Stakes Schedule for Belmont at the Big A Spring/Summer Meet Set

The stakes schedule for the 2024 Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, which will open Thursday, May 2, will include 32 stakes worth more than $6.6 million in total purses, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Tuesday.

As announced in December, the ongoing construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park will require significant adjustments to the customary NYRA schedule. Most notably, the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga Race Course from June 6-9. In addition, the spring/summer and fall meets traditionally held at Belmont will take place at Aqueduct Racetrack in 2024.

Differences between the circumference of Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack will require slight distance changes to a number of races to be contested during the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet.

On the turf, five races previously run at seven-furlongs [Elusive Quality, Soaring Softly, Paradise Creek, NYSSS Cupecoy's Joy, NYSSS Spectacular Bid] will be contested at six-furlongs. In addition, both the GI Belmont Derby Invitational and GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational will be contested at 1 3/16-miles on turf rather than the customary 1 1/4-miles. On the main track, the GII Brooklyn will be run at 11 furlongs rather than the traditional 12 furlongs.

A stakes-laden program on Saturday, July 6 will feature four graded events led by a pair of Grade Is on the turf in the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational for sophomores and the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational for sophomore fillies. These prestigious contests will be supported by the GII, $200,000 John A. Nerud for older horses sprinting seven furlongs and the GIII, $200,000 Dwyer for sophomores going one mile.

For the full Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet stakes schedule, visit https://nyra.com/spring-summer.

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Into Mischief’s Timberlake Puts Shows Out in Champagne

Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Timberlake (c, 2, Into Mischief–Pin Up {Ire}, by Lookin At Lucky), a bit of an unlucky second as the favorite in the GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga Sept. 4, got back, ahem, in sync with a stylish score in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Champagne S. at the Big A.

“He ran good,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “I was very proud of him. He got a good, clean trip today. [Jockey] Florent [Geroux] did a great job. He got away well. We had a bit of a rough trip in the Hopeful. I thought with a little bit of a cleaner run he maybe would have got to the wire first, but that's the way it goes. I'm very proud of the effort today. It was a huge win.”

Cox continued, “You obviously turn your attention to the Breeders' Cup [Juvenile] as it comes up first. We'll get him back to Kentucky and see how he comes out of it and let him tell us if we take a march towards Santa Anita. We'll enjoy this victory and go from there.”

Taking blinkers off for this after getting very eager while racing in tight quarters in the early stages of the Hopeful, the 9-2 chance traveled kindly in an inside fifth this time around as sharp second-out General Partner (Speightstown) sped through an opening quarter in :22.49 over the sloppy going. He set his sights on the pacesetter approaching the quarter pole and rolled down the center in the stretch to win going away by 4 1/4 lengths. General Partner was second; Dancing Groom (Vino Rosso) finished third.

'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), hammered down to 1-2 favoritism off a sensational debut score in the mud at the Spa Aug. 25, lunged at the start, and, after making a bold run at the leader on the far turn, tired in the stretch to finish a well-beaten seventh.

Favored in all three of his previous starts, Timberlake was a well-beaten sixth on debut behind subsequent runaway GII Saratoga Special S. winner Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) at Ellis Park June 15. He romped by 9 1/4 lengths over future GIII Iroquois S. winner West Saratoga (Exaggerator) for 'Rising Star' status at Ellis July 21 prior to his aforementioned runner-up finish at the Spa on Labor Day. Timberlake was scratched out of Saturday's two-turn GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. at Keeneland in favor of this spot going a one-turn mile.

“We talked about it and thought this was a good spot,” WinStar's Elliott Walden said. “The Champagne is a great race, a stallion-making race. We're excited to win it, it's the first time we've ever won it.”

Walden added, “He's accomplished a lot in a short period of time. I think [two turns] will be good, but we'll see. He's a big strong horse with a beautiful pedigree, a two-turn type of pedigree.”

Pedigree Notes:

Timberlake becomes the 18th Grade I winner worldwide for his all-conquering sire. Into Mischief's Practical Joke won this same race in 2016. Lookin At Lucky is now the broodmare sire of six graded/group winners worldwide.

Timberlake's stakes-placed Irish-bred dam is a half-sister to G2 Hardwicke S. and G2 King Edward VII S. hero Thomas Chippendale (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). Timberlake's second dam MG1SP All My Loving (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) is a full-sister to G1 Irish One Thousand Guineas victress and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf third-place finisher Yesterday (Ire). The winner's dam is also responsible for a yearling colt by Army Mule and a colt by Known Agenda of this year.

Saturday, Belmont The Big A
CHAMPAGNE S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-7, 2yo, 1m, 1:35.90, sy.
1–TIMBERLAKE, 122, c, 2, by Into Mischief
           1st Dam: Pin Up (Ire) (SP-Eng), by Lookin At Lucky
           2nd Dam: All My Loving (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
           3rd Dam: Jude (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($350,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC; B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $375,600. Click for the http://www.werkhorse.com/free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–General Partner, 122, c, 2, Speightstown–Fleeting Humor, by Distorted Humor. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($250,000 Wlg '21 FTKNOV). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey & Speightstown Syndicate (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Dancing Groom, 122, c, 2, Vino Rosso–Snow Dancer, by Bernardini. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($37,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $60,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Eduardo Soto; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $60,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 6 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 4.90, 4.50, 37.25.
Also Ran: Gold Sweep, Air Cav, El Grande O, Fierceness, Sweet Soddy J.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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‘Just’ on Fire: Just F Y I Rolls in Sloppy Frizette for Red-Hot Justify

Just F Y I (f, 2, Justify–Star Act, by Street Cry {Ire}), up in time by a head sprinting on debut at a well-backed 7-2 at the Spa Aug. 26, provided a rolling Grade I double for owner George Krikorian and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott with a powerful performance in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Frizette S. at a rainy Aqueduct Racetrack.

“[The track] was the big question and we didn't know,” Mott said after saddling his first Frizette winner since Confessional in 1998. “You don't know until you run them. We thought she was a nice filly and, in this day and age, I guess if you break your maiden impressively you're looking at going to a stakes race because there aren't many allowance races.”

As for a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita, Mott added, “That would be the plan today. We'll wait and see how she comes back and go from there.”

The 9-2 chance found a perfect spot in an outside third through an opening quarter in :23.63 while navigating the one-turn mile over very sloppy going. The Krikorian homebred loomed boldly while four wide on the far turn, gained a narrow advantage at the top of the stretch and leveled off beautifully down the lane to win going away by 3 3/4 lengths over longshot Central Avenue (Street Sense). Life Talk (Gun Runner) was third. Favored Emery (More Than Ready), a runaway winner on debut in the Saratoga mud Aug. 30, was a disappointing fourth.

Krikorian and Mott were also represented one race earlier on the card by GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. winner War Like Goddess (English Channel).

“It's very special,” Mott said. “[Mr. Krikorian] has been a very good client and he sends me some horses that he thinks are going to be OK. I have a small group of horses for him, but they are all quite nice.”

Krikorian added, “It's very special. I couldn't be more pleased, I'm ecstatic.”

Pedigree Notes:

Triple Crown winner Justify, sire of last Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac Criterium des Pouliches heroine Opera Singer; Wednesday's GII Miss Grillo S. winner Hard to Justify; and Friday's GII Jessamine S. winner Buchu; is now responsible for four Grade I/Group 1 winners worldwide.

Out of a stakes-placed daughter of Krikorian's MGISW and savvy $35,000 FTKOCT yearling purchase Starrer (Dynaformer), Just F Y I hails from the female family of another accomplished set of fillies in MGISW Stellar Jayne (Wild Rush) and GISW Star Billing (Dynaformer).

This is also the family of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Uncle Benny (Declaration of War). Just F Y I's dam Star Act produced a 2023 full-sister to the victress and was bred to Life Is Good for 2024.

 

Saturday, Belmont The Big A
FRIZETTE S.-GI, $400,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-7, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:37.59, sy.
1–JUST F Y I, 120, f, 2, by Justify
                1st Dam: Star Act (SP, $147,605), by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Starrer, by Dynaformer
                3rd Dam: To the Hunt, by Relaunch
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-George Krikorian (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $220,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $277,750. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Central Avenue, 120, f, 2, by Street Sense
                1st Dam: Centring (MGISP, $509,102), by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Composure, by Touch Gold
                3rd Dam: Party Cited, by Alleged
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael Stidham. $80,000.
3–Life Talk, 120, f, 2, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Touchy Feely, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Touched, by Touch Gold
                3rd Dam: Bay Barrister, by Miswaki
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($160,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $335,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable; B-Gun Runner Syndicate, Mulholland Springs LLC & Tom Grether Farms Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $48,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, HF, 1. Odds: 4.80, 18.60, 1.90.
Also Ran: Emery, Irish Maxima, Princess Indy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Justify’s Hard to Justify Punches Breeders’ Cup Ticket in Miss Grillo

Hard to Justify (f, 2, Justify–Instant Reflex, by Quality Road) punched her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with a 7-1 upset in Wednesday's rescheduled 'Win and You're In' GII Miss Grillo S. at the Big A.

She sat a stalking trip in second and turned up the heat on the far turn. The bay stuck her head in front in the stretch and dug down deep to get the money by 3/4 of a length. Life's an Audible (Audible) was second; Whimsically (Uncle Mo) was third.

Hard to Justify, a narrow debut winner after overcoming a troubled trip in her unveiling over the Saratoga lawn July 23, becomes the 13th graded winner for Justify and ninth Miss Grillo winner for trainer Chad Brown.

Wednesday, Aqueduct
MISS GRILLO S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-4, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.92, fm.
1–HARD TO JUSTIFY, 120, f, 2, by Justify
                1st Dam: Instant Reflex (GSP), by Quality Road
                2nd Dam: Without Delay, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Slow Down, by Seattle Slew
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($190,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Wise Racing LLC; B-Yeguada Centurion S.L.
(KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime
Record: 2-2-0-0, $167,750.
2–Life's an Audible, 120, f, 2, Audible–Catkins, by Data Link.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($25,000 Wlg '21
KEENOV; $90,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $200,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR).
O-Repole Stable; B-Susan Moulton (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$40,000.
3–Whimsically, 118, f, 2, Uncle Mo–Coming Attraction, by
Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($180,000
Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Haymarket Farm LLC, Ingordo, David,
Manganaro Bloodstock, LBD Stable LLC & Diamond T Racing;
B-Audley Farm Equine, LLC (VA); T-Cherie DeVaux. $24,000.
Margins: HF, 1, 2 3/4. Odds: 7.30, 12.70, 59.75.
Also Ran: Gala Brand, Memorialize, Gold Lightning, Later Darling, Sierra Sky, Steel Lute, Dancing Spirit, Camila T (Ire). Scratched: Appellate. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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