Tag: belmont park

Ortiz Sidelined Two Weeks

Irad Ortiz, Jr., the leading rider at the current Belmont spring/summer meet, will be out of action for about two weeks after being unseated in Thursday's fifth race, agent Steve Rushing said. The 28-year-old, who has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey for the past three years running, was transported to hospital for further evaluation and cleared.

“A CT scan and X-rays were negative,” said Rushing. “He will probably be out for two weeks.”

Ortiz was named to ride Known Agenda (Curlin) in Saturday's GI Belmont S. Trainer Todd Pletcher said a new rider for the GI Curlin Florida Derby winner would be named Saturday morning.

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‘Quality’ Over Quantity in Triple Crown Finale

ELMONT, NY — What a difference a year makes.

Back in its traditional spot on the calendar and 1 1/2-mile distance after the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world-and Triple Crown-completely upside down in 2020, Saturday's GI Belmont S. will feature a showdown between last year's champion 2-year-old colt Essential Quality (Tapit) and GI Preakness S. upsetter Rombauer (Twirling Candy).

The Godolphin homebred was unstoppable in his first five career starts, headed by a win in the 2020 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby, he covered all the ground that day and reported home a respectable fourth, beaten just a length.

How will he handle the added distance of the Belmont? His leading sire Tapit is shooting for a record fourth success, and if his training is any indication, the longer the better, per trainer Brad Cox.

“I remember the first time we breezed him,” Cox said in a recent feature in TDN. “I looked at my assistant and said, 'Wow, this horse acts like he can win the Belmont.' He just never stopped.”

Cox added of the Belmont 2-1 morning-line favorite, “He ran what I thought was a winning race in the Derby; he didn't have the trip, but he showed up and he's been improving in every start.”

Cox also saddled the Derby second-place finisher Mandaloun (Into Mischief), who could be elevated to first after a split sample confirmed the prohibited corticosteroid betamethasone in the race's winner Medina Spirit (Protonico) earlier this week.

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) sat just behind the leaders in the Derby, and, after making his way through some traffic, outfinished Essential Quality by a head to place third. Hot Rod Charlie's resume also includes a 94-1 second-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and a front-running victory in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20.

The half-brother to champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) retains the services of Flavien Prat, who also guided home Rombauer to an 11-1 upset in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

“With the distance, I think it will suit him well,” trainer Doug O'Neill said. “He's won going 1 3/16 in the Louisiana Derby. I think his gate speed and versatility will be an asset as well. I'm super excited having Flavien back on him.”

The versatile Rombauer, also a winner of the El Camino Real Derby over the Golden Gate synthetic Feb. 13, finished behind Essential Quality in each of their two previous meetings, reporting home fifth in the Juvenile and third in the GII Blue Grass S. Excluding recent Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify, Rombauer seeks to become the first sophomore to complete the Preakness/Belmont double since Afleet Alex did so in 2005.

The John and Diane Fradkin homebred will be piloted for the first time by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, his seventh different rider in eight-career starts.

“He's had several different riders and it's not something that's bothered me,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “It would have been nice to have Flavien back, but I feel we have a wonderful substitute.”

The former assistant to Todd Pletcher added, “I have a lot of good memories here. To win any Triple Crown race is fantastic, the Belmont is really the 'Test of the Champion' and it would certainly be nice to hoist a trophy like that on Saturday.”

Pletcher will have three chances to capture his fourth win in the Belmont, led by GI Curlin Florida Derby winner and Kentucky Derby ninth Known Agenda (Curlin). Irad Ortiz, Jr., booked to ride the St Elias Stable homebred, went down in a spill on Friday's card and will be sidelined for two weeks. A replacement rider for Known Agenda has yet to be named.

Pletcher will also saddle longshots Bourbonic (Bernardini) and Overtook (Curlin). The former followed a narrow upset in the GII Wood Memorial S. with a 13th-place finish in the Derby. Overtook, a $1-million KEESEP yearling, enters off a third-place finish in the local prep GIII Peter Pan S.

Never a factor after getting wiped out at the start in the Derby, GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) looks to atone for his 17th-place finish as the 9-2 second choice. The Hronis Racing and Michael Talla colorbearer appears to be the controlling speed, with a better break this time, of course.

“We always thought the longer the better for him,” trainer John Sadler said. “He's come back and done real well since the Derby. We think he can run a long way. He's got Candy Ride on top and with him being out of an Empire Maker mare, he's got the stamina to go the distance.”

Japan's France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge), sixth after a slow start in the G2 UAE Derby Mar. 27 and seventh in the Preakness, rounds out the field of eight. A $1-million bonus–offered to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Belmont– will be on the line.

A year after being conducted spectator-free, around one turn at 1 1/8 miles and as the first race of the Triple Crown on the third Saturday in June, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 80s will greet a capped crowd of approximately 11,000 for Saturday's loaded 13-race program.

The card features eight Grade I contests, including the prestigious GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. Post time for the Belmont is 6:49 p.m. ET. NBC will have live coverage beginning at 5 p.m.

The post ‘Quality’ Over Quantity in Triple Crown Finale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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New, Old School Combine In Ownership Of Hot Rod Charlie

A varied ownership group spanning multiple generations will be on hand at Belmont Park to cheer on Hot Rod Charlie in Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Trained by Doug O'Neill, the son of 2013 Preakness winner Oxbow is owned by Bill Strauss, Greg Helm and Roadrunner Racing, as well as Boat Racing, which is headed by the conditioner's nephew, Patrick O'Neill, and made up of five friends who met when playing football for Brown University – Dan Giovacchini, Reiley Higgins, Alex Quoyeser and Eric Armagost.

Strauss and Helm bring years of knowledge and wisdom to the table, while the youngsters from Boat Racing provide youth, energy and charisma. The difference in generation is noticeable, but they all share a passion for horse racing.

Strauss, the founder of ProFlowers.com, enjoyed top-level success as co-owner of graded stakes winners Turbulent Descent, The Pamplemousse and two-time Breeders' Cup-winner Mizdirection.

“Our backgrounds are so diverse and so different. We all come from different life experiences, but when it comes to plotting out how to campaign 'Charlie', we come to an agreement,” said Strauss, 62. “It's been great. These are friends I have for life. It's nice when you hit your 60s and you're still making new friends.”

Helm, a semi-retired ad executive, races under the Roadrunner Racing moniker with friends from San Joaquin Country Club in California. Prior to Roadrunner Racing, Helm and his wife Glenna were a part of racing syndicates on the west coast.

“It feels great. I have terrific respect for the Boat Racing guys. They're terrific people, true gentlemen and great fun to be with,” said Helm. “It's been a joy to be partnered with them and Bill, as well.”

While Strauss and Helm are seasoned veterans, the 28-year-old Patrick O'Neill and his four college friends bring fresh faces to the game.

“It's been a very fun experience. I have to give a lot of credit to Bill and Greg Helm,” O'Neill said. “They're kids at heart and they're bringing that same energy that we're bringing. It's a complementary relationship and it's been such a fun ride.”

Hot Rod Charlie, a $110,000 purchase 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, added blinkers when graduating at fourth asking in October traveling one-mile on the main track at Santa Anita. He had previously tried his luck in a pair of turf maiden special weights at Del Mar.

“We had tried different things with him, but things didn't click until his fourth start, where we went two turns on the dirt with blinkers on. That's when he sprang up and ran a different race,” Strauss said. “He was training sensationally coming out of that race. The light bulb went on.”

Hot Rod Charlie arrived at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile as the longest shot in a field of 14, going to post at 94-1 odds.

“He was competitive based on that first race he won. His numbers matched up pretty well with the rest of the field,” Strauss recalled. “He was training well and he fit numbers-wise, so we decided to take a shot. When a horse is two, they change so much from race to race, and he was changing so much in front of us day to day and week to week, but looking at the odds I was thinking 'Gosh, I hope we don't get embarrassed. I don't think I had ever had a horse in a race at 94-1.'”

Strauss and company felt the opposite of embarrassed once the race was over when Hot Rod Charlie ran a strong second to Belmont Stakes-rival Essential Quality in the Juvenile.

Hot Rod Charlie carried his effort into a close third in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis in January at Santa Anita ahead of a two-length triumph in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds Race Course, where jockey Joel Rosario sent him straight to the front and never looked back.

“After the Breeders' Cup, we gave him some time off. Young horses need time off after the big race he had run that day,” Strauss said. “Doug knows how to get it done. The goal wasn't the Bob Lewis in February, it was the Kentucky Derby in May. When we came to New Orleans, he was fitter and tighter. It was Joel's idea to send him to the front, and as you can see it worked out perfectly.”

Hot Rod Charlie did not disgrace his connections in the “Run for the Roses,” finishing a length shy of victory in third.

“We had some high expectations going into Kentucky. If you asked me six months ago if I would take third in the Kentucky Derby, I'd be thrilled,” Strauss said. “Turning for home it looked like we could win. No disappointment. Everything about the day, week and race itself surpassed my expectations. We had lots of close friends and family with us. We're going to do it all again this week and hopefully get it done on Saturday afternoon.”

Heading into Saturday's engagement, Patrick O'Neill and his college friends are soaking up every minute of action as they dive deeper into their love and appreciation of the sport.

“Patrick was always watching TVG. We'd watch it in the film room sometimes when we were supposed to be watching football stuff,” said Giovacchini. “We slowly started to ask questions and started to want to know more about it. A few years later, we were all at Del Mar and we decided why not take a shot together?”

Higgins said he's enjoying the moment.

“We bring the enthusiasm, they bring the brains. It's been an amazing experience for us all,” Higgins said. “Personally, I've been trying to soak up every second of this as have as much fun as I possibly can. I know these guys have been doing the exact same thing. We realize how lucky and blessed we are to be in this position. That's been my takeaway from this whole thing.”

Quoyeser said the team appreciates each and every part of the race-day experience.

“After spending one day with Team O'Neill at the track and getting in the winner's circle, it's hard not to have a good time,” he said. “A day at the track isn't just about the horses, it's about the people you're spending time with all day. You're just having a good time drinking, eating and gambling.

“We're enjoying every second of it,” Quoyeser added. “We're going to be doing every activity we can all week while we're here in New York. For the Kentucky Derby, we brought 160 of our closest friends and family to the track and this week we'll have dozens. We're very blessed to have the opportunity to be here, but also to share this with people we care about.”

Should Hot Rod Charlie's Belmont Stakes endeavor be successful, it won't just mean more good times for his enthusiastic owners.

“It would validate Charlie as being a great horse,” Strauss said. “He's in the top tier of the 3-year-old division. He's always right there against the best. Winning this race – an American Classic race, will memorialize him and put him on the charts and give him the recognition he deserves. It would solidify everything we think he is. Hopefully it set us up for this year and beyond.”

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Form2Win: Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival takes center stage this weekend, with four graded stakes races on Friday at Belmont Park and a total of eight Grade 1 races scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Big Sandy.

While no Triple Crown is on the line, the Belmont will feature an Eclipse Award winner, the Preakness winner, two Grade 1 Derby prep winners, and four other sophomore colts chasing their place in the history books.

Friday, June 4

4:07 p.m. – G2 True North Stakes – Belmont Park

Grade 1-winner Flagstaff bested Eclipse award-winner Whitmore in a thrilling finish last out and will look to win his third consecutive stakes race as part of a seven-horse field in Friday's Grade 2, $300,000 True North for 4-year-olds and up sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over the main track at Belmont Park.

4:40 p.m. – G3 Bed o' Roses Stakes – Belmont Park

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.

5:15 p.m. – G2 New York Stakes – Belmont Park

Looking to defend her $750,000 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, a 1¼-mile inner turf test, she faces an arguably tougher field in 2021 and the possibility of more cut in the ground.

5:48 p.m. – G2 Belmont Gold Cup – Belmont Park

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. 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.

Saturday, June 5

12:47 p.m. – G1 Woody Stephens – Belmont Park

Undefeated one-turn titans Jackie's Warrior and Drain the Clock will square off in Saturday's 37th running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.

1:22 p.m. – G2 Brooklyn Stakes – Belmont Park

Trainer Todd Pletcher will be well-represented with three contenders in Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. But the Hall of Fame conditioner will also send out a strong contingent in another 1 1/2-mile graded stakes contest on the day, with Ajaaweed and Moretti forming a potent one-two punch in the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational presented by Northwell Health for 4-year-olds and up.

2:01 p.m. – G1 Acorn Stakes – Belmont Park

Traditionally one of America's premier races for sophomore fillies, Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn at Belmont Park has attracted a compact, quality field to tackle Big Sandy's one-turn mile. Blazing Meadows Farm and Siena Farm's Tim Hamm-trained Dayoutoftheoffice returns to the course and distance of her greatest triumph, last fall's Grade 1 Frizette, in what will be just her second start of the season. Klaravich Stables' Search Results will hope to optimize her second top-level attempt after losing last month's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks by a neck to divisional leader Malathaat. Trained by Chad Brown, the daughter of Flatter went into the Classic undefeated from three tries, including the Grade 3 Gazelle at the Big A.

2:41 p.m. – G1 Jaipur Stakes – Belmont Park

MyRacehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's multiple Grade 1-winner Got Stormy joins defending race-winner and fellow mare Oleksandra in taking on the boys in Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 Jackpocket Jaipur, a six-furlong turf sprint on Belmont Stakes Day. The 35th running of the Jackpocket Jaipur is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar.

3:18 p.m. – G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes – Belmont Park

With the Friday morning scratches of both Swiss Skydiver and Valiance, the 53rd running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps has drawn a field of five fillies and mares. G1 Apple Blossom winner Letruska is the morning-line favorite after her upset of champion Monomoy Girl, while Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil is two-for-two so far this year. The prestigious 1 1/16-mile test for older fillies and mares is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” qualifier, offering the winner an automatic entry into the Distaff on November 6 at Del Mar.

3:58 p.m. – G1 Just A Game Stakes – Belmont Park

Twelve stakes winners, including 11 graded/group stakes winners—all seeking their first turf Grade 1 score comprise the dozen entered in Saturday's $500,000 Longines Just a Game over one mile on the Widener turf course. The powerhouse stables of Charlie Appleby and Chad Brown make up half of those in a race that has traditionally showcased some of the best turf females in training, including eight Breeders' Cup winners.

4:42 p.m. – G1 Met Mile – Belmont Park

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex will look to build on his already impressive ledger in Saturday's stallion-making Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap, a one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up on Belmont Stakes Day. However, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, trained by reigning Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, looms the one to beat as the 126 pound highweight with an impressive record of 19-6-3-1 with purse earnings in excess of $4.5 million.

5:30 p.m. – G3 Monmouth Stakes – Monmouth Park

A winner in his 2021 comeback race on April 24 at Pimlico Race Course, Corelli will step up to graded stakes company again when the grass specialist goes in the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes, the headliner on Saturday's 12-race card at Monmouth Park. The 13th running of the $150,000 Monmouth Stakes, scheduled for 1 and 1/8th miles on the grass, has attracted a field of 10 plus two alternates.

5:38 p.m. – G1 Manhattan Stakes – Belmont Park

Trainer Chad Brown will be loaded for bear in the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan, with four of the 10 horses entered running under his banner in the 1 1/4-mile inner turf test for 4-year-olds and up on Saturday, Belmont Stakes Day, at Belmont Park. Brown's quartet all have the credentials to win, but that honor may go to Domestic Spending, a 4-year-old son of Kingman who made a successful 2021 debut in the Grade 1 Turf Classic on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

6:49 p.m. – G1 Belmont Stakes – Belmont Park

A talented group that includes an Eclipse Award winner (Essential Quality) and an American Classic victor (Rombauer) will comprise an eight-horse field for the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday at Belmont Park, marking the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. Hot Rod Charlie ran a strong third, just one length back to winner Medina Spirit, in the Kentucky Derby, and will get a rematch against Essential Quality. Pletcher, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, will saddle three contenders as he seeks his fourth career Belmont score: Known Agenda, Overtook, and Bourbonic. Rock Your World notched a Grade 1 win with a 4 1/4-length margin in the Santa Anita Derby in April in his main track debut, improving to 3-for-3 overall to start his career before running 17th in the Kentucky Derby last out. Yuji Inaida's France Go de Ina will look to nab the $1 million bonus offered to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Belmont Stakes.

7:52 p.m. – G2 Monrovia Stakes – Santa Anita

A two-time graded stakes winner who has been idle since well beaten by Eclipse Champion Gamine in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 7, the Richard Baltas-trained Venetian Harbor heads a field of eight fillies and mares going 6 ½ furlongs on turf in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita.

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