belmont | Horse Racing Free Tips

English Channel’s Channel Cat Steals the Man o’War

Johnny V. did it again.

A week after wiring the GI Kentucky Derby aboard Medina Spirit (Protonico), John Velazquez sent Calumet Farm homebred Channel Cat (English Channel) to the front in Saturday's GI Man O' War S., and just held on by a nose over favored Gufo (Declaration of War).

Channel Cat, off at 8-1, dueled from the inside through an opening quarter in an eye-catching :22.69 in this 1 3/8-mile affair. He began to shake clear rounding the clubhouse turn and slowed it down some to a testing half mile in :47.53. The 6-year-old turned them in as the one to catch and dug down deep in the stretch to hold last year's GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. winner and Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon) safe in a photo finish.

“I didn't think we went that fast,” Velazquez said. “I knew we were going fast, but not quite :22 and change. I gave him loose reins and he was a happy horse up front. I was happy with the way that he was doing things. I felt [Gufo] coming when I was asking him to run.”

Previously under the tutelage of Todd Pletcher, Channel Cat hadn't visited the winner's circle since posting a wire-to-wire score in the 2019 GII Bowling Green S. at Saratoga. He made three previous starts for Jack Sisterson, finishing fifth in the GII Ft. Lauderdale S. Dec. 12, fifth in the GIII W.L. McKnight S. Jan. 23 and second in the GII Elkhorn S. at Keeneland last time Apr. 17. He hadn't been placed on the lead since his front-running score in the Bowling Green.

Channel Cat's resume also includes a win in the 2018 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby and third-place finishes in the 2019 GI Sword Dancer S. and GI United Nations S., respectively.

“I left it [the trip decision] in Johnny Velazquez's hands,” Sisterson said. “I told him last weekend [winning the GI Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby] was pretty incredible. I didn't sleep last night. I wasn't nervous about Channel Cat, I was nervous about letting John Velazquez down because I didn't want to ruin last weekend's celebrations.”

Sisterson continued, “Thanks to Channel Cat and the staff back at the barn, who do all the hard work to win a Grade I. I don't take any credit for this. It's all due to the people behind the scenes that people don't see. He was coming into the race in great shape. He ran a great race in the Elkhorn off the layoff and finished up good, closing into fast fractions. It's nice to win a race for the owner. He's so passionate and supportive of the sport.”

Pedigree Notes:

English Channel and Kitten's Joy finished 2020 as the one-two duo atop the North American leading turf sire list and Channel Cat's pedigree melds the two together with a flourish. He is one of four stakes winners–with three graded and one being a SW/GISP Canadian champion–by English Channel out of a Kitten's Joy mare. Both stallions, a year apart in age and both champion grass horses themselves, have plenty of other accomplishments as well, with English Channel the sire of 56 black-type winners to date with 30 graded winners, and Kitten's Joy counting 15 stakes winners out of his daughters. Channel Cat races as a homebred for Calumet Farm, who stands English Channel and bought Carnival Kitten for $30,000 at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February sale before reselling her for $45,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale to Nursery Place. The mare has since produced a 2-year-old colt by Red Rocks (Ire) and most recently visited the court of Speightstown.

Saturday, Belmont Park
MAN O' WAR S.-GI, $700,000, Belmont, 5-8, 4yo/up, 1 3/8mT, 2:13.34, gd.
1–CHANNEL CAT, 118, h, 6, by English Channel
                1st Dam: Carnival Kitten, by Kitten's Joy
                2nd Dam: Roja, by L'Enjoleur
                3rd Dam: Hunt's Roja, by Architect
   1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Jack Sisterson;
J-John R. Velazquez. $375,000. Lifetime Record: 26-6-3-5,
$1,373,522. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Gufo, 124, c, 4, Declaration of War–Floy, by Petionville.
O-Otter Bend Stables, LLC; B-John Little & Stephen Cainelli
(KY); T-Christophe Clement. $130,000.
3–Moon Over Miami, 118, c, 4, Malibu Moon–Zinzay, by Smart
Strike. O/B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $70,000.
Margins: NO, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 8.20, 1.50, 6.40.
Also Ran: Shamrocket, So High (GB), Ziyad (GB), Sovereign (Ire), Field Pass. 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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Constitution’s Promise Keeper Runs to the Money in Peter Pan

Promise Keeper (Constitution) tossed his hat in the ring as a potential GI Belmont S. starter with a strong performance in Saturday's GIII Peter Pan S.

The chestnut, off as the 3-2 favorite, sat a stalking trip in second as the comebacking maiden winner Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper) led through fractions of :24.53 and :48.62. Promise Keeper struck the front as they hit the quarter pole, and, after getting a bold challenge from Nova Rags (Union Rags) in the stretch, swatted that foe away to win by an expanding 2 1/4 lengths.

“Historically, the Peter Pan has been a good prep for the Belmont,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I'll talk to the connections about it, but that was amongst the discussions leading into this.”

Pletcher continued, “He's a big mover and Luis [Saez] was able to do a perfect job putting him in a stalking position and let him take advantage of the rhythmic stride he has. Luis said he had a lot of horse in the end, so that's encouraging.

“I thought tactically that Luis rode a smart race and put him into a good spot and got into a good rhythm. When that horse came to him, he found some more and finished up well. He's got a big bouncy, reachy stride and it seems like the further he goes, the better he gets.”

Promise Keeper, owned in partnership by Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC, WinStar Farm LLC and Rock Ridge Racing LLC, sandwiched a disappointing 12th in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 6 with a maiden win in the Gulfstream slop Feb. 6 and a powerful optional claiming tally going 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland last time Apr. 8.

The newly minted Hall of Famer won last weekend's GI Kentucky Oaks with 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin). He was also represented by GI Kentucky Derby starters Known Agenda (Curlin) (ninth); Sainthood (Mshawish) (11th); Bourbonic (Bernardini) (13th); and Dynamic One (Union Rags) (18th). How is his Belmont S. roster shaping up so far?

“Known Agenda and Bourbonic are definitely pointed that way,” Pletcher said. “Sainthood we're going to give a breeze on the turf and make a decision after we see that. Dynamic One is another [under consideration]. Malathaat, it's on the radar, but we're not committed to anything just yet.”

Pedigree Notes:

Promise Keeper is the latest of 11 graded winners for third-crop sire Constitution, whose 20 black-type winners include last year's GI Belmont and GI Travers winner Tiz the Law. Promise Keeper's unraced dam, Mira Alta, sold for $200,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale and is now the dam of two of Curlin's five stakes winners as a damsire. In addition to Promise Keeper, she has produced SW & GSP Wicked Awesome (Awesome Again) and GSP War Stopper (Declaration of War). In the pipeline is a 2-year-old filly by Shanghai Bobby who hammered for $5,000 as a Keeneland January short yearling, a yearling filly by Honor Code, and a 2021 colt by Mastery. Mira Alta is a half to GISW Great Hunter (Aptitude) and to the dam of MGSW & MGISP Owendale (Into Mischief), and is from the immediate family of champion and $6-million Keeneland sales mare Stellar Wind (Curlin). Promise Keeper's seventh dam is the Sir Gallahad III (Fr) mare Omayya, who has figured in the pedigrees of a number of prominent horses of late, including American champion Tepin (Bernstein) and Australian champion Americain (Dynaformer).

Saturday, Belmont Park
PETER PAN S.-GIII, $194,000, Belmont, 5-8, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.71, ft.
1–PROMISE KEEPER, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Mira Alta, by Curlin
                2nd Dam: Zenith, by Roy
                3rd Dam: Sequins, by Northern Fashion
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($160,000
Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC, WinStar
Farm LLC & Rock Ridge Racing LLC; B-Rock Ridge
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez.
$110,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0, $184,600. *1/2 to War
Stopper (Declaration of War), GSP, $108,470; 1/2 to Wicked
Awesome (Awesome Again), SW & GSP, $294,460. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Nova Rags, 118, c, 3, Union Rags–Wishful Splendor, by Smart
Strike. ($275,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP). O/B-Michael Shanley
(KY); T-William I. Mott. $40,000.
3–Overtook, 118, c, 3, Curlin–Got Lucky, by A.P. Indy.
($1,000,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable,
Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Hill 'n'
Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. & Philip J. Steinberg (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1HF, 8 3/4. Odds: 1.50, 2.05, 3.70.
Also Ran: I Am the Law, Wolfie's Dynaghost. Scratched: Risk Taking. 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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Belmont Park: Saturday’s Pick 6 Boosted By $41,572 Carryover

Saturday's Pick 6 will be boosted by a $41,572 carryover, as the multi-race wager went unsolved on Friday at Belmont Park. The $1 Pick 6, implemented at the current 48-day Belmont spring/summer meet, returned $685.50 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.

Friday's sequence kicked off in Race 4 with Barista Vixen [No. 7, $6.30] capturing a 6 ½-furlong claiming sprint on the main track under Hector Diaz, Jr. for trainer Wayne Potts.

Joel Rosario guided Christophe Clement-trainee Proper Grammar [No. 5, $9.70] to victory in Race 8, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for maiden claimers.

Matty's Marauder [No. 3, $24.80] provided the biggest price in the sequence when finding the wire first in Race 6, a six-furlong maiden claiming sprint, for jockey Luis Saez and trainer David Donk.

My Lips Are Sealed [No. 4, $8.50] went gate-to-wire in Race 7 as Eric Cancel engineered the frontrunning trip for trainer George Weaver.

The Rosario-Clement tandem struck again in Race 8 as La Dragontea [No. 2, $5.30] outlasted Caen Na Coille in a 1 ¼-mile turf route.

Clement conditioned his third winner in the sequence [and fourth on the card] when Sport Model [No. 4, $24] closed out the card in the ninth race finale, a six-furlong state-bred maiden claiming sprint under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

Featuring a $1 bet minimum and 15 percent takeout, the Pick 6 wager requires bettors to select the first-place finisher of six designated races on the card. A total of 75 percent of the full pool, minus takeout, will be distributed to bettors who select the first-place finisher of all six races. A consolation payout of 25 percent of the net pool will be distributed to tickets selecting 5-of-6 winners.

In the event there are no tickets with six winners, there will be a carryover of 75 percent of the net pool into the next day of the meet with the remaining 25 percent of the net pool distributed as a consolation payout to tickets selecting the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races on the card. On carryover days, the Pick 6 is offered with a 24 percent takeout.

The $1 Pick 6 replaced the Empire 6, a jackpot style wager featuring a $0.20 bet minimum first offered in August 2019 at Saratoga Race Course.

Saturday's Pick 6 will include four graded stakes, kicking off in Race 6 at 3:34 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at 1 1/16-miles on turf for older fillies and mares. The sequence will also include the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy for older filly and mare sprinters in Race 7; the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at nine-furlongs on Big Sandy for sophomores in Race 9; and the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o' War at 11 furlongs on turf for older horses in Race 11. First post on Saturday's 11-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 spring/summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Grade I Winners Return in Beaugay

Grade I winners Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) and Civil Union (War Front) kick off their 2021 campaigns in Saturday's GIII Beaugay S. at Belmont Park.

Harvey's Lil Goil followed a win in Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Oct. 10 with a huge third–beaten only a neck at 20-1–in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland last time Nov. 7.

Civil Union, winner of last term's GI Flower Bowl S. over this course, had a four-race winning steak snapped, finishing another two slots back in fifth in the Filly and Mare Turf.

Lemista (Ire) (Raven's Pass), a dual group winner in her native Ireland, including the 2020 G2 Kilboy Estate S., makes her North American debut for Chad Brown after winning four of seven starts for trainer G.M. Lyons. She was last seen finishing 10th in the G2 Blandford S. Sept. 13.

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