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Horologist Goes For Repeat In Beldame For Beatty, Partners

When Horologist vies to defend her title in Sunday's $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., owner Cameron Beatty of There's A Chance Stable is reminded that everything happens for a reason.

A native of Nashville now living in New Jersey, Beatty was indirectly introduced to horseracing through unfavorable circumstances. Beatty was the starting quarterback of Freehold Township High School and was slated to take his athletic talents to Farleigh Dickinson via academic scholarship when a motorcycle accident nearly cost him his life.

Beatty would eventually sign up to play semi-professional football for the New Jersey Bulldogs where he met coach Don Goold, a racing enthusiast and friend to the late thoroughbred trainer John Mazza.

“After practice one day, he asked me if I wanted to go to the track. He took me to Monmouth Park (in Oceanport, N.J.) and just from the front side I fell in love,” Beatty said. “I just loved the atmosphere. As if that wasn't good enough, he asked me if I'd ever been to the backside. And I said, 'The backside of what?'”

A visit to the Monmouth stable area allowed Beatty to develop a strong friendship with Mazza.

“It was a match made in heaven,” Beatty said. “You never would think an 80-year-old guy could be such a good friend with a guy in his mid-20s.”

Mazza, who passed away last May, took Beatty under his wing and taught him all the ins and outs of the business. When Mazza's longtime clients Holly Crest Farm began dispersing some of their stock, it gave Beatty the opportunity to step into thoroughbred ownership.

“He said the right way to do it is to get into breeding first to experience it on a different level, starting with one horse and see where it takes you from there,” Beatty said. “So, I took over a horse that couldn't race anymore.”

Beatty acquired Cinderella Time, a Stephen Got Even mare with one win in eight starts, and bred her to Gemologist and the end result of the mating was Horologist.

“Me and John literally pulled her right out of her mom and watched her be born,” Beatty said. “I watched her come right out and take her first steps about 20 minutes after she was born.”

Mazza trained Horologist through her first 11 starts, including 2019 stakes victories in Monmouth's Smart N Classy Handicap and Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks.

Following a third in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx that year, Beatty sold shares of Horologist to Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, and Parkland Thoroughbreds, and the mare was transferred to West Coast-based conditioner Richard Baltas. Later on, Paradise Farms Corp and David Staudacher also bought in on Horologist.

“I couldn't have asked for better partners. They have taken things to a different level,” Beatty said.

After five starts with Baltas, Horologist found a new home with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who saddled the mare to graded stakes victories in last year's Beldame as well as the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher last July at Monmouth. Between those two starts, she earned Grade 1 black type when finishing third in the La Troienne last September at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

“The good part about it is I had good people around me. John Mazza showed me everything I really know,” Beatty said. “One good thing that John did before he passed away was introduce me to people like [bloodstock agent] David Ingordo, and [trainer] Cherie DeVaux and that's something I have to thank him for.

“Some owners never get this opportunity. I've been extremely lucky in this business so far,” Beatty continued. “Bing Bush [Abbondanza Racing] is probably one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Steve and Debbie West with Parkland Thoroughbreds are just extremely genuine people. They invite me to their house in Saratoga. There are so many great people to be involved with, and if it weren't for Horologist I wouldn't be in this situation.”

Horologist arrives at the Beldame off a gate-to-wire win in the restricted Summer Colony on August 22, contested at nine furlongs over a good and sealed main track at Saratoga.

A victory in the Beldame would likely result in another start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 6 at Del Mar. Horologist was a distant ninth last year when the event was held at Keeneland. A victory would also provide Beatty, who turns 30 on October 16, an additional reason to celebrate.

“A win would be an amazing early birthday present,” Beatty said.

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Horologist Seeks Back-To-Back Victories In Beldame

Reigning New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year Horologist will attempt to add her name to a list of prominent distaffers to secure back-to-back victories in Sunday's 81st running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward going nine furlongs at Belmont Park.

As one of the most prestigious events on the racing calendar for fillies and mares, the Beldame has seen 15 horses capture the event en route to Eclipse Award honors for Champion Older Female at the end of the year. Eight sophomore fillies bested their elders in the Beldame to subsequently earn an Eclipse for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly honors at the end of their respective seasons.

Horologist is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, a three-time winner of the Beldame, and boasts a record of 25-9-3-4, including three graded stakes victories and lifetime earnings of $892,939.

In addition to last year's Beldame, which she captured by three lengths over graded stakes winners Point of Honor and Dunbar Road, the 5-year-old daughter of Gemologist won the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks in August 2019 over Eclipse Award-winner Jaywalk and the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher last July at Monmouth Park in her first start for Mott.

Should Horologist win the Beldame, she would join an elite group of fillies and mares to win consecutive runnings, including Fairy Chant [1940-41], Gamely [1968-69], Desert Vixen [1973-74], Love Sign [1980-81], Lady's Secret [1985-86], Personal Ensign [1987-88], and Sightseek [2003-04].

A Beldame victory would also likely result in another Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff endeavor after finishing a distant ninth in last year's edition held at Keeneland.

Cameron Beatty, who races as There's A Chance Stable, has owned Horologist since her eye-opening career debut in August 2018 at Monmouth, which she won by 20 ¾ lengths garnering a 63 Beyer Speed Figure for trainer John Mazza. The late New Jersey-bred conditioner saddled Horologist to five of her nine lifetime victories, including stakes wins in the Smart N Classy for New Jersey-breds and the Monmouth Oaks, both in the summer of 2019.

After Beatty sold shares to owners Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds and Abbondanza Racing, Horologist was transferred to west coast-based conditioner Richard Baltas for whom she went winless in five starts. She recaptured her winning form when joining Mott's stable, adding four stakes victories over as many racetracks to her resume.

Horologist arrives at the Beldame off a gate-to-wire win in the restricted Summer Colony on August 22, contested at nine furlongs over a good and sealed main track at Saratoga Race Course.

“When we ran her first out, she ran extremely well but didn't come back with the strongest Beyer. Once we stretched her out, she was beautiful,” Beatty said. “She loves the mile and an eighth and luckily, the Beldame happens to be a mile and an eighth. Not to say that she couldn't go further, but the distance is perfect for her.”

Beatty expressed excitement in the possibility of back-to-back Beldame scores.

“It's definitely going to be incredible,” Beatty said. “With just the excitement of being there, nothing gets better than that. It's never an easy task to ask for a horse to win back-to-back graded stakes, but she's training well. Yesterday, I went over to go see her and I don't think she's ever looked better.”

Following last year's Beldame coup, Horologist was supplemented to the Breeders' Cup

“If she runs well, we won't have to come up with another supplemental fee,” Beatty said. “There's a chance we may head out west, no pun intended.”

Beatty and company have enjoyed the ride that Horologist has taken them on, which will end following a possible Breeders' Cup endeavor. Horologist will be sold at the Keeneland November Sale as Hip No. 200 through the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

“Someone will be an extremely lucky buyer. She looks like an unbelievable specimen. I'll miss her. It'll be a bittersweet end to her journey,” Beatty said.

Junior Alvarado aboard for last year's win, will return to the irons from post 4.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a trio of fillies in pursuit of a sixth Beldame triumph. He shares a record of five wins with his former mentor and fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.

Robert and Lawana Low's Spice Is Nice will seek a second graded stakes victory, having captured the Grade 3 Allaire duPont Distaff on May 15 at Pimlico two starts back. The 4-year-old Curlin filly, out of the Grade 1-winning Bernardini mare Dame Dorothy, arrives at the Beldame off a four-month layoff and was last seen racing fifth to division leader Letruska in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 27 at Churchill Downs.

“She's a filly we've always thought a lot of and hopefully she can take a step forward,” Pletcher said.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who has piloted Spice Is Nice to all four of her victories, will ride from post 7.

After winning Sunday's Grade 2 Pilgrim with Annapolis, Pletcher will try to give Bass Stables another graded stakes-winner at Belmont with Thankful. The 4-year-old American Pharoah bay will attempt her first win after making her seasonal bow a winning one in the Ladies on January 17 at Aqueduct.

Kendrick Carmouche will ride from post 1.

Shadwell Stables' Zaajel will face elders for the first time, entering off a distant seventh in the Grade 1 Longines Test on August 7 at Saratoga.

The daughter of Street Sense will try to add a third graded stakes victory to her ledger. Two starts back, she made amends from two distant unplaced performances at graded stakes level, when taking the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 27 over the Belmont main track. She won her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Forward Gal in January at Gulfstream Park.

Breaking from post 3, Zaajel will be ridden by Manny Franco.

Veteran trainer Jimmy Ryerson will saddle Miss Marissa in pursuit of a third graded stakes triumph. Owned by Cammarota Racing, the 4-year-old gray or roan daughter of He's Had Enough captured the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan last October at Pimlico, narrowly defeating graded stakes winner Bonny South by a neck.

Two starts ago, Miss Marissa recaptured her winning form when taking the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in July en route to a distant eighth in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign presented by Lia Infiniti on August 28 at Saratoga.

“We were really disappointed in her last effort, but Letruska is a beast,” Ryerson said. “Hopefully, we rebound from that and give a good account for ourselves. It will be a competitive race, but we have a nice filly. It's in her backyard and we're going to see if we can rebound.”

Jose Lezcano will ride from post 6.

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Trainer Chad Brown will vie for his second Beldame victory when saddling Royal Flag [post 8, Joel Rosario] and Gold Spirit [post 5, Jose Ortiz].

A William S. Farish homebred, Royal Flag earned a second graded win two starts back capturing the Grade 3 Shuvee on August 1 at Saratoga en route to securing Grade 1 black type when a late-closing third in the Personal Ensign, where she earned a career-best 100 Beyer.

Royal Flag is by Candy Ride out of the Mineshaft mare Eagle, making her a half-sister to five-time graded stakes winner Catalina Cruiser and full-sister to graded stakes-winner Eagle.

Sumaya U.S.'s Gold Spirit, a Group 1-winner in her native Chile, makes her second start in North America. After a troubled fourth in the Shuvee, she showed an improved effort when second in the Summer Colony.

Completing the field is Stetson Racing's So Darn Hot, a stakes-placed daughter of Ghostzapper who finished third in the Summer colony two starts back. Trained by George Weaver, So Darn Hot is out of the Tiznow mare Tizahit, who produced Grade 1-winner Come Dancing.

So Darn Hot will leave post 2 under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

The Beldame honors August Belmont, Jr.'s 1904 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly, who won 17-of-31 starts including victories in the Alabama, Gazelle, and Ladies Handicap against females. She defeated colts when capturing the Carter and Saratoga Cup in 1904 as well as the 1905 Suburban.

Slated as Race 6 on Belmont's nine-race program, the Beldame is one of three graded stakes events on Sunday's card, including the Grade 2, $150,000 Futurity for juveniles going six furlongs on the turf, a “Win And You're In” for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint; and the Grade 2, $150,000 Knickerbocker going nine furlongs on the turf for 3-year-olds and upward.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Horologist Owner Barred From Monmouth For Remainder Of Meet, Questions Track’s Motives

For owner Cameron Beatty, the undercard of the Grade 1 Haskell on July 18 eventually proved to be a testament to the highs and lows horse racing can provide. Beatty, who races as There's a Chance Racing, was the lone representative at Monmouth Park that day for Horologist when she won the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher by a decisive two lengths. The filly's trainer, Bill Mott, is based out of Saratoga this time of year and NYRA's COVID-19 protocols don't permit anyone working on the backstretch to return to The Spa after traveling out of state. Mott and Beatty coordinated with a local assistant trainer to saddle the filly and provide a groom to care for her for the day. When that assistant waved Beatty into the winner's circle, Beatty didn't think too much of it.

“After the race, obviously we were all going crazy,” said Beatty. “He told me to grab my filly and take her in the winner's circle. With me, the horse, and Joe Bravo that was two people so we thought everything was fine.”

Now, Monmouth Park representatives have told Beatty he has violated the track's COVID-19 protocols and will be banned from the property for the remainder of 2020.

After his filly's big win, Beatty got a letter after the race asking him to call racing secretary John Heims.

“[John Heims] was saying I put racing in New Jersey at risk, and I was extremely selfish for doing that,” Beatty recalled. “He also said the owner of Authentic was extremely upset because he was there and he wasn't allowed to go into the winner's circle. I apologized for all of that. I didn't intend for any of that to happen … I really didn't know that I wasn't allowed to go in, or I would have never gone in.”

According to documents published on its website, the winner's circle at Monmouth “will be limited to no more than four people (jockey, groom, trainer and an additional stable hand if necessary). No owners will be permitted in the winner's circle. Everyone in the winner's circle must have face covering.”

Beatty's understanding of the house rule had been that it was the number – four people – that was important, not what those people's jobs were, which is why he didn't think he was doing anything wrong.

Meanwhile, Beatty points out, out-of-state riders are permitted to ride at Monmouth, though they are required to produce a negative COVID-19 test and keep their distance from others. Photos from earlier in the meet show groups of as many as five people in winner's circle shots that feature the winning horse. In other images that seem to be taken after the horse has left the winner's circle, as many as seven people can be seen without masks over their noses or mouths, arms slung over each other. For Beatty, these things raise questions about how stringent protocols really are, and how evenly they're being applied.

“It kind of seems like I'm a 28-year-old guy who's having a little bit of success, getting a little lucky and they don't really like that,” Beatty. “It seems like I'm getting attacked. They want me to be the example, but Dennis Drazin walks around the track without a mask on. That's what the example should be. The majority of people who work there, they're walking around with their masks on their chin.

“I respect the rules. I understand that they have rules in place for a reason. I just don't feel I should be made an example of when there's other people breaking the rules and just getting warnings.”

Drazin confirms that the track's action against Beatty is the first taken against an owner for violating COVID-19 protocols. He also said that he's unaware of other incidents of owners violating protocol, but that other licensees have received warnings for violations, including not having their masks pulled up over their mouth or nose.

“I spend a significant amount of my time every day trying to walk around and talk nicely to people to get them to put their masks on,” said Drazin. “I would tell you this – the governor expects us to enforce these rules. What ends up happening is if a jockey gets off a horse and he's walking back to the jocks' room, and the owners or fans approach the jockey and start to hug him and they don't have masks on, with social media these days, that goes wild. And then we get calls from people saying we're not enforcing the rules.

“I'm the chairman of the track. I have not been in the winner's circle. I was not in the paddock on Haskell Day. Could I have gone in? I did not do that because I consider myself an owner also and I apply all the rules to myself.”

Beatty was offered the opportunity to present his case at a hearing conducted by Monmouth. When COVID-19 protocols were first put in place, Drazin communicated with the New Jersey Racing Commission, asking whether they wanted to adjudicate COVID protocol violations or whether that should be left up to the track. He says the commission told him it was fine for Monmouth to handle those incidents themselves and if they felt they couldn't, track management could refer rule breakers on. At first, Beatty said, he was interested in the opportunity, but backed off when Monmouth management suggested the other partners in Horologist, who were not present for her race in the Molly Pitcher, may be brought into the proceeding, fearing they would face punishment also.

Drazin said he didn't have any reason to believe those owners — who were not present that day — would face sanctions themselves.

“In my view, the other owners were blameless,” said Drazin.

Drazin suspects the reason Beatty backed off on the idea of a hearing was that he was told the track was prepared to present evidence showing he had been on the backstretch the same day, also in violation of the track's COVID rules. Beatty said he had permission from the guard on duty to pop in and deliver tips to the van driver and groom; Drazin said it shouldn't matter what the guard said – signage clearly indicated he shouldn't have been there.

Beatty also raises questions about the motives of Drazin and director of racing John Heims in delivering this ban from the track property. Drazin represented Vincent Annarella's Holly Crest Farm in a dispute between Annarella and Beatty over the ownership of Cinderella Time, the dam of Horologist.

Both Beatty and Drazin agree on a few facts: Holly Crest owned homebred Cinderella Time during her racing career. When an injury ended her career, trainer John Mazza (who was also farm manager for Holly Cress and employed by Beatty as a trainer) thought Beatty might be interested in her and got in touch.

Beatty said Annarella gave him the mare, who Beatty boarded at Holly Crest, and apparently had no issue with the arrangement until Horologist started winning races. Then, Beatty said, Annarella started claiming he didn't know Beatty had been breeding the mare and registering himself as breeder and owner of the foals.

Drazin, who said he has known Annarella some 40 years, began calling Beatty on Annarella's behalf, relaying his desire to have the mare back, and threatening a civil lawsuit. Drazin said Mazza was never authorized to give the horse away, and Annarella only found out Beatty thought he was her owner when he saw Horologist pop up in race entries.

“I sacrificed a lot of money every month to board that mare, to pay stud fees, to pay vet bills,” Beatty said. “I probably put close to $100,000 into her.

“He claimed he didn't remember cashing my checks every month for four years.”

Beatty claims Drazin threatened to block his entries and evict his horses from the Monmouth grounds if he didn't give up possession of Cinderella Time – a claim Drazin categorically denies.

In the end, the two sides came to an arrangement through private mediation. Cinderella Time was returned to Holly Crest, which sold her for $245,000 in foal to Twirling Candy at last year's Keeneland November auction; Holly Crest was made as the breeder of record for Horologist and her half-sister, A P Lucky, and Beatty remained as an owner on the two daughters. Drazin said Beatty was also paid back his expenses for four years of boarding the mare.

“I was called by Dennis Drazin and told that this wasn't a lawsuit I wanted to get into because I would lose,” said Beatty, who said Drazin threatened to sue Mazza also. “At that time, I didn't have a lot of money. I was a little guy in the business without much success.

“Looking back, I shouldn't have let that go, but I couldn't put John through it … It's kind of like David and Goliath and I'm David because I don't have millions and millions of dollars, I don't have 50, 60 horses on the backside keeping the track alive. It puts a really bad taste in your mouth when all this happens … the owner of the track is this guy's lawyer. How can I compete with that?”

Mazza died earlier this year at the age of 82.

Drazin said as far as he's concerned, both matters are resolved. If anything, he thinks Beatty has had things easier than he could have. If he had turned Beatty's COVID rule violations over to the racing commission, he points out, the commission could have suspended Beatty's ownership license – an action that would likely have been reciprocated by other jurisdictions, causing him more headaches. And as for the Cinderella Time case, Drazin thinks he was quite charitable.

“I think another lawyer may have encouraged them to litigate it, but Mr. Beatty called me up and he seemed like a nice young man,” recalled Drazin. “He told me he was just invested in the business, he hadn't been a long-tie owner, he didn't understand all the rules. Given he was a young man who was very enthusiastic about the business and wanted to be involved, we wanted to help him out.”

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Horologist Co-Owner Banned For Appearing In Winner’s Circle

Cameron Beatty, a co-owner of Horologist (Gemologist), has been banned from Monmouth Park for the remainder of the 2020 meet after he appeared in the winner’s circle following her win in the June 18 GIII Molly Pitcher S. Because of the coronavirus, Monmouth is not allowing owners in the winner’s circle or in the paddock.

Dennis Drazin, who heads the management team that runs Monmouth, said that, for now, the suspension means only that Beatty is not allowed on the premises. However, he said further disciplinary actions could be taken after reviewing whether or not Beatty has also been violating rules by going on the backstretch.

“We have rules and they have to be followed,” Drazin said. “We have strict COVID-19 protocols that we submitted to the state and they submitted them to the department of health and they were signed off on by the racing commission and the governor’s office. We were told we need to enforce our rules. Here you have an owner that decided to disregard the rules. He admits he disregarded the rules. It’s not like he says he didn’t know. He deliberately violated the rules.”

Beatty tells a different story, that he was not aware of the rules and was simply caught up in the moment after the horse he owns along with Parkland Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing and Abbondanza Racing, LLC, won an important race.

“[Monmouth Racing Secretary] John Heims told me that I put the sport of horse racing in New Jersey at risk,” Beatty said. “I didn’t intend to do that at all. I went down to the area of the winner’s circle and I was excited. They told me grab your horse and bring her into winner’s circle and I did that.”

Drazin was not sympathetic.

“He’s gone out he posted things on social media and seems to be blaming everyone but himself,” he said. “But he’s the one who violated the rules.”

Beatty, 28, acknowledges that he should have read up on the protocols in place at Monmouth, which are posted on the track’s website, but insisted he did not intentionally break any rules.

“I’m not the type of person who starts trouble or ever gets into trouble or breaks a rule,” he said. “I try to do the right thing when no one is looking.”

Beatty and Drazin also disagree on how the process unfolded. Beatty said he asked Heims for a hearing and that Heims told him not to bother because there was no chance the suspension would be overturned. Drazin says that Beatty declined to have a hearing.

“We first wrote to him and offered him an opportunity to come in and discuss it,” Drazin said. “He elected not to. He admitted he violated our rules and told John Heims to do what he had to do.”

“They said I wanted no part of a discussion or wanted no part of a hearing and that is completely false,” Beatty said. “It makes me sick to my stomach because Dennis Drazin is someone with a ton of authority and I’m just a little guy here. I’m trying to do right thing for the industry and Jersey-bred racing, which is one of the reasons we brought Horologist back, to give a Jersey-bred a chance to win a graded stakes. I want a hearing. I want to give my side of the story.”

Drazin said that, in the aftermath of the incident, he heard from several people that Beatty had been violating additional rules by sneaking onto the Monmouth backstretch, which could lead to additional sanctions.

“We’ve told him he’s not allowed here for the balance of the 2020 meet,” Drazin said. “Since he started posting things on social media, I have gotten a number of calls suggesting he’s been violating our rules and sneaking on to the backside. I don’t know if that is accurate or not. We’re going to have to have a hearing on that.”

Drazin added that an additional penalty could be that Beatty will not be allowed to race anymore horses during the meet.

Beatty said that because of the incident, Horologist is no longer being considered for the Aug. 30 Charles B. Hesse III H. for New Jersey breds.

“Me and my partners agreed after this happened that we’re not going to run here her in the Hesse,” he said. “This has put a bad taste in my mouth and makes me take a step back. I’m a big believer that the punishment should fit the crime. I didn’t commit a crime. It was just me, the jockey and the horse in the winner’s circle.”

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