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Higher Truth Looks To Get Over Hump in JC Oaks

Higher Truth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has had the misfortune of running into some of the best the 3-year-old filly turf division has to offer in her two most recent appearances, but looks to be the one that have to beat in Saturday's $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. at Belmont Park.

A 500,000gns purchase by Mike Ryan at Tattersalls October-Book 1 in 2019, Higher Truth won back-to-back races over 10 furlongs of this turf course during the spring/summer meeting, then just failed to reel in the fast-finishing Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and pacesetting Con Lima (Commissioner) in the GI Belmont Oaks July 10. The bay was getting to the latter when they last met in the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational, missing by 3/4 of a length. Santa Barbara also did her part to frank the form of the Belmont Oaks with her convincing defeat of older rivals in the GI Beverly D. S. at Arlington Aug. 14.

Speaking of the Chicago oval, former French claiming horse Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) improved on a runner-up effort in the June 26 Boiling Springs S. to validate 9-5 favoritism in the GIII Pucker Up S., carrying Flavien Prat to a three-length victory.

Harakuju (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is an intriguing new shooter for the Niarchos Family's Flaxman Holdings and trainer Andre Fabre. The homebred bested Incarville (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G3 Prix Cleopatre over an extended 10-furlong trip in May, but may have struggled with easier ground when only seventh to that foe in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary a bit more than three weeks later. Sixth, but close, in the G1 Prix de Diane June 20, Harakuju was short of room and fractionally unlucky when fourth in the G3 Prix de Psyche at Deauville Aug. 3 and posted a similar finish in the G2 Prix de la Nonette Aug. 21. Stephane Pasquier should have her handy to the pace and quicker ground could work in her favor.

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Jockey Club Derby: Tango Tango Tango Should ‘Switch Off’ Without Blinkers

Following a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Bruce D on August 14 at Arlington Park, trainer Jack Sisterson will make an equipment change with Calumet Farm's Tango Tango Tango, who will race with blinkers off in Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont.

The 12-furlong test for sophomores on the Widener turf, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1, $4 million Longines Turf in November at Del Mar, is the final leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for males that commenced with the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby [won by Bolshoi Ballet] in July and continued with the Grade 1, $1 million Saratoga Derby [won by State of Rest] in August at historic Saratoga Race Course.

The Jockey Club Derby is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's lucrative 11-race card which will also feature the 1 3/8-mile $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks, the concluding leg of the Turf Triple series for 3-year-old fillies, in Race 9; and the 1 5/8-mile $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational in Race 4.

The Tourist bay broke his maiden at fourth asking against stakes company in the 1 1/16-mile American Derby on July 17 at Arlington Park when racing with blinkers for the first time. He sported blinkers once more in the last-out Bruce D, where he was a close second down the backstretch before taking command at the quarter-pole. Unable to hold off a mid-stretch confrontation from Point Me By, Tango Tango Tango fended off a game Ginsburned to complete the exacta.

“We pulled the blinkers off to see if we can get him relaxed and get him the distance, and we have a big positive with having Flavien Prat aboard,” Sisterson said. “We'd like to see him switch off a touch more. The removal of the blinkers will get him to switch off. I'd be shocked if he's not on the lead tomorrow, especially drawing the rail. Not sure what Ryan [Moore aboard Bolshoi Ballet] will do on his horse, but I think we'll get an easy lead and hopefully take them all the way.”

Sisterson added that Tango Tango Tango has matured since his American Derby coup.

“He's got that natural speed about him,” Sisterson said. “We put the blinkers on him just to get that maiden win. He's a horse that trains forwardly and doesn't need them. It was just something he needed at the time, but he finally figured out how to put his head in front.”

Tango Tango Tango will make his first start past 1 1/16 miles on Saturday and Sisterson said that the added distance should be no problem for the horse, who scratched out of the Franklin-Simpson on September 11 at Kentucky Downs.

“Looking at his form, he always acted like a two-turn type,” Sisterson said. “The farther the better. When he got invited to this race tomorrow, it was a no brainer for us to scratch out of Kentucky Downs. I don't see the distance being an issue. In his works, he gallops out strong and he puts a lot of energy into his gallops.”

Tango Tango Tango is the fourth offspring out of the Deputy Commander mare First Consul, whose three other progeny are all winners.

Sisterson also added that Grade 1 A.G. Vanderbilt winner Lexitonian and Grade 1 Man o' War victor Channel Cat are likely to train up to their respective Breeders' Cup aspirations. Lexitonian, a son of Speightstown, is on target for the Breeders' Cup Sprint while English Channel progeny Channel Cat will point for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf.

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Weekend Lineup: Six Breeders’ Cup Berths Up For Grabs

A sextet of expenses-paid berths in the Breeders' Cup World Championships are up for grabs this weekend as the racing action heats up across the country. Graded stakes at Churchill Downs, Belmont Park, and Woodbine Racetrack are on the “Win and You're In” list, along with a quartet of MATCH Series stakes being held at Laurel Park on Saturday.

Kicking off the Breeders' Cup Challenge races will be the Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont Park, which features Belmont Derby winner Bolshoi Ballet returning stateside for trainer Aidan O'Brien. The Galileo colt ran fourth last out in the Saratoga Derby, but the stretch out to 1 1/2 miles should suit him well.

The G1 Woodbine Mile winner will earn a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Mile, and the $1 million race has drawn a contentious group of 10. Turf maestro Chad Brown will send out Raging Bull, while dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse plans to saddle a three-pronged attack led by Ride A Comet. Brad Cox sends Set Piece north of the border with the red-hot Joel Rosario to pick up the mount.

The other four Breeders' Cup Challenge races offer slots to 2-year-olds on Future Stars Friday: Churchill's G3 Pocahontas to the Juvenile Fillies, Churchill's G3 Iroquois to the Juvenile, Woodbine's G1 Summer to the Juvenile Turf, and Woodbine's G1 Natalma to the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Check out the full schedule of stakes action here:

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Belmont Park: Friday’s Card Features $44,798 Pick 6 Carryover

The Pick 6 on Friday will be bolstered by a $44,798 carryover as the multi-race wager went unsolved on Opening Day of the Belmont Park fall meet

The $1 Pick 6 returned $574 to bettors who selected 4-of-6 winners correctly.

Thursday's Pick 6 kicked off in Race 4 with O'Gotten Girl [No. 1, $11] winning a six-furlong maiden special weight for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on the Widener turf for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Amore Fire [No. 1, $16.60] prevailed in Race 5, a six-furlong maiden claiming sprint for juvenile fillies on Big Sandy. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano engineered the winning trip for conditioner Wayne Potts.

In Race 6, jockey Kendrick Carmouche guided the Brittany Russell-conditioned Adelaide Miss [No. 8, $26.20] to a narrow score over Evvie Jets [No. 9] in a one-mile allowance optional-claiming event on the Widener turf for sophomore fillies.

Alcools [post 2, $10] won Race 7, a $40,000 claiming sprint for 3-year-olds and up, under jockey Jose Ortiz for trainer Chris Englehart; and Temple [No. 2, $16.20] continued a difficult sequence by winning Race 8, a 10-furlong inner turf allowance optional-claiming event for 3-year-olds and up.

The carryover was already confirmed heading into the Race 9 finale with four horses – Mill Stone Creek (No. 3), Elegant Laoban (No. 6), Angeloverthepulpit (No. 7) and Killoean Rose (No. 12) – uncovered in the Late Pick 5.

Mondeuse [No. 2] set the pace in the 1 1/16-mile maiden claiming tilt on the Widener turf for state-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, but Constitutionalrage [No. 1, $18.40] enjoyed a perfect ground-saving trip under Jose Lezcano before angling out to launch her winning bid in the stretch run for trainer Bruce Brown.

The Late Pick 5 returned $20,353.50 on the $0.50 wager.

Friday's Pick 6 kicks off in Race 4 at 2:34 p.m. Eastern and includes the $100,000 Allied Forces in Race 7 and the $100,000 Christiecat in Race 8. First post on the nine-race card is 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at http://www.NYRABets.com.

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