where it's been the longer, the better. This is about as long as it gets, so we'll see how he handles it.”

Kinenos will leave from post 7 under Jose Lezcano.

Never short on quality turf stock, trainer Mike Maker vies for a second Belmont Gold Cup score after saddling Da Big Hoss to victory in 2016.

On behalf of Paradise Farms Corporation and Douglas Staudacher, Maker sends out graded stakes placed Conviction Trade [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Ajourneytofreedom [post 9, Joel Rosario].

Conviction Trade, a 5-year-old son of Exchange Rate, was third after setting the pace in the Grade 3 John B. Connally on January 31 at Sam Houston. He tested the two-mile water in his previous effort when displaying the frontrunning fashion, falling just three-quarters of a length shy of victory in the H. Allen Jerkens on December 26 at Gulfstream Park. He was claimed for $50,000 in September.

Ajourneytofreedom, a 4-year-old son of Hard Spun, was claimed for $80,000 last August. Two starts back, he was second in the John B. Connally when a late-closing second. He arrives off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Louisville on May 15 at Churchill Downs.

Rounding out the Maker brigade is Three Diamonds Farm's Tide of the Sea who eyes a second graded stakes win. The 5-year-old son of English Channel won his seasonal bow when leading at every point of call in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight on January 23 at Gulfstream Park.

Tide of the Sea breaks from post 2 under Flavien Prat.

So High [post 1, Eric Cancel], Fantasioso [post 5, Javier Castellano] and Strong Tide [post 7, Luis Saez] complete the order of finish.

The Belmont Gold Cup will be carded as Race 10 on Friday's 11-race program. First post is 12:50 p.m.

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Victim Of Love, Pacific Gale Meet Again In Friday’s Bed O’ Roses

In two winning starts over the Belmont Park main track, Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love has displayed an affinity for the Nassau County oval and will vie to keep such ways intact in Friday's 64th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Bed o' Roses for older fillies and mares going seven furlongs.

Trained by Todd Beattie, Victim of Love's pair of winning starts at Belmont Park took place when sweeping the last two editions of the Grade 3 Vagrancy. She arrived at last year's Vagrancy as the longest shot in a field which included graded stakes winners Come Dancing and Royal Charlotte, but handled the test with flying colors when capturing the 6 ½-furlong event by 1 ¾ lengths.

Following a next-out third in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga, Victim of Love was out of action for over six months and returned in February with a runner-up finish in a Laurel Park optional claiming test. She successfully redeemed herself next out as the second betting choice in this year's Vagrancy on May 8 with an outside stalking trip under Joel Rosario from second and fought gamely down the stretch to win by 2 ¼ lengths.

“She likes the going up there,” Beattie said. “She has tactical speed and Joel realized the pace was going slow. I thought he moved what might have been a little early for her, but it wasn't [too early] because of the slow pace. They got the jump on things and boy is she tough to run down. She lays it on the line. They're not going to creep by her, she'd dog 'em, that's for sure.”

Since her Vagrancy victory, Victim of Love has recorded only one serious work, travelling five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Penn National on May 28.

“I thought two works in 27 days would be a little bit of a squeeze,” Beattie said. “She gets a lot out of her daily training. She's going to work every day, she just isn't going for published workouts. If I try to squeeze two works in there, it would be a little hard for her. I think she gets more out of big, aggressive gallops and strong training.”

Victim of Love is out of the Awesome Again mare Spacy Tracy, who has produced all winners from five progeny of racing age, including graded stakes victress Benner Island and two-time stakes winner High North.

Rosario will pilot Victim of Love from post 5.

Trainer John Kimmel will seek to turn the tables on Victim of Love with Holly Hill Stables' Pacific Gale, who was third in the Vagrancy.

After two full calendar years without a trip to the winner's circle, the 6-year-old Flat Out mare ended a 17-race slump with an upset win in the Grade 2 Inside Information on January 23 at Gulfstream Park at 16-1 odds. She carried her newfound winning ways into another South Florida stakes conquest in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on March 20 en route to the Vagrancy.

Although winless throughout her 2019-20 seasons, Pacific Gale placed at graded stakes level five times prior to winning at such caliber.

Kimmel said changing some things up with her training pattern proved instrumental in Florida during the winter, including utilizing the jogging path at Palm Meadows Training Center.

“She really liked that a lot. We had to sort of improvise when we came back here. We do a lot of 'around the world',” Kimmel said. “They go on to the training track, jog to the pony shed, go on to the main track and sort of gallop all the way around the backstretch and come back past the starting gate and back on to the training track and finish up there.”

In the Vagrancy, Pacific Gale was a step slow coming out of the gate and hurried into contention while racing in between horses down the backstretch. She came with a late run in the final furlong, but just missed second a nose to Sadie Lady.

Kimmel said the slow start deterred her chances of winning.

“I thought she was a little compromised in her last start by some issues in the gate. That took her out of her running style,” Kimmel said. “I don't see any reason why she shouldn't fire another good one. She seems to be doing really well. Her color looks great and she's eating great.”

Kimmel said Pacific Gale has always run solid races from a figures standpoint, but a combination of development and changing training technique have resulted in higher prosperity with the gallant mare.

“She really came into herself this year. If you look back on her numbers, she's running similar numbers as she did in the past, but maybe the level of competition might have been a little bit tougher,” Kimmel said. “She's getting a little more confident in herself. It's been nice to see her come forward and win some graded stakes races because she hadn't accomplished that. She placed in more than and a handful of them and to see her actually win some is great.”
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a two-time Bed o' Roses winner, retains the mount from post 7.

Bringing an unbeaten record in six starts is Daniel J. Lopez and George Chestnut's Chub Wagon, who will make her graded stakes debut for trainer Guadalupe Preciado.

The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Hey Chub broke her maiden for a $20,000 tag in November at Parx before notching two more victories at the Philadelphia oval. Chub Wagon won an optional-claiming sprint at the Big A in April and after defeating her Keystone State counterparts in the Unique Bella, she took her talents to Maryland where she won the Skipat on May 15.

For the first time in her career, she raced off the lead in the Skipat, tracking the pace from third and handled the new tactics with aplomb when capturing the six-furlong event by two lengths.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. was aboard for her open company stakes triumph and retains the mount from post 6.

Estilo Talentoso has proven herself a force to be reckoned with this season, arriving at the Vagrancy off two Grade 1 placings for trainer Juan Arriagada.
Never off the board in a baker's dozen lifetime starts, the 4-year-old daughter of Maclean's Music came from humble beginnings making her debut for a $16,000 tag in January 2020 at Gulfstream Park, but broke her maiden on sixth attempt at Gulfstream Park five months later at the South Florida oval. Her final start of last season was also her first stakes victory when capturing Gulfstream Park's Escena on August 20 at a one-turn mile.

After finishing third in the Wayward Lass at Tampa Bay Downs in her year debut, Estilo Talentoso ventured outside the Sunshine State for the first time when second in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park. She solidified her graded stakes placing when finishing a late-closing second to Kimari in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland, followed by a third in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Estilo Talentoso is owned by Medallion Racing, Barry Fowler, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Little Red Feather Racing and BlackRidge Stables.
Breaking from post 8, Estilo Talentoso will be piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott sends out Lake Avenue, who will try to make amends after an uncharacteristic distant fourth as the favorite in the Grade 2 Ruffian on May 2.

The Godolphin-homebred daughter of Tapit out of multiple Grade 1-winner Seventh Street won the Grade 2 Demoiselle in December 2019 during her freshman campaign in gate-to-wire fashion.

After going winless in four starts as a 3-year-old, she displayed different tactics in her 4-year-old debut when coming five lengths off the pace after a slow start to defeat an optional claiming field going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park. The same dimensions were on conveyed in the next out Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 5 at Aqueduct, which she won by 6 ¾ lengths.

Breaking from post 1, Lake Avenue will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey attempts his third Bed o' Roses victory with Helen K. Groves and Helen Alexander's Alandra, who is 2-for-2 over Big Sandy.

The homebred 4-year-old daughter of Blame arrives off a sharp optional claiming triumph going a one-turn mile on May 15 at Belmont, where she registered a career best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades in October 2019 at Keeneland in her second career start, Alandra is out of the graded stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Altesse and hails from the prominent broodmare line of Courtly Dee.

Jose Lezcano will be in the irons from post 3.

Completing the field are multiple graded stakes-placed Piedi Bianchi [post 2, Manny Franco] and last out allowance winner Baynerness [post 4, Luis Saez].

The Bed o' Roses is named in honor of Alfred G. Vanderbilt's dual champion, who earned title of Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in 1949 and was crowned Champion Older Mare two years later. Trained by Hall of Famer William Winfrey, Bed o' Roses defeated colts in the 1950 Lawrence Realization travelling 1 5/8 miles. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

The Bed o' Roses is carded as Race 8 on Friday's 11-race program at Belmont Park, First post is 12:50 p.m.

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OBS Under-Tack Show Begins Wednesday

The five-session under-tack show ahead of next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds gets underway Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m.

Hip numbers 1-185 will breeze Wednesday. Hips 186-370 will go to the track Thursday; hips 371-554 breeze Friday; hips 555-738 work Saturday and hips 739-927 will go to the track Sunday.

The under-tack show will be streamed live on TheTDN.com.

The June sale will be held next Wednesday through Friday with bidding beginning each day at 10:30 a.m.

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