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Truth Hurts Gets First Stakes Win In Perfect Sting At Belmont

Truth Hurts, trained and co-owned by Chad Summers with J Stables, registered a dominant victory in Saturday's $100,000 Perfect Sting Stakes for older fillies and mares contested at one mile over a sloppy and sealed main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The eighth running of the Perfect Sting was originally scheduled for one mile on the Widener turf course before inclement weather forced the race to the main track, resulting in the scratches of Honey Cake, Princess Grace, Sunset Kiss, Madita, and 4/5 morning-line favorite Viadera.

Truth Hurts, entered for the main track only, added blinkers and the services of Belmont Stakes-winning rider Luis Saez to secure her first stakes win in her fifth attempt.

Multiple graded-stakes placed Piedi Bianchi broke alertly under Flavien Prat and marked the quarter-mile in 23.88 seconds and the half-mile in 47.54 under outside pressure from Truth Hurts on the sloppy and sealed main track.

Main-track only entrant Velvet Crush, the 3-5 mutuel favorite under Jose Ortiz, stalked the pacesetters from third position into the turn as Truth Hurts took over from Piedi Bianchi and established a three-length lead at the stretch call.

Truth Hurts, the longest shot on the board at 8-1, continued to find more down the lane and powered home a 5 3/4-length winner in a final time of 1:37.48.

Piedi Bianchi completed the exacta, three lengths in front of Velvet Crush. Hogans Holiday, who trailed throughout, completed the order of finish.

Summers said the equipment change proved beneficial.

“She was getting better and better and we were just waiting for the right time to put the blinkers on her,” said Summers. “We put it on her last week and at that point, we were ready for an allowance race at Saratoga, but we saw the weather forecast here. We thought if it came off, we'd take a chance, and then we played the waiting game.

“My filly was ready, and we got the call around 12 or so that it was taken off the turf,” Summers added. “Everything worked out well. Luis was able to come in and it worked out.”

Saez said he felt confident throughout.

“She broke pretty nicely. She was right there behind the speed,” said Saez. “At the three-eighths [pole], she was very comfortable. She came out of the stretch and responded really well.”

The 4-year-old Tonalist bay graduated at first asking in December 2019 at Aqueduct Racetrack and followed with a smart optional-claiming win in January 2020 at the same track.

Bred in Ontario by William D. Graham, Truth Hurts continued her 3-year-old year with off-the-board efforts in the Busanda Stakes at the Big A and the Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park ahead of a good third in the Bison City at Woodbine in September. Truth Hurts completed a busy sophomore season with an eighth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico.

A $35,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, Truth Hurts notched her first win in four starts this season. She banked $55,000 in victory and returned $18 for a $2 win ticket.

Summers said Truth Hurts is rounding into form and will target opportunities at the Saratoga summer meet.

“We tried the Black-Eyed Susan and it was maybe a little too aggressive at that time,” said Summers. “We gave her some time off after that and it was just about getting her back into shape. She made some good moves.

“You lose the two-other-than condition now, but we'll regroup and go from here,” Summers continued. “With the prestigious meet in Saratoga coming up, there's always spots that are open, so we'll see once again if she belongs in that upper echelon as the racing gets tougher.”

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont with a 10-race Independence Day card highlighted by the $100,000 Manila Stakes in Race 9 and the $250,000 Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes in Race 10. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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Honor Code’s Max Player Upends Suburban

The betting public had Saturday's GII Suburban S. down to a battle between a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars': in one corner, Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), whose victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup made him favored at 85 cents on the dollar, and in the other, Happy Saver (Super Saver), who got the better of Mystic Guide when first they eyeballed one another in last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the clear second choice at 8-5. Max Player (Honor Code) had yet to beat a horse of the quality of either of those and was duly sent off a distant fourth choice at what some would deem underlaid odds of 11-1. He was clearly overmatched on paper, but as the old saying goes, they don't run races on paper, and the persevering 4-year-old outslugged the odds-on choice to cause the upset in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Happy Saver was no real menace in third.

Drawn five of six, with Mystic Guide to his inside and Happy Saver to his outer, Max Player wasn't the quickest out of the stalls but was soon clicked up by Ricardo Santana, Jr. and improved to be the pace-chaser as Moretti (Medaglia d'Oro)–a stakes winner at 11 and 14 furlongs–called the shots up front. Santana was content to lie second and wait for Moretti to play his hand, but Mystic Guide–perhaps a touch eager in his first start in 98 days–tugged for his head beneath Luis Saez, and Happy Saver was committed to an overland journey by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Racing one off the fence, Moretti took the Suburban field into the final four furlongs, but Saez immediately seized upon the opening at the inside and allowed Mystic Guide to advance into what appeared to be a pretty tight spot, causing him a moment's hesitation that may have briefly stopped any momentum he'd built up. Max Player kept pace three wide, but Mystic Guide looked to be doing the better work has he struck to the front right at the quarter pole. Shaken up at the three-sixteenths, Mystic Guide looked to have the race at his mercy, but he was tardy in switching his leads, drifted to his right despite right-handed urging and could not resist the persistent rally of Max Player in the run to the wire. Happy Saver, four wide off the home corner, stayed on at one pace while never a danger to the top two and just lasted for third over Moretti.

“He was training really well,” said the winning jockey. “He always runs well on this track. He always tries hard. Today, he broke well and put me right there. I took the spot and no one wanted to go. As soon as he felt [Mystic Guide] inside, he kept on fighting until the end.”

Mike Stidham, trainer of the beaten favorite, was not unduly dismayed, and said: “It's not that surprising that a horse coming off three months might get tired off this kind of a racetrack. Certainly no disgrace in defeat. He ran hard and ran well. We're going onward and rolling toward the Breeders' Cup. We'll see how he comes out of it and then start talking about what's next.”

Winner of the GIII Withers S. while under the care of Linda Rice last February, Max Player was caught up in the uncertainty surrounding the numerous COVID-19 cancellations and ended up–less than ideally–racing first off a 4 1/2-month absence in the GI Belmont S. in June. A creditable third to Tiz the Law (Constitution), he repeated the effort in the GI Runhappy Travers S. in early August, but when Rice expressed some doubt about a possible run in the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby, was moved to the Steve Asmussen barn. Fifth in the Run for the Roses and again in the GI Preakness S. a month later, Max Player had been soundly defeated in his two starts this term–an 11th-place effort in the Saudi Cup in February and a distant sixth in the GIII Pimlico Special S. when last seen May 15.

Pedigree Notes:

Kelly Breen signed the ticket on Fools In Love, going to $80,000 on behalf of K&G Stables at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale. A debut winner and multiple stakes placed at two, Fools In Love won her only black-type race in the 2009 Orleans S. at Delta Downs a few races before Hall's Truth and Justice (Yes It's True) was unfortunately pulled up when favored in the GIII Delta Princess S.

Fools In Love has gone on to be an integral part of Hall's broodmare operation and has bred five winners from five to race, including GSW & G1SP Seahenge (Scat Daddy), GSP Urban Bourbon (City Zip) and SP Frank's Folly (Mineshaft) prior to Max Player. The half-sister to MGSW International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus) was sold to Cheveley Park Stud for an even $1 million (offered not pregnant to Speightstown) at Keeneland November in 2017. Her first foal for that operation, the 2-year-old colt Homeric (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), fetched €175,000 from Jamie Railton Sales Agency as a foal at Goffs in 2019 and she has since produced a filly by Frankel (GB) and another Ulysses colt.

Saturday, Belmont
SUBURBAN S.-GII, $400,000, Belmont, 7-3, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.95, sy.
1–MAX PLAYER, 120, c, 4, by Honor Code
                1st Dam: Fools in Love (SW, $240,746), by Not For Love
                2nd Dam: Parlez, by French Deputy
                3rd Dam: Speak Halory, by Verbatim
($150,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-George E Hall & SportBLX
Thoroughbreds Corp; B-K & G Stables (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana Jr. $220,000. Lifetime Record:
MGISP, 10-3-1-2, $717,500. *1/2 to Seahenge (Scat Daddy),
GSW & G1SP-Eng, SP-Ire, $228,295; and to Urban Bourbon
(City Zip), GSP, $113,381. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mystic Guide, 124, c, 4, Ghostzapper–Music Note, by A.P.
Indy. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Michael
Stidham. $80,000.
3–Happy Saver, 124, c, 4, Super Saver–Happy Week, by
Distorted Humor. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $48,000.
Margins: NK, 2HF, NK. Odds: 11.80, 0.85, 1.60.
Also Ran: Moretti, Informative, Prioritize. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Mystic Guide Returns in Suburban

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), off since winning the G1 Dubai World Cup in March, makes his stateside return in the GII Suburban S. at Belmont Park Saturday. The Suburban, a 'Win and You're In' race for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, will feature a rematch between the handsome chestnut and Happy Saver (Super Saver), who bested him by 3/4 lengths in last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup.

In addition to his runner-up effort in the Gold Cup last October, Mystic Guide's 3-year-old campaign also included a win in the GII Jim Dandy S. He prepped for his trip to Dubai with a six-length romp over a sloppy track in the Feb. 27 GIII Razorback H., for which he earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Obviously, we don't really know how much the sloppy track played into that number,” said trainer Mike Stidham. “He came back in the Dubai World Cup and made the number look like it was real, which was good. We've given him plenty of time and he's had three months since that race to bounce back. Looking at him train and his weight and his coat, he's an absolute picture right now.”

Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver is now unbeaten in five career starts after returning from his Gold Cup win last fall with a one-mile allowance tally at Belmont May 28. The 4-year-old debuted a winner last June at Belmont and added a Saratoga allowance victory July 26 before winning the Sept. 7 Federico Tesio S.

“I think as an older horse he's a little more laid back in some of his works,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of Happy Saver. “He always performs well and he's really filled out and matured. For the way he ran in the Jockey Club Gold Cup last year, he's proven he likes that distance and that race looks even stronger now with what Mystic Guide has done.”

Of Mystic Guide's rematch with Happy Saver, Stidham said, “The bottom line is that they're both very good horses. I'm not taking anything for granted. I know Happy Saver has never been beaten and it won't be an easy race for us. I just hope we have the best horse.”

Pletcher also saddles Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Moretti (Medaglia d'Oro), who was second behind Tacitus (Tapit) in last year's Suburban. The 5-year-old was a front-running victor of the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone S. last August in his final 2020 outing. He resurfaced with a third-place effort in the 1 1/2-mile GII Brooklyn S. at Belmont June 5.

“The farther the better for him,” said Pletcher. “He ran OK in here last year and this would be a nice bridge to the Birdstone to try and defend his title there.”

The post Mystic Guide Returns in Suburban appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Grade 1 Winner Gufo Stretches out, Add Blinkers For Monday’s Grand Couturier

Otter Bend Stables' Grade 1-winner Gufo will stretch out in distance for Monday's inaugural running of the $150,000 Grand Couturier, a 12-furlong Widener turf test for older horses at Belmont Park.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old Declaration of War chestnut won 4-of-6 sophomore starts, including victories in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park and the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.

Clement said Gufo will add blinkers following late-running losses in his last three starts, including narrow defeats in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby by a neck in November at Del Mar; and the Grade 1 Man o' War by a nose in May at Belmont.

Last out, Gufo raced from 17 lengths off the pace before closing to finish third in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Manhattan on June 5 at Belmont.

“He's always way, way out of it and we're just trying to get him closer,” said Clement regarding the equipment change. “He's not going to be on the pace, but it would be great to have him not too far out of it. He's doing well and training well and I love the idea of running him back at Belmont.”

Clement said the Grand Couturier could serve as a steppingstone to the 12-furlong Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer, slated for August 28 at Saratoga, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Del Mar.

“The plan is to get to the Sword Dancer at Saratoga. That's our main summer goal,” said Clement.

Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 6.

Woodslane Farm's multiple graded stakes winner Sadler's Joy will make his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pan American on March 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, the $2.6 million earner, who captured the 2017 Grade 1 Sword Dancer, is in search of his first win since the 2019 Grade 3 Red Smith at Aqueduct. The 8-year-old Kitten's Joy chestnut did cross the wire first in the last year's Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga, but was disqualified and placed fourth.

Jose Ortiz has the call from post 3.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle a pair of contenders in Summer Wind Equine's Moon Over Miami and Trinity Farm's Red Knight.

Red Knight, a New York-homebred, captured the Grade 3 Sycamore in October at Keeneland going the Grand Couturier distance. The 7-year-old Pure Prize gelding boasts a record of 24-8-8-1 with four of those scores arriving on the Belmont turf, including the 2019 Point of Entry at 12 furlongs.

Moon Over Miami, a Kentucky homebred, closed from 15 lengths back to finish third, defeated a neck, last out in the Grade 1 Man o' War going 1 3/8-miles on the Belmont turf. The 4-year-old Malibu Moon colt captured the Dueling Grounds Derby at 1 5/16-miles on the Kentucky Downs turf in September.

Junior Alvarado will pilot Moon Over Miami from post 5, while Manny Franco will guide Red Knight from the inside post.

Three Diamonds Farm's Tide of the Sea, a 5-year-old son of English Channel bred in Kentucky by Juddmonte Farms, will look to make amends after finishing last-of-9 last out in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup contested at two miles over yielding turf.

Trained by Mike Maker, Tide of the Sea captured the 12-furlong Grade 3 William L. McKnight in January at Gulfstream Park and followed with a close second in the 11-furlong Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at the same track.

Tide of the Sea will emerge from post 7 under Luis Saez.

Rounding out a talented field are Fantasioso [post 2, Javier Castellano], Epic Bromance [post 4, Joe Bravo], Burning Bright [post 8, Eric Cancel], Shamrocket [post 9, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], and Kinenos [post 10, Jose Lezcano].

The Grand Couturier is slated as Race 6 on Monday's nine-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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