The 2-year-old stakes at Belmont Park on Thursday were captured by Devious Dame (Astoria) and Two Of A Kind (Tremont).
Devious Dame won her stakes debut with ease for trainer Norm Casse in Thursday's $150,000 Astoria for juvenile fillies sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the main track at Belmont Park.
Campaigned by John Oxley, Devious Dame arrived at the Astoria from a debut victory on May 5 sprinting five furlongs over Churchill Down's main track under Joe Talamo where she dueled for the lead before taking command and opened up to a 5 1/2 length advantage.
Joel Rosario picked up the mount in the Astoria and settled the filly in fourth from the outermost post 5 as Trevor McCarthy asked Alexis's Storm from the inside post to lead the field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.67 seconds over the fast main track. The running order remained unchanged down the backstretch with Alexis's Storm continuing to roll under McCarthy.
Rosario remained patient aboard Devious Dame as Alexis's Storm held her advantage by a half-length at the top of the stretch and came under a ride from McCarthy. Devious Dame, once asked, was full of run down the center of the racetrack and collared Alexis's Dream just past the eighth pole under a hand ride from Rosario, who did not have to do much more than shake the reins to get his filly into gear. Devious Dame was wrapped up at the wire a 5 1/4-length winner in a final time of 1:04.75.
The late-running Girl Bye stayed on for third with Magic Beauty and Shaymyname, who was unsettled before the race, rounding out the order of finish. Born Dapper was scratched.
Casse said he was pleased to see Devious Dame rate from further off the pace than her debut effort.
“We came up here with the intention of winning but got to thinking that we'd rather let her settle a bit more than being adamant about just rushing her off her feet,” said Casse. “I do think she's a two-turn filly and we need to teach her some of that patience now. Thankfully, it paid off.
“She's got a very potent combination,” Casse continued. “She's fast enough to sprint, but I really do think once we get her into two-turn races and be forwardly-placed, but in her own rhythm, she's going to be much more effective.”
Rosario shared Casse's sentiments about Devious Dame's ability to rate.
“He told me to just let her come out of there and let her find her stride. She felt relaxed,” said Rosario. “At some point I had to ask her a little bit to pick it up, and she did. It looked like the further we went, she got better. It all worked out well.”
Casse noted the maturity Devious Dame gained through a start on the Thursday card of Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs.
“She won on Thurby and there were 50,000 people there and she never turned a hair,” said Casse. “She has all the tools to be a good horse.”
Casse said Devious Dame may point to the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack on August 7 at Saratoga Race Course with her sights set on Grade 1 company later in the year at Keeneland.
“I'd like to run her in the Adirondack and then freshen her up for the Alcibiades,” said Casse. “Those are the two races I really want to point to. If we're fortunate enough that she is a Breeders' Cup type filly, I'd like to get a two-turn race into her before the Breeders' Cup.”
Chuck Lawrence, trainer of runner-up Alexis's Storm, was full of praise for his filly's valiant frontrunning effort.
“We broke this filly and did everything with her there at Fair Hill and she's just done everything right,” Lawrence said. “We think that she's really going to excel when we go a little farther, so that's the game plan. I told Trevor if there's speed outside, don't be afraid to sit, but she had enough speed and was comfortable. We got her stakes-placed and she's exciting.”
Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O'Farrell III and David O'Farrell et al., Devious Dame returned $2.90 for a $2 win ticket as the 2-5 post time favorite and banked $82,500 for her victory. She was purchased for $240,000 out of the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale where she worked a quarter-mile in 20 and 4/5 seconds.
K and R Racing Stable and Town Branch Racing's Two of a Kind now boasts a pair of wins after a game front-running score in Thursday's $150,000 Tremont, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for juveniles, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Brian Lynch, the Overanalyze bay entered from a sharp gate-to-wire maiden score on May 4 at Churchill Downs under returning rider Luis Saez.
“He's always been a precocious sort of colt. He's physically very mature and mentally he's mature,” Lynch said. “We can't be anything but happy with these last couple performances, the one at Churchill and the one today.”
Two of a Kind exited post 6 and was hustled to the front by Saez to take command from the fast-starting Putthepastbehind through an opening quarter-mile in 22.40 seconds over the fast main track. The speedy bay led the field of seven down the backstretch with Zelenskyy Strong in close watch to his outside and No Nay Hudson advancing between rivals and into contention through a half-mile in 45.48.
No Nay Hudson loomed large as he angled outside for the stretch run with Putthepastbehind making a bid along the rail, but Two of a Kind continued to find more and powered home a two-length winner in a final time of 1:04.35.
Putthepastbehind stayed on strong to complete the exacta by 1 1/4-lengths over Valenzan Day, who rallied down the center of the track to best No Nay Hudson for show honors by a half-length. Zelenskyy Strong, Bisping and Little J P rounded out the order of finish. Stayhonor Goodside was scratched.
Saez said Two of a Kind was prepared for a battle down the lane.
“When we came to the top of the stretch, he was just waiting for somebody to fight,” Saez said. “When he saw the other horse come on the outside, he gave me another gear. He looks like he's a really nice horse.
“He relaxed and he's a very fast horse,” Saez continued. “Last time, he surprised us. He broke so fast and opened five or six lengths. Mr. Lynch was trying to show him how to come from behind, but in the races he just wants to go. So, we just let him be whatever he wants to be.”
Lynch said Two of a Kind will now point to the six-furlong Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford on July 16 at Saratoga Race Course.
Christopher Swann, co-breeder and racing manager for the winning owners, said the team knew early on the colt was a good one.
“We knew this horse was special,” Swann said. “You always hear that from the beginning, it's cliché so to speak, but this horse was special.
“In February we had him in Ocala and the guy who breaks my horses down there said, 'You got a good one, time to send the horse on to Brian. He's ready.' So we sent him to Brian early, and I think this might be the earliest Brian has ever run a 2-year-old, recently at least.”
Gerald Brooks and Carl Hess, Jr.'s Putthepastbehind, a maiden winner traveling 4 1/2-furlongs on May 1 at Laurel Park, posted a game runner-up effort under returning rider Jeiron Barbosa.
“My horse got a good trip,” Barbosa said. “We ran into a nice one and were second best.”
Bred in Kentucky by C. W. Swann and Wetherbee Holdings, Two of a Kind banked $82,500 in victory while remaining undefeated. He returned $6.50 for a $2 win ticket.
Live racing resumes Friday at Belmont Park with an 11-race card for Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival headlined by the Grade 1, $750,000 New York, a 10-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares in Race 10.
Also featured are the Grade 2, $300,000 Bed o' Roses, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares in Race 3; the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup at two-miles on turf for older horses in Race 8; the Grade 2, $300,000 True North, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older horses in Race 9; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental, a six-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares in the Race 11 finale. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
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