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Weekend Lineup: Belmont Stakes Kicks Off American Triple Crown

For the first time in history, the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes will serve as the first leg of the American Triple Crown when the classic takes place on June 20. The Belmont Stakes, which will be contested at 1 1/8-miles instead of its typical 12 furlongs, is one of six graded stakes and four Grade 1s on Belmont Park's Saturday card and will offer 150-60-30-15 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

NBC will broadcast the 152nd Belmont Stakes with coverage of it stakes-laden card beginning at 2:45 p.m. ET. NBC will also broadcast the Royal Ascot meet on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. ET.

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 Belmont Stakes to be shown on the networks of FOX Sports starting at 11:30 a.m. ET. FOX Sports will offer 4 ½-hours of live coverage, which will sandwich NBC's live broadcast of Belmont Stakes Day from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

HRRN's Belmont Stakes broadcast will air from 4:30-6 p.m. ET, and will be preceded by a 30-minute broadcast of the Acorn on the Belmont undercard beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

Saturday June 20

12:25 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex, who captured the Grade 3 Gotham last out on March 7 for trainer John Servis, headlines the seven-furlong Woody Stephens. The Into Mischief bay, bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, arrives at Saturday's test for sophomores 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 glory. Undefeated since the addition of blinkers for his Parx Juvenile score, Mischevious Alex boasts a record of 7-4-1-1 with purse earnings of $344,230.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL062020USA2-EQB.html

1:42 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park on FS1

Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader headlines the Pennine Ridge over the Widener turf. Owned by Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds in partnership with William T. Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader 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.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL062020USA4-EQB.html

3:01 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont Park on NBC

Robert and Lawana Low's graded stakes winner Sweet Melania will attempt to keep her consistent record intact when she returns off a seven-and-a-half month layoff in Saturday's Wonder Again at Belmont Park. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Sweet Melania, a chestnut daughter of American Pharoah, graduated in July at third asking in a 1 1/16-mile turf tilt at Saratoga Race Course. She followed up a month later at the Spa with a strong effort in the P.G. Johnson when second, by a neck, to Crystalle ahead of a front-running 5 1/2-length score in the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 9 at Keeneland. She completed a lengthy 2-year-old campaign in November with a prominent third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL062020USA6-EQB.html

4:02 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

A recent winner of two consecutive graded stakes, trainer Jonathan Wong's rapidly improving Keeper Ofthe Stars will square off with Neil Drysdale's classy comebacker Toinette as they head a field of seven fillies and mares in Saturday's Wilshire Stakes at one mile over the Santa Anita turf. A half length winner of the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at one mile on turf February 22, this 4-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute came back to score the biggest win of her career on May 25, taking the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA062020USA2-EQB.html

4:15 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park on NBC

Tracy Farmer's Grade 1-winner Perfect Alibi has been ready to debut her 3-year-old form for the better part of the last few months. On Saturday, Belmont Stakes Day, the daughter of Sky Mesa will finally get the chance to take some tangible steps forward in her progress when she headlines a field of seven sophomore fillies in the Acorn Stakes. When Perfect Alibi heads to post in the Acorn – which has produced such divisional champions as Abel Tasman (2017) and Monomoy Girl (2018) in recent seasons – it will mark the first competitive outing for the dark bay filly since her fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park on November 1.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL062020USA8-EQB.html

4:53 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes at Belmont Park on NBC

An eclectic field of eight turf sprinters has lined up for Jaipur Stakes, which features a pair from the barn of Christophe Clement, a quartet of West Coast invaders and the star-crossed Hidden Scroll. Chief among the motley crew assembled for the Jaipur is the elder statesman Pure Sensation, who goes out for Clement and owner Patricia Generazio as he makes his 9-year-old debut off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint to close out 2019. No stranger to this race, the gray Zensational gelding won the Jaipur in 2016, finished fourth in 2017 and third in 2018. Though he missed the Jaipur last year, he still put together a productive campaign which included wins in a pair of Grade 3 events at Parx Racing and an ungraded stake at Penn National.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL062020USA9-EQB.html

5:01 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes at Churchill Downs on FS2

Gaining Ground Racing's three-time stakes winner Factor This will lead a field of 11 older horses that entered Saturday's 31st running of the Wise Dan Stakes on the turf. Factor This, a previous $62,500 claim in 2018, has won five races with trainer Brad Cox, including back-to-back stakes victories in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds and Grade 2 Muniz Memorial. The 5-year-old son of The Factor has been working consistently over the turf course at Churchill Downs with his pilot Shaun Bridgmohan aboard.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CD062020USA9-EQB.html

5:42 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on NBC

A history-making Saturday will see the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park serve as the Triple Crown's first leg for the first time in history. Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law headlines the 10-horse field, and will look to become the first NY-bred in 138 years to win the American Classic. The Barclay Tagg trainee is the race's only multiple graded stakes winner and has already registered a pair of Grade 1 triumphs, starting with his only previous Belmont Park appearance when he followed a debut win by posting a four-length victory in the Champagne in October. Tiz the Law, the No. 1-ranked horse on the NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll, has continued to train forwardly at Belmont, including a half-mile breeze in :50.42 seconds over Big Sandy on Sunday in his last work before the start of Triple Crown season.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL062020USA10-EQB.html

7:32 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita Park on NBCSN

Fresh off a huge allowance score going six furlongs, trainer Mark Glatt's talented Collusion Illusion will stretch out a half-furlong and make his second start off an extended vacation as he heads Saturday's Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita. The Barrera, named for the late Hall of Fame trainer, has attracted a field of five sophomores going 6 ½ furlongs. Bob Baffert's speedy Ragtime Blues, a winner of his last two starts, will get the first time services of Mike Smith and also figures prominently in what will be his fourth career start.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA062020USA9-EQB.html

Sunday June 21

4:09 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Sovereign Award-winning Summer Sunday, owned by Anne and William Scott, makes her five-year-old debut in the Whimsical Stakes. A seven-time winner from 11 starts, Summer Sunday takes on nine rivals, including graded stakes champion Jean Elizabeth, in the six-furlong Whimsical. Trained by Stuart Simon, Summer Sunday won three of six 2019 starts, including the Grade 2 Royal North Stakes, en route to Sovereign honors as Canada's champion female sprinter.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO062120CAN7-EQB.html

6 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at Santa Anita Park on NBCSN

A pair of long fused veterans, California-bred Ward 'n Jerry and Kentucky-bred Red King, third in last year's running, head a field of eight 3-year-olds and up on the turf in the San Juan Capistrano. The 81st renewal of the San Juan, Santa Anita's traditional closing day feature, will again include a hillside start at the top the Camino Real Turf Course. A homebred 7-year-old gelding by the late Lucky Pulpit, Ward 'n Jerry rates top billing in a wide open affair in which just one of the runners have ever run this far. Although he was most recently a non-threatening fifth in the Crystal Water Stakes at one mile on turf June 6, he took the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes by an impressive 1 ¼ lengths two starts back on March 21.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA062120USA6-EQB.html

8 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

In a field replete with classy veterans returning off extended vacations, Richard Mandella's fast-improving Border Town seeks his third consecutive win in Sunday's American Stakes. Trainer Mark Glatt will be well represented by multiple graded stakes winner Sharp Samurai, who has been idle since August 18, and Phil D'Amato will send out a pair of classy comebackers, multiple Grade 1-winner Bowies Hero, idle since November 2, and graded stakes winning Cleopatra's Strike, who's been idle 4 ½ months.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA062120USA10-EQB.html

The post Weekend Lineup: Belmont Stakes Kicks Off American Triple Crown appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Pure Sensation Looks to Pick Up Baton for Clement in Jaipur

From 2016 to 2018 the GI Jaipur S. was won by a gray Patricia Generazio homebred from the Christophe Clement barn, starting with Pure Sensation (Zensational) in 2016 when the race was a Grade III. The following year, Pure Sensation was fourth to his stablemate Disco Partner (Disco Rico), who set a new world record en route to a one-length score. The Jaipur was upgraded to a Grade II in 2018 and Disco Rico successfully defended his title with Pure Sensation finishing third. In 2019, Pure Sensation skipped the Jaipur, which was boosted to a Grade I, and Disco Partner completed the trifecta behind World of Trouble (Kantharos). With both of those speedster retired to stud, Pure Sensation stands out as the one to beat in Saturday’s renewal.

Capturing the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup just a week before last term’s Jaipur, Pure Sensation followed suit with a win in the GIII Parx Dash S. July 6 and was third next out in Saratoga’s GIII Troy S. Aug. 3, where Disco Partner finished second. Returning to winning ways in the GIII Turf Monster S. at Parx Sept. 2, the native New Yorker was fifth when last seen in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Nov. 2.

Should Pure Sensation burn himself out early, Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom)–the lone female in the field–could be the one who picks up the pieces. Rallying from well back to take Saratoga’s Smart N Fancy S. Aug. 17, she was third next out in the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint S. Sept. 7. Back in the winner’s circle at Keeneland in the GIII Buffalo Trace Franklin County S. Oct. 11, the dark bay was second to the speedy Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) last time in the GII Monrovia S. at Santa Anita May 25.

Stubbins (Morning Line) seeks his second graded stakes score in this event. Winner of Keeneland’s GII Woodford S. Oct. 5, he was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and kicked off this term with a third in the GIII Daytona S. May 23.

The post Pure Sensation Looks to Pick Up Baton for Clement in Jaipur appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Two-Day Pick 5: Belmont Stakes To Anchor Special Wager Over Friday, Saturday Cards

A special two-day Pick 5 wager, with a $1 base minimum and culminating with the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, will be offered by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) on Friday, June 19.

The 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 20, as the first leg of the Triple Crown series, a historic first for the crown jewel of thoroughbred racing. Traditionally run at 1 1/2-miles, this year's edition of the Belmont Stakes, to be conducted without spectators, will be contested at nine furlongs and broadcast live from 2:45 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC, the exclusive broadcast partner of the Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown.

First post time on the 12-race Belmont Stakes Day card is 11:45 a.m. Eastern with the featured race, the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, slated for Race 10.

The Belmont Stakes two-day Pick 5, with a low 15 percent takeout and mandatory payout, begins in Race 7 on Friday at 4:32 p.m. Eastern with a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint on the Widener turf course for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up which drew field of 11, including one main-track only entrant.

The sequence continues in Friday's Race 9 (5:36 p.m.) with the $80,000 Sir Cat, a six-furlong turf sprint for sophomores featuring the stakes-winning duo of Jack and Noah and Old Chestnut for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

The Belmont Stakes two-day Pick 5 wager continues on Saturday in Race 8 at 4:15 p.m. with the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Acorn, a one-turn mile for sophomore fillies led by Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse's Grade 1-winner Perfect Alibi and rising star Gamine, who ships in from California for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.

The penultimate leg, the Grade 1, $250,000 Jaipur, presented by America's Best Racing, in Race 9 at 4:53 p.m. will see a field of eight 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf, chasing a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint via the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The sequence concludes with the 152nd running of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in Race 10 at 5:42 p.m. Multiple Grade 1-winning New York-bred Tiz the Law, trained by Barclay Tagg for Sackatoga Stable, headlines a talented field of 10. Tiz the Law will face steep competition from the Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Dr Post and Farmington Road as well as the late-running Sole Volante.

Full advance wagering for the 12-race Belmont Stakes Day card will be available on Friday, June 19.

NYRA Bets is the official online wagering site for the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes, and the best way to bet the 2020 Belmont Park spring/summer meet. Available to customers across the United States, NYRA Bets allows horseplayers to watch and wager on racing from tracks around the world at any time. The NYRA Bets app is available for download for iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.belmontstakes.com.

The post Two-Day Pick 5: Belmont Stakes To Anchor Special Wager Over Friday, Saturday Cards appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Clement Pair Top Eclectic Cast For ‘Win And You’re In’ Jaipur

An eclectic field of eight turf sprinters has lined up for the Grade 1, $250,000 Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, which features a pair from the barn of Christophe Clement, a quartet of West Coast invaders and the star-crossed Hidden Scroll.

The Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland, is carded as Race 9 at 4:53 p.m. Eastern on the 12-race slate, with the Belmont Stakes going off at 5:42 p.m. NBC will have live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m.

One of the octet will be crowned a Grade 1 winner for the first time in their respective careers in the 37th running of the Jaipur – contested at six furlongs over Belmont's inner turf course – which achieved Grade 1 status last year and will serve as a prelude to the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Chief among the motley crew assembled for the Jaipur is the elder statesman Pure Sensation, who goes out for Clement and owner Patricia Generazio as he makes his 9-year-old debut off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint to close out 2019. No stranger to this race, the gray Zensational gelding won the Jaipur in 2016, finished fourth in 2017 and third in 2018. Though he missed the Jaipur last year, he still put together a productive campaign which included wins in a pair of Grade 3 events at Parx Racing and an ungraded stake at Penn National.

“He's an older horse and this is his first race back but he's been working very well over the turf,” Clement said of Pure Sensation. “We know he's a fast horse and we're excited to see how he runs. We know he loves Parx but they're not racing yet, so there's really no choice as to where to bring him back. We're based in New York, we train in New York, so we'll run in New York.”

Pure Sensation drew post 4 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

The other half of the uncoupled Clement entry is horse-for-course White Flag, who is 4-for-5 sprinting over the Belmont lawn, with his lone blemish coming in June 2018 when he missed by a half-length as the runner up in a high-end optional claimer. Owned by Robert S. Evans, the 6-year-old son of War Front last raced on September 7 at Kentucky Downs when he finished a well-beaten eighth in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint.

“White Flag just had two good works on the Belmont turf and we know he likes this course,” Clement said. “He struggled last year but he's been doing very well, he's been quiet, so we'll see.”

Junior Alvarado picks up the mount on White Flag, who drew post 7 for his 2020 bow.

Leading the California contingent is the late-running Stubbins, trained by Doug O'Neill for McShane Racing. Stubbins progressed steadily throughout his sophomore season, which culminated in a win against older horses in the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in the fall before he ended his year with a tough-luck fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. His fortunes didn't improve any in his 4-year-old debut, when he encountered a good deal of trouble in the Grade 3 Daytona on May 23 at Santa Anita Park but still finished third, missing by just a half-length.

Breaking from post 5, Stubbins will enlist the services of Luis Saez.

With a style very similar to Stubbins', the 6-year-old mare Oleksandra will hope to mow them all down in the stretch for trainer Neil Drysdale and Team Valor International. An Australian-bred daughter of Animal Kingdom, Oleksandra took on the boys successfully over the Belmont turf on June 28 of last year going six furlongs, showing an impressive turn of foot to overcome a soft early pace.

That race proved to be a breakout victory for her, as she followed with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Royal North at Woodbine before adding a win in the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga Race Course, a third in the Grade 3 Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs and a win in the Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County at Keeneland to close 2019. Though she wasn't victorious in her seasonal unveiling in the Grade 2, 5 ½-furlong Monrovia on May 25 at Santa Anita, she still earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort after running out of ground late and missing by a half-length.

Joel Rosario will again be aboard Oleksandra and the duo will depart from post 2.

Rounding out the West Coast shippers are Texas Wedge and Kanthaka, who go out for trainers Peter Miller and Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, respectively. Miller, who has sent out the runner-up in the Jaipur the past two years, will saddle Texas Wedge off a career-best 100 Beyer in the Grade 3 Daytona, in which he finished fourth, a half-length behind Stubbins. Kanthaka, meanwhile, hasn't raced since the 2019 edition of the Daytona, which marked his first start on turf after showing some ability early in his career as a dirt sprinter.

Texas Wedge will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 3, while Kanthaka will break from the rail with Jose Ortiz in the irons.

The highly regarded Hidden Scroll adds even more intrigue to an already fascinating puzzle in the Jaipur. A 14-length debut winner in January of 2019 at Gulfstream, Hidden Scroll seemed destined to be the next big thing in racing but had a disappointing end to his abridged 2019 campaign. But the Juddmonte Farms homebred returned to the races in style with a 12 ½-length romp at Gulfstream on March 1 but finished out of the money next-out in the Grade 3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn Park. He added yet another chapter to his growing saga in his most recent start on June 3 at Belmont when he stumbled and lost his jockey at the start.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Hidden Scroll from post 6.

The field is completed by the longshot Lonhtwist, who wheels back quickly for trainer Keith O'Brien off a 10th-place finish in the First Defence on June 7 at Belmont. He will break from outermost post 8 with Eric Cancel aboard.

The post Clement Pair Top Eclectic Cast For ‘Win And You’re In’ Jaipur appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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