Tag: Belmont Oaks

Background Check: Belmont Oaks

In this continuing series, we examine the past winners of significant filly/mare races by the lasting influence they've had on the breed. Up today is Belmont Park's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S., now the first leg in New York's Turf Tiara series for 3-year-old fillies on the lawn.

Originally known as the Rare Perfume and then the Garden City, the Belmont Oaks under its current name has only been in existence since 2014, although the race itself dates to 1979. The history may not be long and some of the winners were better racemares than producers, but a trio of particularly illustrious future broodmares stands out.

Following are highlights of some of the most important Belmont Oaks winners by what impact they've had on the sport through their sons and daughters.

Sky Beauty (1990, Blushing Groom {Fr}–Maplejinsky, by Nijinsky II), bred by Sugar Maple Farm: Early in her broodmare career, she sold for $2.85 million at Keeneland and would produce just a handful of more foals, with the best on the track being England's GSW Hurricane Cat (Storm Cat). However, her great-grandson Violence is keeping her name relevant today. He's currently among the top 10 leading sires in the U.S. for 2023 by earnings.

November Snow (1989, Storm Cat–Princess Alydar, by Alydar), bred by D. J. Stable and Overbrook Farm: Although she didn't produce a stakes winner herself, November Snow's daughters have done her proud. Among her descendants are Irish champion and G1 Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}); New Zealand champion Bounding (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}); GISWs Morning Line (Tiznow) and Express Train (Union Rags); and a number of other graded performers.

Personal Ensign (1984, Private Account–Grecian Banner, by Hoist the Flag), bred by Ogden Phipps: This grand mare has to be among the sport's best examples of what a top racemare remodeling into a top broodmare can look like. Considered one of the best fillies or mares of the 20th century as an undefeated champion and Breeders' Cup winner, Personal Ensign's foals included GISWs My Flag (Easy Goer), Miner's Mark (Mr. Prospector), and Traditionally (Mr. Prospector), as well as MGISP Our Emblem (Mr. Prospector). Her descendants through her daughters include champion Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat); Breeders' Cup winner Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}); GISWs Mr Speaker (Pulpit) and Arabian Lion (Justify); and a plethora of other graded winners, including recent MGSW Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro). Four 'TDN Rising Stars', including Arabian Lion and GSW & GISP Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense), have her as a granddam or great-granddam. Personal Ensign was honored as Broodmare of the Year in 1996.

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Fozzy Stack: ‘Aspen Grove Has Nothing To Lose In Belmont Oaks’

Fozzy Stack says that Aspen Grove (Ire) is something of a forgotten horse heading into the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. and revealed that there were genuine excuses for her below-par effort in the Irish 1,000 Guineas when the Justify filly was found to be in season. 

Aspen Grove carried Craig Bernick's distinctive silks to victory in a Group 3 contest at the Curragh last term and, with that valuable black-type success already secured, Stack felt connections could afford to be brave in travelling her over for Saturday's Grade I assignment. 

Stack said of the filly who is co-owned by Mrs. John Magnier, “She was in season when she ran in the Irish 1,000 Guineas so there was very much a plausible excuse for that effort. There's only one Guineas, she couldn't run in it next year, so that's why we took our chance. 

“Listen, she's travelled over well and she seems to have settled in nicely. Mark Enright is over here with her and he is happy with her so we'll see what happens.”

He added, “She has good form. She ran very well on her reappearance at Leopardstown when third in a Group 3 despite being caught wide the whole way round. 

“You could run around in Group 3s at home in Ireland for forty grand or you can come over here for a lot of money. She's already a Group 3 winner so she's nothing to lose and it all to gain.”

Aspen Grove is a general 8-1 chance with most firms for the Belmont Oaks and will have the assistance of Oisin Murphy in the saddle. 

Murphy's primary reason for jetting out Stateside is to ride Andrew Balding's The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the Belmont Derby and Stack said that it would have been “silly” not to snap up a rider of his quality for Aspen Grove. 

He said, “It made a lot of sense to get Oisin to ride the filly. He's coming over to ride The Foxes for Andrew Balding anyway so it would have been silly not to use him while he's here.”

Stack has enjoyed a good start to his domestic campaign in Ireland and is operating at a 17 per cent strike-rate with 11 winners under his belt. 

Indeed, he has already tasted big-race success on American soil when Yesterdayoncemore (Ire) (No Nay Never) won a Grade II at Del Mar in 2019.

Like Yesterdayoncemore, Stack says that Aspen Grove could well continue her career in America for Bernick, who he describes as an important supporter of his famous County Tipperary stable.

Stack said, “We'll get this over with first, but we will probably run her at Saratoga or at Del Mar after this. I'm very lucky to have Craig as an owner. He's a very nice guy and has a great interest in the game. He actually bred Aspen Grove.”

On the race itself, he added, “Graham Motion's filly [Mission Of Joy (Kitten's Joy)] sets a good standard and Chad Brown has a couple of nice fillies [Aspray (Quality Road) and Prerequisite (Upstart)] in there as well. 

“There are no easy Group 1 races wherever you go but they are usually not as difficult to win on the grass in America than they are in Europe so hopefully she can go close.”

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Belmont Oaks Top Two Rematch in Saratoga Oaks to Highlight Sunday Graded Action

A half-dozen 3-year-old fillies, topped by the one-two finishers in the July 9 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S., will do battle in Sunday's GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S., one of three graded stakes taking place on the first Sunday in August.

Highly-regarded McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}), named after trainer Chad Brown's first employee when he struck out on his own, was an impressive debut winner last summer at the Spa, but went winless in her next three starts while placing in the GII Miss Grillo S., GII Edgewood S. and GIII Regret S. Stretching out to 10 furlongs in the Belmont Oaks, the bay kicked clear strongly in deep stretch to earn a 1 3/4-length victory. The runner-up that day, Godolphin's With The Moonlight (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), has stayed in America for Charlie Appleby since and breezed four times in an 11-day span at Saratoga in preparation for her rematch with McKulick. William Buick, who rode the homebred to a 4 3/4-length romp in the Betfair Pretty Polly S. May 1 at Newmarket, takes the reins back from Frankie Dettori, who flew in for the ride last out.

“Hopefully, she'll settle a little more into the race,” Appleby's traveling assistant Chris Connett told the NYRA notes team. “She jumped real handy last time and just was a little bit on the muscle going into the first turn and might have done just a little too much, but she still ran hard. If she can reproduce that, she should be right there.”

Filling out the short but high-quality field are Walkathon (Twirling Candy), who most recently bested McKulick in the Regret to keep her turf record perfect at three-for-three, Contemporary Art (Dubawi {Ire}), a super impressive 4 1/2-length maiden victress June 17 at Belmont, New Year's Eve (Kitten's Joy), a 'TDN Rising Star' who took down McKulick in the Edgewood before finishing a non-factor eighth in the Belmont Oaks, and Oakhurst (Mr Speaker), a close second in the June 15 Wild Applause S. behind Eminent Victor (Mr. Z), who came back to just miss by a nose with a troubled trip in the local GIII Lake George S. July 22.

Earlier in the card, D. Wayne Lukas will have a significant favorite in the GIII Adirondack S. when he sends out Naughty Gal (Into Mischief), a 9 1/4-length second-out winner July 4 at Churchill. The $350,000 OBS March grad earned a 75 Beyer for that effort, while none of her five opponents have topped 64.

Out west, the GIII La Jolla H. will run as the feature in race five of an 11-race card at Del Mar, with Richard Mandella's streaking Sumter (War Front), winner of the Pasadena S. and Singletary S. earlier this year at Santa Anita, coming off a four-plus month layoff in a six-horse field that includes Armagnac (Quality Road), who will make his turf debut upon return to the Bob Baffert barn. The $210,000 Keeneland September buy was last seen setting the pace in the May 21 GI Preakness S. before retreating to finish seventh.

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‘It’s Mind-Boggling’ – O’Brien Shares All About Belmont Heroine McKulick

Adrian O'Brien, who under the banner of Hazelwood Bloodstock, raised and consigned GI Belmont Oaks winner McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) on behalf of her breeder Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, has opened up about what Saturday's top-level triumph means to everyone on his farm. 

Hazelwood Bloodstock, which O'Brien set up alongside his wife Philippa in 2016, boards up to 30 mares with an emphasis on quality over quantity. 

In Astrelle (Ire) (Makfi {GB}), the dam of McKulick and one of the first mares to walk through the gates at O'Brien's base in Newmarket, he has certainly been dealing with quality. 

“She's not the biggest, nor is she the flashiest, but bloody hell she puts big engines into them,” – Adrian O'Brien on Astrelle, the dam of McKulick

A solid mare on the track with Marco Botti, Astrelle achieved black-type and reached a rating of 100 in her pomp. However, it's as a broodmare where she has excelled. 

Fearless King (GB) (Kingman {GB}), her first foal, landed the G2 German Guineas in 2020 and now stands at Gestut Helenenhof while Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) won the G3 Sceptre S. at Doncaster before selling to BBA Ireland on behalf of Moyglare Stud for 625,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale last year.

McKulick has continued the trend for Astrelle and O'Brien revealed that he scarcely can remember a mare to have enjoyed a better start at stud.

He told TDN Europe, “We're very fortunate to have some exceptional clients and we have had the pleasure of taking nice horses to the sales. We've topped six yearling sales in the past five years and that's all well and good but, unless they are doing it on the track, we are wasting our time. 

“As the caretaker of this horse [McKulick] from the time she was born until the hammer fell [for 180,000gns to Mike Ryan at Book 1 at the Tattersalls Yearling Sale in 2020], it was enormously satisfying. 

“Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, who bred McKulick and raced her dam Astrelle, is also thrilled. He invests a lot in racing all over the world and I can guarantee that he got a great buzz out of the success.”

O'Brien added, “We opened our doors in 2016 and Astrelle was one of the first mares we covered. She was here as a maiden in her first year. That first foal became Fearless King, who won the German 2,000 Guineas. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum bred and retained an interest in Pride Of Dubai, which is why she went to him next, with the resulting foal turning out to be Just Beautiful. Then this filly [McKulick] came along. I can't remember a mare to get off to a better start.”

With a Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) 2-year-old in training with Andrew Balding and a couple of well-bred youngsters coming through the ranks, the future for Astrelle, and indeed Hazelwood Bloodstock, is bright. 

O'Brien said, “She has a Cracksman 2-year-old, who Alastair Donald bought at Tattersalls last year [for 200,000gns] on behalf of King Power, and I believe he is in training with Andrew Balding. There is some serious pressure on that horse now!

“She also has a yearling filly by Calyx (GB), who will be retained, unsurprisingly, and she has a Pinatubo (Ire) filly foal at foot. She missed on a late cover this year but will be ready to roll at the end of February but we haven't had the conversation about which sire she will visit. 

“She's only 10 years of age. It's mind-boggling. She's not the biggest, nor is she the flashiest, but bloody hell she puts big engines into them.”

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