Tag: belmont park

Joseph Targeting Grade 1 Stakes At Saratoga For Drain The Clock, Mischevious Alex

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock kept an unbeaten record around one-turn intact when outdueling Jackie's Warrior to capture the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency on Saturday's Belmont Stakes day card at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The chestnut sophomore son of Maclean's Music arrived at the seven-furlong event off an in-hand victory in the Grade 3 Bay Shore on April 3 at Aqueduct.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said Drain the Clock emerged from his third graded stakes score in good order and will now target the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 25 at Saratoga Race Course.

“He came out of the race well. He ran a big race yesterday,” Joseph said. “That was the first time he got involved in a duel and the horse he dueled with normally doesn't get beat when he duels. It was a gutsy performance.”

Following victories in the Limehouse and Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park, Drain the Clock stretched out in distance in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, where he finished second beaten 1 ½ lengths to Greatest Honour. Following such an effort, Joseph cut him back to one turn.

“It paid off yesterday and justified for not pushing the issue,” Joseph said.

Primarily based at Gulfstream Park year round, Joseph said Drain the Clock would most likely remain at Belmont Park for the time being.

“He'll breeze in three weeks, that's what we did last time,” said Joseph. “That was the first time we had so many breezes into a race and he seems to thrive off that. I would say most likely he'll stay here, but it's not set in stone yet.”

Later on the card, Joseph saddled Mischevious Alex to a close third in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Although the son of Into Mischief captured the Grade 3 Gotham in March 2020 going a one-turn mile, Joseph said the horse's better runs are going an eighth to a quarter of a mile shorter. He plans on targeting the Grade 1, $350,000 A.G. Vanderbilt on July 31 and the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego, both at Saratoga Race Course, are the next goals moving forward.

“I think a mile might be stretching him at top class,” Joseph said. “I truly believe that going six or seven furlongs he's one the best in the country. He ran his race, and we'll aim for the two Grade 1 races at Saratoga and then hopefully the Breeders' Cup Sprint.”

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Fiske Pondering Next Step For Silver State

After running his win streak to six with a conquest of the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., Silver State has plenty of options on the table said co-owner Ron Winchell's racing and bloodstock advisor David Fiske.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the son of Hard Spun carried five straight triumphs into the prestigious one-turn mile event, including three stakes wins at Oaklawn Park. He made his seasonal bow with a narrow victory in the Fifth Season on January 23 going a two-turn mile before notching wins in the Essex on March 13 and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 17.

Silver State began his six-race tear off a seven-month layoff when defeating winners going seven furlongs on October 22 at Keeneland. He produced a career-best 101 Beyer when traveling the same distance next out at Churchill Downs.

Given Silver State's versatility, Fiske said he is still determining a target for the 4-year-old bay colt, who earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in capturing the Met Mile.

“He's in that spot where we could stretch him out again, or we could shorten him up,” Fiske said. “He seems to be effective at seven [furlongs], a mile, a mile and a sixteenth and a mile and an eighth, He can go just about anywhere. We'll probably talk about whether we want to go in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and keep him at a middle distance or if we want to stretch him out again.”

Campaigned on the Fair Grounds division of the Kentucky Derby trail last year, Silver State was put on the shelf following a distant seventh in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Fiske said his mental maturity has been highly instrumental.

“He's always had a lot of talent and we always thought a lot of him,” Fiske said. “We had him on the Triple Crown trail last year and maybe he was a little immature for that. We did some body work on him and sent him to the sidelines after the Louisiana Derby. With the pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty as to when. We brought him back in the fall. He was a bigger, stronger version of himself.

“He's always been a large extremely good-looking horse,” he added. “He probably would have gotten good sooner with a more consistent pattern of racing. He may have been victimized by the pandemic a bit.”

Additionally, Fiske expressed delight in seeing Tapit, who was campaigned by Winchell, sire a fourth Belmont Stakes winner. The influential stallion put himself on even terms with Lexington, who sired General Duke [1868], Kingfisher [1870], Harry Basset [1871] and Duke of Magenta [1878].

“Ron and I joke that he hasn't gotten a Derby win because it's too short,” Fiske quipped. “No one has done that in the modern era. We were hoping he would get a Derby winner this year, if not for a slightly troubled trip for Essential Quality.”

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‘She’s Happy And Jumping’: Gutierrez Plots Course Toward Breeders’ Cup For Letruska

St. George Stable's Letruska registered a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure with a powerful front-running 2 3/4-length score in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps, a 1 1/16-mile test for older fillies and mares at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Fausto Gutierrez and piloted by Jose Ortiz, who picked up the mount from his injured brother Irad Ortiz, Jr., the 5-year-old Super Saver mare made the lead and put away the 2020 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil, before outkicking Bonny South.

An undefeated champion in Mexico, Letruska captured the Grade 3 Shuvee at Saratoga last summer, and has reached new heights in her last five starts since removing blinkers to win the Grade 3 Rampart in December at Gulfstream Park.

The talented bay followed with a win in the Grade 3 Houston Ladies Classic in January at Sam Houston; a close second to Shedaresthedevil in the Grade 2 Azeri in March at Oaklawn; and bested both the reigning champion Older Female Monomoy Girl and champion 3-Year-Old Filly Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom in April at Oaklawn.

“She has improved her Beyer in her last five races – 95, 97, 99, 102, and now 103. She has quality,” said Gutierrez. “This is the power that she has in the races that she has run. She's won five group [graded] races in the United States and it's not easy.”

Through 19 starts, the win-happy Letruska has posted a record of 14-1-1 with purse earnings in excess of $1.4 million.

Gutierrez said he is impressed with the way Letruska carries herself while racing against the top fillies and mares in the country.

“She's a horse with natural talent,” Gutierrez said. “She has speed to make her different from the others and be very special in top races. She's run with Shedaresthedevil, 'Monomoy,' Swiss Skydiver, and she makes it look easy. She's a natural runner.”

Gutierrez said the year-end goal for Letruska is the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 6 at Del Mar, but how the mare gets to that race remains up in the air with the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign on August 28 at Saratoga a possibility.

“Saratoga is one of the natural places to go for prestigious races. We had a very nice experience there last year,” said Gutierrez. “At the same time, we need to put the focus on the Breeders' Cup. To be the number one of the division, we have to be careful planning out her races, but Saratoga could be one of the points along the way.”

No matter which route Gutierrez decides, he said Letruska is already champing at the bit for her next challenge.

“She has come out of the race in great form. She's happy and jumping. It's one of her characteristics after she races,” Gutierrez said.

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‘I’ll Be Back, Better Than Ever’: Broken Ankle Sidelines Kendrick Carmouche

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche was his usual upbeat, positive, and optimistic self on Sunday morning at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., despite being hobbled on crutches with a broken right ankle suffered in a spill at the start of Saturday's l3th and last race on the Belmont Stakes Day card.

“I talked to my doctor last night and I'm flying out tonight to Tennessee. He said both of the major bones on each side of my ankle are broken and I need surgery. They're going to do it tomorrow and will have to put a plate in one side of my ankle and a screw in the other,” said Carmouche, who was accompanied by his wife, Whitney, who is celebrating her 40th birthday on Sunday.

The surgeon will be the same one who repaired his broken right leg, also a result of a spill, in September 2018.

The latest mishap occurred two races after the rider had finished fifth on Bourbonic in the last leg of the Triple Crown series. Carmouche said that his horse, Kentucky Pharoah, reacted badly out of the gate, unseating him, and then a horse stepped squarely on that ankle as he was lying on the turf course.

Carmouche was transported to a local medical facility by ambulance Saturday night. On Sunday morning he was looking at the bright side of the situation, saying that he has no intention of staying sidelined for the entire Saratoga meet.

“I ain't missing nothing,” he said with a broad smile. “I'll be back, better than ever.”

To his many fans Carmouche tweeted, “Life is good. God is great, Lot of prayer, I'll see ya'll soon, Keep pushing!!!”

Kentucky Pharoah was caught by the outrider after completing the course and walked home.

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