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Motion: New York Performance Moves Mean Mary To ‘The Next Level’

Alex G. Campbell Jr.'s homebred Mean Mary, with Luis Saez up, showed no mercy in a frontrunning tour de force to capture the Grade 2, $250,000 New York; a 1 1/4-mile turf route on a rainy Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The dark bay daughter of Scat Daddy, out of the Grade 1-winning Dynaformer mare Karlovy Vary, earned a career-best 101 Beyer, breaking triple digits for the first time. She improved her record to five wins from seven starts, including the last four on the trot which includes scores in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante and Grade 3 Orchid at Gulfstream Park.

“She just continues to impress and amaze me with the ease that she does things. Yesterday's performance puts her to the next level,” said Motion. “It was in the back of our minds that her most impressive performances had been at Gulfstream on a fast, firm turf course, but now it's a whole new ball game doing what she did yesterday at Belmont.”

Motion said Saez, undefeated in four starts aboard Mean Many, was all smiles after the impressive score.

“I don't ever remember seeing a jockey get off a horse and get such a kick out of riding her. That's pretty cool to see,” said Motion. “And I think the mare really enjoys it. She just loves getting out there and is so determined. I sometimes wonder if she knows there are horses behind her. She showed yesterday that she's special.”

Motion said the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana, a nine-furlong test on August 23 at Saratoga, is a logical next spot for Mean Mary as he charts a course to the 1 3/16-miles Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on November 7 at Keeneland.

“The decision will be where to go next in order to get her to the Breeders' Cup. I think the mile and an eight and being a Grade 1 makes sense,” said Motion regarding the Diana. “It's a strong possibility, but it's a long way off. She's had plenty of racing this mare, and I don't want to overdo it with her in order to have her at her best at the end of the year.

“Mr. Campbell is from Lexington and Keeneland is his favorite racetrack,” added Motion. “For me, to be able to get her to the Breeders' Cup, there would be a dream.”

Andrew Stone's Mrs. Sippy scratched out of the New York, but Motion said the 5-year-old Blame mare is under consideration for the River Memories on July 12 Closing Day of the Belmont spring/summer meet, or the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial on July 11 at Delaware Park.

“We took her to the starting gate on Thursday as she hadn't run for over six month and she tied up a little bit so that excluded her from being able to run on Saturday,” said Motion. “There's a race up there in two weeks and there's also the Robert Dick at Delaware, which is where she'll probably end up.”

Mrs. Sippy captured the Grade 2 Glens Falls in August in her North American debut for Motion. Following a second in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont in October, she was off-the-board in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' Crystal Cliffs, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez up, missed by a head to Harvey's Lil Goil in Saturday's Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs in just her second start for Motion.

The 3-year-old Canford Cliffs bay graduated in December at Pau in her native France for former conditioner Didier Guillemin and won at first asking for Motion in a May 31 allowance event at Churchill Downs.

Motion said he will point Canford Cliffs to the $500,000 Saratoga Oaks, a 1 3/16-miles turf test at Saratoga.

“I really like her. Johnny was frustrated yesterday. We felt with a different trip or another jump she wins the race,” said Motion. “She was a little unlucky. Logically, we'll point her for the mile and three-sixteenths race at Saratoga.

“We ran her back pretty quickly in four weeks, which I don't like to do first race after a layoff but the race yesterday made sense. She's a real quality filly.”

Motion boasts a strong contingent of sophomore fillies this season, including popular Maryland-bred Sharing who won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November and was a strong second last out in the Group 1 Coronation on June 1 at Ascot.

“We've got some really nice 3-year-old fillies this year. It's very exciting,” said Motion.

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America’s Day At The Races To Air Belmont Stakes Coverage For First Time On Saturday

For the first time since it began in 2016, America's Day at the Races will air Saturday's Belmont Stakes Day coverage, with several major races preceding the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes to be shown on the networks of FOX Sports starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

The acclaimed national horse racing telecast, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, will air Thursday through Sunday, with more than 20 hours of total coverage highlighted by Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm and the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge at Belmont Park.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex will headline the 36th running of the Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs. The Into Mischief bay colt captured the Grade 3 Gotham last out on March 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack for trainer John Servis. Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Mischevious Alex enters on a three-race streak that includes scores in the Parx Juvenile in November and the Grade 3 Swale in February at Gulfstream Park ahead of his Gotham win.

Named after the late Hall of Fame trainer who won five consecutive Belmont Stakes from 1982-86, the Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm is slated as Race 2 on Belmont Stakes Day's loaded 12-race card with an approximate post time of 12:25 p.m.

Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader will take on six others in the sixth running of the Pennine Ridge for 3-year-olds over the Widener turf course. Owned by Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds in partnership with William T. Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, the son of Declaration triumphed in last year's Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine en route to a close fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in November. Decorated Invader won the Cutler Bay at Gulfstream Park on March 28 in his most recent start.

The one-mile Pennine Ridge will be the day's fourth race with an approximate post of 1:42 p.m. The race pays homage to the two-time stakes winner over the Belmont Park turf who set a stakes record in the 1994 Grade 3 Hill Prince when stopping the clock in 1:39.87. Pennine Ridge, who was owned by Allan Dragone's December Hill Farm and trained by David Donk, boasted a consistent 15-4-3-1 record at Belmont Park.

Both races are part of six total graded stakes on Belmont Stakes Day, headlined by the Belmont Stakes in Race 10 at 5:42 p.m. kicking off the Triple Crown series for the first time in history.

FOX Sports will offer 4 ½-hours of live coverage, providing expert commentary and behind-the-scenes insight that viewers of America's Day at the Races have come to expect. The coverage will sandwich NBC's live broadcast of Belmont Stakes Day from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.

This week's complete America's Day at the Races schedule (all times Eastern):

Thursday, June 18:
1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (FS2 & MSG+)

Friday, June 19:
12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (FS2 & MSG+)

Saturday. June 20:
11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. (FS1)
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. & 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. (FS2)

Sunday, June 21:
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. (FS1)
1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (MSG+)

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel, which boasts more than 38,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a number of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

America's Day at the Races is presented by America's Best Racing, Runhappy, and Claiborne Farm. This weekend's broadcast team includes Greg Wolf, Andy Serling, Maggie Wolfendale, Richard Migliore, Acacia Courtney, and Jonathon Kinchen.

NYRA Bets is the official betting partner of the Belmont Stakes. Today through the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, new members receive a $25 free play, plus up to a $200 deposit match with the promo code, BELMONT25. Visit NYRABets.com for details and to sign up.

NYRA Bets customers can also take advantage of a number of several Belmont Stakes promotions, including the “Belmont Stakes Reload promotion,” in which customers can on Thursday, June 18, deposit $100 or more, bet $100 or more on the NYRA Bets App, and get $20 in their account on Friday, June 19 before the Belmont card starts.

On Belmont Stakes Day, NYRA Bets customers can also earn a $20 bonus by betting at least $100 on Belmont races 1 to 5 on the NYRA Bets App. The NYRA Bets App is available for download in the App Store and on NYRABets.com/App for Android.

And be sure to take advantage of “The Showdown Supersized,” a free “supersized” version of the “The Showdown,” which for Belmont Stakes Day will feature $5,000 in prizes to be distributed with $2,500 to the winner, $1,500 to second and $1,000 to third.

To play, contestants place mythical bets and the highest bankroll wins. Entry is free for anyone – you don't have to be in a NYRA Bets-approved state – at NYRA.com/showdown. Follow along on America's Day at the Races for leaderboard updates throughout the day on Belmont Stakes Day. The Showdown is available every day and typically the winner received 50,000 NYRA Bets points or an equivalent prize ($50 value) if not a NYRA Bets customer.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The 2020 Belmont spring/summer meet continues through Sunday, July 12. Live racing is offered Thursday through Sunday with a first post of 1:15 p.m. The 25-day meet features 22 graded stakes and 40 stakes races in total worth $7 million in purses.

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‘Top Class’ Decorated Invader Headlines Saturday’s Pennine Ridge

Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader headlines Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park.

The one-mile event for 3-year-olds pays homage to the two-time stakes winner over the Belmont Park turf who set a stakes record in the 1994 Grade 3 Hill Prince when stopping the clock in 1:39.87. Pennine Ridge, who was owned by Allan Dragone's December Hill Farm and trained by David Donk, boasted a consistent 15-4-3-1 record when competing at Belmont Park.

Decorated Invader, owned by Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds in partnership with William T. Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, took Gulfstream Park's Cutler Bay on March 28 in his most recent start. The son of Declaration of War hit the gate at the break and was 15 lengths off the pace before making a five-wide move at the top of the stretch to garner a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory for trainer Christophe Clement.

As a 2-year-old, Decorated Invader graduated at second asking over the Mellon turf course at Saratoga besting next-out winner Summer to Remember. He then took his talents to Canada where he won the Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine en route to a close fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Decorated Invader has trained forwardly for Clement, most recently recording a half-mile breeze in 50.20 seconds over the Belmont inner turf on June 12.

“Decorated Invader is doing great. He's had two very nice breezes at Belmont with Joel [Rosario] aboard and he couldn't be doing better,” Clement said. “I think he's a top class horse and the distance should be perfect for him.”

Bred in Kentucky by Redmon Farm, Decorated Invader is out of the Arch broodmare Gamely Girl. He was a $200,000 acquisition from the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Indian Creek.

Jockey Joel Rosario piloted Decorated Invader to his last out win, and will retain the mount from post 1.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will saddle Leonard Green and Jonathan Green's Proven Strategies, who arrives off a runner-up effort in the English Channel.

The dark bay son of Sky Mesa displayed frontrunning fashion in his last three outings, which included a seventh-out maiden victory and an allowance win, both taking place against Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park.

Prior to his maiden win, Proven Strategies made three starts against stakes company, including a runner-up finish to Another Miracle in the Skidmore at Saratoga.

Jockey Jose Ortiz seeks a second Pennine Ridge triumph aboard Proven Strategies from post 3.

Two years after winning the Pennine Ridge with subsequent dual Grade 1-winner Catholic Boy, trainer Jonathan Thomas and owner Robert LaPenta will have Maroon Maniac entered in the one-mile event.

The dark bay Violence colt graduated in an off-the-turf maiden route at Tampa Bay Downs on April 14. This came after finishing second on debut to next-out winner Domestic Spending.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will attempt a third straight Pennine Ridge triumph when aboard Maroon Maniac from post 6.

Daniel M. Ryan's Vanzzy has won over dirt and all weather surfaces and will make his turf debut for trainer Michael Pino.

The Verrazano bay was a wire-to-wire winner of the Rushaway at Turfway Park last out, where he set a leisurely pace and drew off to win by 4 ¼ lengths.

Two starts prior to his stakes victory, he scored another wire-to-wire stakes victory over the Tapeta surface at Woodbine in the Display on December 14.

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche, who piloted Vanzzy in the Rushaway, returns to the saddle from post 5.

Rounding out the field are Venezuelan Hug [post 2, Luis Saez]. Mr. Kringle [post 4, Jose Lezcano], and Famished [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.].

Slated as Race 4 on Saturday's 12-race card, which offers a first post of 11:45 a.m. Eastern, the Pennine Ridge will feature on America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, and airing live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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