Tag: Belmont Stakes

Donegal Racing CEO Jerry Crawford Talks Belmont Score On Writers’ Room

The winner's circle after Saturday's GI Belmont S. surely rivaled any in Triple Crown history in terms of population after Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) crossed the wire three lengths to the good. In addition to Mike Repole and his substantial crew of family and friends, the celebration contained the massive partnership of Donegal Racing, which brings all of its investors along for the ride with every horse it purchases. Tuesday, the CEO of Donegal, Jerry Crawford, sat down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley of the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss the experience of sharing the Belmont triumph with so many people, how he uses algorithms to shop the sales, Donegal's new initiative to give their winning jockeys future stallion shares and more.

“When we had about 350 people at the Kentucky Derby, I had about had enough of the phone calls saying, 'Hey Jerry, can we get two double beds in our hotel room instead of one king bed?'” Crawford joked. “But I wouldn't trade it for anything. We had over 200 people at the Belmont, I think Mike had 80-something. He's been giving me a hard time, saying he never thought he'd be partners with somebody who brought more people to the races than he did. But the key thing about everybody owning part of every horse is that nobody ever gets disappointed–if we have a big horse in any year, nobody gets left out or feels like they bought the wrong horse.”

Asked about the background of the algorithm that guides him to buy particular sale horses, Crawford said the formula–and Donegal itself–was borne out of frustrations in trying to handicap, not win, the Kentucky Derby.

“About 2003 or so, my son Connor and I were talking about why we always get our asses kicked betting the Derby,” he said. “It seemed like one longshot after another would come along and we would be out of it. So we decided to try and find an algorithm that would help us pick a Derby winner. This is way before Donegal. What we discovered is that we couldn't find an algorithm to pick a winner, we were only able to pick horses that could not win under our algorithm. So I said to my very patient wife Linda, 'I'm going to take $250,000 to Lexington to the [Keeneland September] yearling sale and buy a horse that fits our algorithm', and she was cool with it. This was in 2008, when the stock market crashed, and when the stock market crashes, people stop buying boats and diamonds and racehorses and the rest. I ended up buying eight horses for $405,000 because of the market. One of those horses was eventual stakes winner Paddy O'Prado, who finished third in the Derby and fit our algorithm to a tee. So we proceeded from there. I did worry flying home from that sale that there was going to be hell to pay when I told my wife I bought eight horses, not one, but we got through that, and it's been good since.”

Crawford and Donegal had a unique experience this spring, winning the Belmont and also having a deep connection to the Derby winner. Keen Ice scored the most significant victory of the Donegal partnership's lifetime when upsetting Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 GI Travers S. Retired to stud for 2018, the multimillionaire son of Curlin has had mixed early results, but will forever be the sire of a Derby champion after 80-1 Rich Strike upset the Run for the Roses. Crawford was asked if he felt pride in that, even as Mo Donegal ran fifth with a tough trip that day.

“You use the right word, we were very, very proud to have been the people who picked out Keen Ice at the yearling sale,” he said. “Fortunately we weren't second [with Mo Donegal], so I'm glad [Rich Strike] won because it certainly flatters Keen Ice, who was a very special horse. It was a stunning victory when he beat American Pharoah up at Saratoga. I always stop to thank the Zayats in any conversation like this, because they were true sportspeople in running American Pharoah that day. They didn't have to do that. But by being sporting and putting the horse in the race, it gave us a chance for one of the biggest days in the history of horse racing.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to all the action from Belmont weekend and analyzed the implications of the Texas Racing Commission killing its simulcasting signals as a way to avoid the purview of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Following Triple Crown Finale, Saratoga Dates for Belmont Runners

GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and GI Kentucky Derby Rich Strike (Keen Ice), sixth in Saturday's Belmont, will now be pointed towards the Aug. 27 GI Runhappy Travers S., connections confirmed Sunday morning.

“I haven't really talked to the ownership group about it too much, but both of our Travers winners went through the Jim Dandy,” Mo Donegal's trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday. “So to me, if he has a prep between now and the Travers, that would make the most sense.”

The GII Jim Dandy will be run July 31 at Saratoga.

Nest (Curlin), runner-up in both the GI Kentucky Oaks and the Belmont S., will also have Saratoga targets this summer, Pletcher said.

“I thought she ran great,” Pletcher said of the filly. “We'll target the [Aug. 20 GI] Alabama and decide if we want to target the [July 23 GI] Coaching Club before that or not. I think she solidified what we already felt going into the Kentucky Oaks. Everyone talked about it being one of the deeper Oaks in a while. I think that Nest showed that to be the case yesterday.”

Mo Donegal gave Pletcher his fourth Belmont S. triumph, following 2007 winner Rags to Riches, 2013 winner Palace Malice and 2017 victor Tapwrit. Saturday's win put Pletcher on even terms with his former boss, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.

“That's an honor,” Pletcher said of the tie. “I consider him to be the best of all time, so that's pretty cool.”

Eric Reed, trainer of Rich Strike, said the Derby winner exited Saturday's race in fine shape and he is looking forward to cutting back in distance for the 1 1/4-mile Travers.

“We were going there [to the Travers] win, lose or draw,” Reed said. “We're going to give him a little rest and that's a mile and a quarter and there'll be plenty of speed. The track will play to his liking and we'll run another bang-up race. I have no doubt about that. We'll give him three or four easy weeks and then start training him up to the Travers. He'll train in Kentucky and train [at Saratoga] a little.”

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The Week in Review: The Day That Jack Christopher and Flightline Stole the Show

After winning the GII Remsen S. and the GII Wood Memorial S. and running a credible fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby, Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) put it all together on Saturday. He was the decisive winner of the GI Belmont S. to give New Yorker Mike Repole a one-two finish in the final leg of the Triple Crown at his home track. It was a good story and a good performance from a very good horse.

It was not, however, the highlight of the day.

It's hard to overshadow a Triple Crown race, but that's exactly what happened Saturday at Belmont Park, where we saw a pair of performances from two special horses that are freakishly fast and talented. It's rare when horses can live up to the hype, but Flightline (Tapit) and Jack Christopher (Munnings) didn't meet expectations, they shattered them. These are superstars.

As impressive as Flightline had been in his first three starts, he came into the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. with something to prove. He had won the GI Runhappy Malibu S., but that was against 3-year-olds and at seven furlongs. The Met was an entirely differently story. Though there were just five horses in the field, the competition included GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun), GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Happy Saver (Super Saver) and the hottest horse on the East Coast, GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).

It was going to be the first true test of his brief career and the test became even more daunting when he broke a step slow. That kept him from getting the lead, which was where jockey Flavien Prat wanted his horse to be. Riding the rail, Prat tried to squeeze past Speaker's Corner but it didn't work. Flightline had to regroup, take back and come around Speaker's Corner. None of it mattered. He swept past a fading Speaker's Corner on the turn and proceeded to gallop away from the field to win by six lengths over Happy Saver. He's not just good, he's tenacious.

Flightline earned a 112 Beyer speed figure.

While it may seem sacrilegious to say that a horse who has only run four times is among the best horses we've ever seen, in the case of Flightline, it doesn't seem like a stretch. That's how dominant he's been and how fast he has run. Horses that can do what he can do come around once in a decade, if even that.

How good is Jack Christopher? We still don't know.

He showed a tremendous amount of potential when winning the GI Champagne S. last year but a shin problem kept him out of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He had to have surgery, so he was not ready for the Triple Crown races. Instead, trainer Chad Brown took his time and had Jack Christopher ready for the GII Pat Day Mile on Derby Day. He won the Pat Day Mile by 3 3/4 lengths and was arguably the best 3-year-old to perform that day at Churchill Downs.

Not ready to go a 1 1/2 miles, Jack Christopher bypassed the Belmont and was sent to the GI Woody Stephens S. at seven furlongs. As good as he had been in his three prior starts, it was the Woody Stephens where he made a statement. He won by 10 lengths and earned a 107 Beyer, nine points higher than the number given to Mo Donegal. Once again, he was the best 3-year-old to perform on the card.

The Belmont is the unofficial ending of the first half of the season and the second half figures to include some of the best races we have seen in some time.

As for the 3-year-olds, it's been hard to define who's the best of the group since so many horses ducked one or more of the Triple Crown races. Starting with the GI Haskell S., which is expected to attract Jack Christopher, that should change. This year, the Haskell, the GII Jim Dandy S., the GI Runhappy Travers S. and the GI Pennsylvania Derby may turn out to be more important than the Triple Crown races. You might just get a race that includes some combination of Jack Christopher, Rich Strike (Keen Ice), Early Voting (Gun Runner), Mo Donegal and the division's unluckiest horse, Epicenter (Not This Time).

It's not clear yet where Flightline will run next. The GI Whitney H. at 1 1/8 miles seems like the perfect spot but after the Belmont, co-owner Kostas Hronis mentioned the GI Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles when asked about Flightline's next race.  Considering that he's by Tapit and probably better suited to those distances and two-turn races than what he has been running in, there's every chance he might even get better. It's a scary thought.

The older-horse division also includes Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who looked so good when winning the GI Pegasus World Cup, where he thrashed Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter). After running fourth in the G1 Dubai World Cup, he's scheduled to come back in the July 2 GII John A. Nerud S. at Belmont before going in the Whitney. And don't forget about Country Grammer (Tonalist), the winner of the Dubai World Cup. He'll resurface soon.

A lot can happen between now and the Breeders' Cup Classic and the key for every horse is that they have to stay healthy. But there's a chance that the Classic could include Flightline, Jack Christopher, Life Is Good, Country Grammer, Rich Strike, Early Voting, Mo Donegal, Epicenter and a bunch of other really good horses. Let's hope so. It could be one of the best fields ever assembled.

Super Trainers Dominate at Belmont

While it's nice to see a “little guy” like trainer Eric Reed win the Kentucky Derby, the reality is that the “super trainers” have become more dominant than ever. The very best horses in the sport are concentrated in the hands of just a few trainers, which is not a good thing.

The top four trainers in the nation in terms of earnings combined to win seven of the nine graded stakes run Saturday at Belmont.  Steve Asmussen, who is first, won the GI Ogden Phipps S. with Clairiere (Curlin). Chad Brown, who is second, won the GI Woody Stephens with Jack Christopher, the GI Just A Game S. with Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and the GI Manhattan S. with Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}). Pletcher, who is third, won the Belmont and the Brooklyn S. with Fearless (Ghostzapper). Fourth-place holder Brad Cox won the GI Acorn S. with Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile).

Mike Maker, who is fifth in the earnings standings, did not have a Belmont day winner. Bill Mott, who is sixth, did. He won the GI Jaipur S. with Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed). John Sadler, who is the trainer of Flightline and is 19th in the standings, was the only trainer not among the top six in earnings to win a stakes race. Brown, Asmussen and Cox also won graded stakes Friday at Belmont.

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Prat in a New York State of Mind for Belmont Stakes Day

ELMONT, NY – There will be a capped crowd of 50,000 on hand for Saturday's blockbuster GI Belmont Stakes program. Nobody will have a better seat in the house all day than jockey Flavien Prat.

The 29-year-old Frenchman will be aboard 2-1 morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' We the People (Constitution) in the final leg of the Triple Crown. He will also pilot unbeaten sensation and fellow 'Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) in the prestigious GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. Both will exit from post one.

WinStar Farm, Bobby Flay, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm's We the People will take on seven rivals–including GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice), Derby fifth-place finisher Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and the filly Nest (Curlin)–in the 1 1/2-mile Classic. He's clearly the one to catch off his 10 1/4-length, front-running romp for trainer Rodolphe Brisset in the Belmont slop in the GIII Peter Pan S.

With Saturday's forecast calling for cloudy skies and temperatures nearing 80 degrees, he'll have a fast main track to work with this time.

“I think the talent is there,” Prat said. “His Peter Pan was a really good race. It's just a question mark with the distance, but it seems like we are all in the same boat.”

The unbeaten Flightline, pound-for-pound the most exciting horse in training, has won his first three starts in Southern California for trainer John Sadler by a combined margin of a whopping 37 1/2 lengths, led by his last out jaw-dropping score with a gaudy 118 Beyer Speed Figure in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. Dec. 26. He will face off against the ultra-talented GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) as well as last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun) in the highly coveted stallion-making race. The $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and 3-5 morning-line choice is campaigned in partnership by Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, breeder Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing.

“He feels like a special horse,” Prat said. “He's been responding really well to everything we ask him to do. He could be any type of horse.”

Some of Prat's other high-profile mounts on the absolutely loaded 13-race card include:

  • Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) (GI Acorn S.) (Brad Cox) (6-5)
  • Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (GI Longines Just a Game S.) (Chad Brown) (even-money)
  • Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) (GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S.) (Chad Brown) (4-1)
  • Bonny South (Munnings) (GI Ogden Phipps S.) (Brad Cox) (8-1)
  • Pappacap (Gun Runner) (GI Woody Stephens S.) (Mark Casse) (10-1)

Prat's rapidly growing resume already includes wins in the first two legs of the Triple Crown and a trio of Breeders' Cup victories. In the irons aboard promoted 2019 GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Country House (Lookin At Lucky) as well as last year's GI Preakness S. hero Rombauer (Twirling Candy), he looks to go one better in the Belmont following a huge second-place finish aboard Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in 2021. Prat won last year's GI Manhattan S. on the Belmont undercard aboard Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}).

“Whether it's the Belmont, Preakness, Derby or Breeders' Cup weekends, this is the goal when you're a jockey,” Prat said. “You want to ride the best horses and face the best riders. That's the main goal. When you have the chance to ride and participate in these types of weekends, I'm obviously really grateful.”

After dominating the scene in Southern California for the past few years, Prat, somewhat surprisingly, shifted his tack to Belmont–home of the deepest jockey colony in the country–earlier this spring. His goal for the remainder of the year is simple: win an Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding jockey.

“I was doing really well out there, but if I ever wanted to try New York, I felt like it was the right time to do it,” Prat said of relocating to Long Island along with his wife and two young children. “Try to keep improving my riding style and see what we can do out here.”

It's no coincidence that recent Eclipse Award winners Joel Rosario (2021), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2018-20), Jose Ortiz (2017) and Javier Castellano (2013-16) all called the Big Apple home. Prat, represented by agent Brad Pegram, was an Eclipse finalist last year while boasting a career high in victories (246) and earnings ($23,214,813). Prat's first full season riding in North America was 2015.

“That's the whole point, to ride with the best riders in the country and also to try to keep improving,” Prat said.

He concluded, “I'm really happy here.”

Stars Come Out on Belmont Stakes Day…

Quality over quantity.

In addition to an intriguing renewal of the GI Belmont S. and a showdown for the ages in the five-deep GI Hill 'n' Dale Met Mile,

there will be six other Grade I events, albeit with some short fields, held on Saturday's star-studded program.

Champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) will cut back in distance to a one-turn mile in the GI Acorn S. after suffering the first defeat of her brilliant career while tiring to fourth in the GI Kentucky Oaks. She will meet just four rivals in the Acorn, led by the streaking Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile), a good-looking winner of the GII Eight Belles S. on the Oaks undercard.

The undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings), a dominating return winner in the GII Pat Day Mile S., puts his unblemished three-for-three record on the line against five fellow sophomores in the GI Woody Stephens S. The 1-2 morning-line favorite won last year's GI Champagne S. at Belmont in the fall before scratching from the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a stress fracture in his left shin. The seven-furlong contest is named in honor of the legendary late trainer Woody Stephens, who won five consecutive renewals of the Belmont Stakes from 1982-86.

Champions Letruska (Super Saver) and 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) will clash in a highly anticipated GI Ogden Phipps S. The former has five top-level wins to her credit, including a wire-to-wire tally in this race last year, and is perfect in two attempts since a forgettable performance in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Last term's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Malathaat, a good third in the Distaff, kicked off her 4-year-old campaign with a well-timed win in Keeneland's GIII Baird Doubledogdare S.

The best wagering opportunities of the day will likely come in two of the grass stakes.

Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) returns for the 13-deep GI Jaipur S. after pulling off a 10-1 upset last year. Arrest Me Red (Pioneerof the Nile), a last out winner of the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S., is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

A field of 10, led by GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. winner Santin (Distorted Humor), MGISW Gufo (Declaration of War) and GI Man o' War S. upsetter Highland Chief (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), will line up for the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. Trainer Chad Brown has won the Manhattan a record seven times, and will send out a trio–Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}), L'Imperator (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})–seeking a fourth straight.

Speaking of Brown, he will also saddle the three top choices–Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a visually impressive heroine of the GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. in her U.S. debut, MGISW 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})–in the five-horse GI Longines Just a Game S. He won this race four straight years between 2017-20.

First post for the 13-race program, featuring a trio of Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' events (Met Mile, Ogden Phipps and Jaipur), is 11:20 a.m. ET. Post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:44 p.m.

National television coverage of Belmont Stakes Day will begin on FS2, where America's Day at the Races will air from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coverage shifts to CNBC from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and NBC from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here for our Belmont Stakes day video preview from TDN Writers' Room.

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