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‘Hard-Running’ Step Dancer Should Appreciate Extra Distance In Jockey Club Derby

Hayward Pressman, Diamond M Stable and Donna R. Pressman's New York-bred Step Dancer will step into elite company in Saturday's $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational, a 12-furlong test on the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

The Jockey Club Derby, 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.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Step Dancer showed promise as a juvenile posting a 24-1 debut win traveling 1 1/16 miles on the Saratoga turf last September before finishing third in the Grade 2 Pilgrim in October at Belmont Park. The War Dancer bay completed a solid campaign with a three-quarter length score against open company in the 1 1/16-mile Awad over yielding Belmont turf on October 31.

Tagg said he appreciates Step Dancer's willingness to compete.

“I've watched a lot of horses over the years. Everything you see about him in the morning gives you confidence. He's an athlete,” said Tagg.

Bred in the Empire State by Sugar Plum Farm and Richard Pressman, Step Dancer launched his sophomore campaign in March with an off-the-board effort in the Cutler Bay at Gulfstream Park ahead of a close third in a 1 1/16-mile New York-bred allowance optional claimer on May 13 at Belmont Park.

Step Dancer was a late-closing second in the seven-furlong NYSSS Spectacular Bid on June 19 at Belmont and will enter Saturday's test on a high note after overcoming a troubled start in the one-mile NYSSS Cab Calloway on July 28 at the Spa, rallying four-wide down the lane to defeat his fellow eligible New York-sired rivals.

Tagg said he wasn't surprised by the game effort.

“He's a hard-running horse. He likes to do it,” Tagg said. “I don't know if he's a great horse or not, but I have a lot of confidence in him. He tries every time.”

Tagg said Step Dancer should appreciate the significant stretch out in distance.

“I've never felt like he couldn't run long. I might change my mind this coming Sunday, but not yet,” Tagg said with a laugh. “He's always seemed like he could go a distance. Anything you ask him to do, he does it. He loves his sport. Some horses are just like that.”

Jockey Dylan Davis has never finished off the board in five starts piloting Step Dancer and will retain the mount from post 5 in a field headlined by European raiders Bolshoi Ballet and Yibir.

The veteran conditioner said he will let Davis work out a sensible trip.

“It all depends on the pace of the race as you go along. You can be laying fifth and it might be just like taking him back in another race,” Tagg said. “Dylan's a good rider. He's intelligent and fearless. He's ridden very well for me.”

Tagg has enjoyed great success with New York-breds in his career, capturing two-thirds of the 2003 Triple Crown [Kentucky Derby and Preakness] with Funny Cide, and completing the set last year with Tiz the Law's popular score in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Step Dancer, who will look to add another New York-bred moment to Tagg's impressive ledger, posted an easy five-furlong breeze in 1:01.85 Sunday on the Belmont inner turf in his final preparation for Saturday's test.

“He went fine. I don't think they have to go out there and show off every time they breeze. He's done everything we've asked him to do,” said Tagg.

Regardless of the result on Saturday, Tagg said he appreciates Step Dancer's winning spirit.

“He's a very honest horse. Tried and true,” Tagg said. “They're [good horses] hard to find but he is one and no matter how he runs on Saturday, he's alright by me.”

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The Mean Queen Overtakes Snap Decision In Lonesome Glory

Buttonwood Farm's The Mean Queen bested the boys for a second consecutive Grade 1 start, ending Snap Decision's nine-race winning streak in a gritty stretch duel in Thursday's $150,000 Lonesome Glory, a 2 1/2-mile steeplechase event for older horses on Opening Day of the Belmont Park fall meet.

Trained by Keri Brion, the 5-year-old Doyen mare entered from a 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1, $150,000 Jonathan Sheppard on August 18 at Saratoga Race Course.

With Richard Condon up, The Mean Queen, the 7-5 second choice, tracked in third position as Bodes Well led the seven-horse field through the first circuit of the Belmont turf course with Amschel in second and 4-5 favorite Snap Decision, under Graham Watters, settled near the back of the pack in fifth.

Bodes Well attempted to sprint away from the field in the final run down the backstretch as Snap Decision advanced into third position beside The Mean Queen. The two rivals found their best run midway around the final turn easily overtaking Bodes Well to set up a memorable stretch duel.

Snap Decision, carrying a field-high 164 pounds, loomed large with his outside position turning for home but The Mean Queen, assigned 157 pounds, continued to find more, powering through the wire a two-length winner in a final time of 4:37.83.

“I thought the race would pretty much go exactly like that, but I didn't know if that would be the outcome,” Brion said. “She's so tough and I said to Richie, 'If you can just get her a neck in front of him, that's our best chance because she'll never let him pass.' That's how she works in the morning. Everything she works with, even if they're going slow, she's just like, 'No. You're not getting past me.'

“Snap came up to her and she kept that neck around the bend,” added Brion. “I knew at the eighth-pole she wasn't going to let him get past. She's just something else.”

The Mean Queen has provided Brion with a number of memorable moments this year, including a victory in April at Ireland's Wexford Racecourse that made her the first U.S.-based trainer to win an Irish hurdle race.

Condon was full of praise for The Mean Queen and her formidable foe.

“They are the two best [steeplechase] horses in America at the moment. The public were really watching this race and the hype between the two horses was really immense,” Condon said. “To get the ride in such a big race against a horse like Snap Decision was just great, and full credit goes to Keri and the mare herself. That was a serious performance.”

Condon said he was a little bit concerned about racing room approaching the stretch run.

“I knew he [Snap Decision] was there, and he made an attempt to keep me in behind Bodes Well,” Condon said. “I made a move sooner than I had planned, but I was delighted to have the rail to guide me to the wire with a top notch animal underneath me.

“That was a proper Grade 1 by American standards,” Condon added. “Snap Decision lost nothing in defeat. I think the two of them are proper Grade 1 horses and they would be able to compete in Grade 1 races in Ireland and England. That's the caliber of horse they are. America is lucky to have them.”

Bruton Street's Snap Decision posted a nine-race win streak dating to 2019 and entered from a Grade 1 win in the Calvin Houghland Iroquois in June at Percy Warner for Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher.

Snap Decision's pilot said he is hopeful of turning the tables in the Grand National at Far Hills, should the two foes meet again.

“He was carrying seven pounds more than her. Lucky enough at Far Hills, in four weeks' time, we'll all go off at level weights,” Watters said. “You'd like to think judging off the weights, he'd be able to beat her by open lengths. I thought I was a winner turning in, but the closer we got to the line I could feel that weight getting to me more and more.”

Redicean completed the trifecta with Amschel, Bodes Well, Brianbakescookies and Galway Kid rounding out the order of finish.

Bred in Ireland by Kevin Purfield, The Mean Queen banked $90,000 in victory while improving her career ledger to 8-6-1-0. She returned $4.90 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing returns Friday at Belmont with a nine-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Allied Forces in Race 7 and the $100,000 Christiecat in Race 8. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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All-Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Features Racing From Belmont, Churchill, Woodbine

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring action from Belmont Park, Churchill Downs and Woodbine Racetrack.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Saturday's sequence will kick off with a pair of Turf Triple series events from Belmont beginning with the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational in Race 9 at 5:14 p.m.

The Jockey Club Oaks, a 1 3/8-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, features European invaders Creative Flair and Harajuku taking on five American-based contenders led by the Chad Brown-trained duo of Higher Truth and Shantisara.

The $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational [Race 10, 5:45 p.m.] for sophomores at 12 furlongs, features Grade 1-winner Bolshoi Ballet, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Derby here for trainer Aidan O'Brien in July.

Providing steep opposition in the “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $4 million Longines Turf in November at Del Mar are recent Group 2-winner Yibir, a Godolphin homebred trained by Charlie Appleby; and Belmont Derby runner-up Tokyo Gold conditioned by Satoshi Kobayashi for owner-breeder Teruya Yoshida.

The middle leg will feature the Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile [Race 10, 6:12 p.m.], contested at one turn on the E. P. Taylor Turf Course and featuring a trio of runners from Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse in March to the Arch, Olympic Runner and Ride a Comet. The Brown-trained Raging Bull, who was placed third in the 2019 Woodbine Mile, will look to add a fourth Grade 1 win to his ledger. The winner will receive a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile.

The sequence will conclude with a pair of 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 events for 2-year-olds from the evening card at Churchill Downs both offering “Win and You're In” berths to the Breeders' Cup in November at Del Mar led by the Pocahontas for juvenile fillies in Race 8 at 9:39 p.m.

A talented field includes James McIngvale's Joyrunner, a Gun Runner chestnut, who is perfect in two starts at Indiana Grand for trainer Laura Wohlers. Hidden Connection, condition by Bret Calhoun, garnered a field-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure in a 7 1/2-length debut romp sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs at Colonial Downs, while the Norm Casse-trained Ontheonesandtwos will look to make amends following an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle a pair of top juveniles in Stellar Tap and Guntown in the Iroquois [Race 9, 10:11 p.m.] to conclude the sequence.

Stellar Tap, a $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase by Tapit, romped by 5 1/4-lengths on debut sprinting seven furlongs on August 7 at Saratoga. Guntown, by Gun Runner and purchased for $750,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, graduated at second asking in a one-mile maiden special weight at Ellis Park.

The improving Roger McQueen, by Unified, was a last out winner of the Runhappy Ellis Park Juvenile for trainer Larry Rivelli, garnering a 70 Beyer in the seven-furlong sprint. Roger McQueen was a $530,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle $420,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase Major General, a dark bay son of Constitution, for his stakes debut following a first-out win sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs in August at the Spa.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, September 18:
Leg A: Belmont Park-Race 9, Jockey Club Oaks (5:14 p.m.)
Leg B: Belmont Park- Race 10, Jockey Club Derby (5:45 p.m.)
Leg C: Woodbine -Race 10, G1 Woodbine Mile (6:12 p.m.)
Leg D: Churchill -Race 8, G3 Pocahontas (9:39 p.m.)
Leg E: Churchill-Race 9, G3 Iroquois (10:11 p.m.)

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Lone Rock Will Try To Sustain Hot Streak In Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational

Flying P Stable's graded stakes-winner Lone Rock has won his last four starts and will look to extend his streak as part of a six-horse field in Saturday's $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational for 4-year-olds and up competing at 1 5/8 miles over the Belmont Park main track.

The race's second-ever edition, slated as Race 4, is one of three stakes on Saturday's 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational, for 3-year-olds going 1 1/2 miles on the Widener turf, in a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Del Mar while also serving as the final leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for males; and the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational for sophomore fillies going 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Lone Rock has been a force in his 6-year-old campaign, winning five of his six starts for trainer Robertino Diodoro and seven of his last eight overall. His only non-win still resulted in a runner-up effort in the Temperence Hill in March at Oaklawn Park, which preceded victories in a pair of 1 1/2-mile contests in the Isaac Murphy Marathon in April at Churchill Downs followed by a dominating 11 1/4-length score in the Grade 2 Brooklyn presented by Northwell Health on Belmont Stakes Day June 5 over Big Sandy that netted Lone Rock a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

Lone Rock registered a four-length win in the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone on August 5 at historic Saratoga Race Course and will once again contest a marathon distance in running 13 furlongs. After spending the summer stabled at Saratoga, Lone Rock returned to Belmont and breezed four furlongs in 48.26 seconds over the main track on Saturday.

“He's doing great, He had a real good work this past weekend and he's just a monster right now,” Diodoro said. “He's training great, looks great and he's filled out over the past few months. We just have to keep him happy and healthy.”

The Majestic Warrior gelding will attempt to go 2-for-2 at Belmont, drawing post 4 with Ramon Vazquez, who has been aboard for all four wins in the streak, back in the irons.

“Ramon is one of the most underrated riders there is,” Diodoro said. “He has soft and quiet hands and this horse likes that. He puts him in position early, lets him do his thing and I think that's what this horse likes.”

Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Moretti ran on turf for the first time in 15 career starts last out, finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on August 28 at Saratoga.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will now move the 5-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro back to the more familiar main track, where Moretti racked up victories in the 2020 Flat Out and Birdstone at Belmont.

No stranger to long distances at Belmont, Moretti ran third in the Grade 2 Brooklyn and followed with a fourth-place effort in the 1 1/4-mile Grade 2 Suburban over a sloppy and sealed track on July 3.

After two starts at Saratoga – finishing third in the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone on August 5 before his foray to grass in the Sword Dancer – Moretti will return to Belmont, breaking from post 5 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. set to ride.

Empty Tomb, claimed for $80,000 out of a third-place finish in a 1 1/8-mile contest on August 7 at the Spa, will make his first start for owner John Grossi's Racing Corp and trainer Robert Falcone, Jr.

The 5-year-old son of Speightstown is 4-4-5 in 20 career starts and will be making his first stakes appearance since running sixth in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Stephen Foster in June at Churchill Downs for then-conditioner Mike Maker. Empty Tomb will be seeking his first career stakes win, exiting from post 3 with Luis Saez picking up the mount following a successful Saratoga meet in which he won the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title.

Locally Owned, who like Lone Rock is owned by Flying P Stable, will return to stakes company for the first time in seven starts. The gelded son of Distorted Humor has finished in the money in two of his four starts since trainer Tom Morley took over the training duties after Locally Owned as claimed for $40,000 out of a seventh-place finish in February at Fair Grounds.

Under Morley's care, Locally Owned bested optional claimers by a half length going 1 1/16 miles over Big Sandy on April 30. Following an off-the-board finish in May at Belmont going a one-turn mile, Locally Owned finished second in a 1 1/8-mile off-the-turf contest on July 25 at Saratoga before running eighth last out on the same track on September 5.

Jockey Dylan Davis will pick up the mount in breaking from the outermost post 6.

Knights R B Stable's Mo Gotcha crossed the wire second in his start two weeks ago but was elevated to first when Candy Tycoon was disqualified. Trainer Naipaul Chatterpaul claimed Mo Gotcha for $40,000 out of that contest, and the 5-year-old Uncle Mo gelding will now make his first start for his new connections in his first-ever stakes appearance in his 21st career start overall.

Jalon Samuel will be aboard Mo Gotcha for the first time, exiting post 1.

Robert Amendola's Chris and Dave has finished on the board in his last nine starts spanning four different trainers. The now 8-year-old Bluegrass Cat gelding has been a popular claiming horse and has done well for current conditioner Mertkan Kantarmaci, who saddled Chris and Dave to a second-place finish in a one-mile off-the-turf optional claimer on July 3 at Belmont before he ran third in a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming race that was also taken off the turf on July 25 at Saratoga.

Kantarmaci, who has won four straight NYRA “Under 20s Claiming Challenges,” will see Manny Franco take over as jockey for Chris and Dave, drawing post 2.

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