Devamani Leads 1-2 Chad Brown Finish In Knickerbocker

Sanford J. Goldfarb and Samuel Abraham's Devamani previously had come within a neck and nose of notching his first graded stakes win this year. On Sunday, the French-bred broke through, overtaking pacesetter En Wye Cee in the stretch and drawing away to a two-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Knickerbocker for 3-year-olds and up at Belmont Park in Elmont Park, N.Y.

Devamani, who ran second by a nose to Admiralty Pier in the G3 Tampa Bay in February and by a neck to Instilled Regard in the G2 Fort Marcy in June over the Belmont grass, fended off stablemate Olympico's late charge to complete the 1 1/8-mile journey over the yielding inner turf course in 1:51.78, giving trainer Chad Brown the exacta for the five-horse field.

Out of the gate, En Wye Cee broke sharp from post four and led the field through the opening quarter-mile in 25.66 seconds, the half in 51.13 and three-quarters in 1:15.58 with Devamani tracking in third position under jockey Joel Rosario.

Through the final turn, Devamani, who had plenty in reserve, pressed on from the outside, taking command in the final furlong and powering home to his first victory in six starts this year.

“He's a neat horse. He's a very well-bred horse. He's always been at the top of his game in his training, his looks and such,” said Brown, who took over training duties for the 6-year-old Dubawi gelding starting for the current campaign. “Obviously, he took to our program well right away and we had him running in stakes right away. He's a very useful horse and he'll be exciting to have as a 7-year-old here next year.

“This horse has a pedigree to get better when he gets older,” he added. “I'm not shy to run 6, 7 or 8-year-olds on the turf. Sometimes, they find their feet there. I'll talk to the ownership group and see, but this horse is running super. We may run him one more time [this year] or we may not. But I'm looking to run him as a 7-year-old.”

Off at 3-1, Devamani returned $8.80 on a $2 win bet. Out of the Group 1-winning Selkirk mare Daryakana, Devamani improved his career record to 5-8-5 in 25 career starts.

“He was just there for me and was able to go along early and he kept going,” Rosario said. “To be up a little closer with the slow pace, he was on his game. He always runs hard. He had been unlucky a couple of times and he got the job done today.”

Brown put blinkers on Devamani for the first time in his previous start when third in the Lure on September 7 at Saratoga and removed them for Sunday's contest.

“Joel really rode him perfect,” Brown said. “We got the position we were looking for with him. We put the blinkers on him because he was falling so far out of position in his races and it didn't really work out. He wasn't happy with them. When we took them off, what it left us with was a little sharper horse. Putting them on and taking them off, even though we took a defeat last time, might have been the final piece of the puzzle for this horse just to put him in the race a little bit.”

Fellow French-bred Olympico edged En Wye Cee by a neck for second, marking the second consecutive year he finished as the Knickerbocker runner up.

“He was second-best. The winner got a perfect trip,” said Olympico jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. “He ran a perfect race, he just got beat.”

Olympico was making just his third start of his 5-year-old campaign and posted his first overall on-the-board effort since last year's Knickerbocker.

“He was a little out of position. I thought he would be ahead of Devamani early, I was surprised they flip-flopped,” Brown said. “Irad thought he gave him a good run. Fortunately, he was able to squeak out second there.”

Breaking the Rules, the 2-1, favorite, finished fourth, with Seismic Wave completing the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Thursday with a nine-race card at Belmont with a first post of 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Hopeful Crazy Beautiful Among 14 Horses Supplemented To Keeneland November Sale

Keeneland has announced that Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies candidate Crazy Beautiful along with the dams of Breeders' Cup hopefuls Jackie's Warrior and Mutasaabeq are among the 14 horses supplemented to the November Breeding Stock Sale, which covers 10 sessions from Monday, Nov. 9 through Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Keeneland will continue to accept approved supplements until the November Sale begins.

Supplemented to the premier Book 1, which opens at noon on Nov. 9, are:

– A weanling filly by Kitten's Joy who is a half-sister to 2020 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes winner My Girl Red and 2020 Smarty Jones Stakes winner Gold Street (Hip 244A). Out of Morakami, a stakes-placed daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus, she is consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent.

– A weanling colt by American Pharoah who is a half-brother to undefeated two-time Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior, early favorite for the Nov. 6 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The weanling (Hip 244B) is consigned by Beau Lane Bloodstock, agent.

– Unicorn Girl (Hip 244C), dam of Jackie's Warrior who is in foal to Into Mischief. Unicorn Girl is consigned by Beau Lane Bloodstock, agent.

– Veronique, dam of impressive undefeated Keeneland winner Nashville, in foal to Collected (Hip 244D). Veronique is consigned by Paramount Sales, agent. Her weanling filly by Mastery is cataloged in the November Sale as Hip 885, while Nashville, a 3-year-old colt by Speightstown who opened his career with an 11 1/2-length win at Saratoga on Sept. 2 and captured his Oct. 10 Keeneland race by 9 3/4 lengths, is cataloged as a racing or stallion prospect as Hip 3328.

– City Success, a full sister to Grade 2 winner and leading Breeders' Cup Sprint contender C Z Rocket, who is in foal to Distorted Humor (Hip 244E). The daughter of City Zip is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

– Crazy Beautiful (Hip 244F), a 2-year-old stakes-winning filly by Liam's Map who is a contender for the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Consigned by Denali Stud, agent, she won the Runhappy Debutante at Ellis Park on Aug. 9 and was second in both the Sept. 3 G3 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs and Keeneland's G1 Darley Alcibiades on Oct. 2.

Downside Scenario, dam of 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hopeful Mutasaabeq, winner of the recent G2 Bourbon at Keeneland and third in this year's G3 Runhappy Hopeful (Hip 244G). In foal to Audible, the daughter of Scat Daddy is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Her weanling colt by Uncle Mo is cataloged as Hip 232.

 Sessions on Monday, Nov. 16 and Tuesday, Nov. 17 will feature horses of racing age and include these supplements:

– Growth Engine (Hip 3422A), a 4-year-old gelding by Tapit who won his last start at Monmouth Park. Consigned by ELiTE, agent, he has finished in the top three in all seven of his races.

Love and Peace (FR) (Hip 3422B), a 5-year-old mare who is coming off a front-running 3-length win in California and was stakes-placed in France. She is consigned by Paramount Sales, agent.

Notary (Hip 3422C), a winning 2-year-old colt by Street Sense. A half-brother to Grade 3 winner Bridgetown and stakes winners Clement Rock and Carnacks Choice, he is consigned by ELiTE, agent.

– Olympico (FR) (Hip 3422D), a 5-year-old gelding who is the 123-pound highweight in Sunday's Knickerbocker (G2) at Belmont Park. The five-time winner, who took the 2019 G3 Fort Marcy at Belmont, is consigned by ELiTE, agent.

Critical Value (Hip 3422E), a 3-year-old daughter of Bodemeister who has two stakes wins at Belmont Park: 2019 Maid of the Mist and 2020 Bouwerie. From the family of Grade 1 winner Critical Eye, she is consigned by ELiTE, agent.

Edgemont Road (Hip 3422F), a 4-year-old Speightstown gelding who won an Oct. 3 Keeneland allowance for his fourth victory in his past seven starts. Edgemont Road is consigned by Team V LLC.

Violent Times (Hip 3422G), a 5-year-old daughter of Violence who won the 2020 Ana T. Stakes at Gulfstream. She is consigned by Ashview Farm, agent. 

The entire November Sale will be streamed live on Keeneland.com.

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Olympico Will Try To Go One Better In Sunday’s Rescheduled Knickerbocker

After running second in last year's edition, the Chad Brown-trained Olympico will get another chance to earn a trip to the winner's circle when he competes as part of a five-horse field in the Grade 2, $150,000 Knickerbocker for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on Belmont Park's inner turf on Sunday.

The Knickerbocker was originally scheduled for the Monday, Oct. 12 holiday card but was moved to Sunday's third race at 1:28 p.m. Eastern due to inclement weather. That provided Olympico with a few days of extra rest as he makes his first appearance since running fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Lure on Sept. 7 at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Bethlehem Stables, Olympico made his 2020 debut off a nearly nine-month layoff, finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch on July 26 at the Spa. That marked his first start since finishing just one length back to Lucullan in the 2019 Knickerbocker.

After arriving from his native France last year, the now 5-year-old son of Rajsaman won his North American debut by capturing the Grade 3 Fort Marcy in May 2019 over Belmont's softer turf at the Knickerbocker distance. After six straight winless starts, he will look to recapture that form, drawing post 1 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. retaining the mount.

His stablemate, Devamani, was also bred in France and stared his career there before making the cross-Atlantic trek. Since arriving in the United States in 2018, the Dubawi gelding has been competitive. With Brown taking over the training duties for his 6-year-old campaign, Devamani has finished on the board in four of his five starts, starting 2020 with back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay on Feb. 8 and the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on June 6 at Belmont.

He ran third last out in the Lure and will return to Belmont for his eighth race at the track, drawing post 3 with Joel Rosario in the irons.

Juddmonte Farms' Seismic Wave will return to stakes company for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The 4-year-old Kentucky homebred ran second in a 1 1/8-mile race moved off the turf last out on August 27 at Saratoga. Before that effort on a sloppy and sealed track, the son of Tapit had run in 11 consecutive stakes contests dating to 2019, including a win in the English Channel going one mile over the Belmont turf last October and a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Poker on July 4.

“I think for his style of running, a racetrack at Belmont is going to suit him better to get the trip he needs,” said Garrett O'Rourke, the general manager of Juddmonte Farms. “It's a spot worthy of taking a shot in. He's a sound horse and a good servant. He's been a fun horse to have around. Horses like him are good to have around because they're reliable and usually perform really well.”

Seismic Wave broke his maiden at the Knickerbocker distance on turf in his third career start in February 2019 at Gulfstream Park. A stakes win could also help his value at the upcoming sale next month, O'Rourke said. Seismic Wave is 3-4-2 in 15 career starts with earnings of $362,800.

“He's entered in the Keeneland November Sale [under the WinStar consignment], so we'll see how he runs and take it from there,” O'Rourke said.

Seismic Wave will break from post 2 under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.

Phipps Stable's Breaking the Rules started his 5-year-old campaign with back-to-back wins against allowance company, besting a 10-horse field going 1 1/8 miles on June 20 at Belmont before following with a one-length score on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey moved the dark bay son of War Front back up to stakes company last out in the Lure on Sept. 7 at the Spa, where he ran fourth in his first stakes appearance since an eighth-place performance in the Grade 3 Poker in June 2019.

Breaking the Rules did not start again after the Poker for 12 months but has registered Beyer Speed Figures of 90 or greater in all three starts back, including a personal-best 101 for his July victory.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, aboard for his two wins this year, will return to ride from post 5.

Waterford Stable's En Wye Cee has only one previous stakes race out of his six total starts to his credit – fourth in the Grade 3 Discovery last November at the Big A – but enters the challenge with momentum following a six-length win against optional claimers in a race taken over the turf on August 29 at Saratoga. The Todd Pletcher trainee's only previous start on grass was a third in a blanket finish on Aug. 1 at the Spa, finishing a neck behind King Cause. After earning a 93 Beyer, Pletcher will try the 4-year-old Declaration of War colt on turf again, retaining the services of jockey Jose Ortiz from post 4.

Sunday's 10-race card will feature a 12:20 p.m. Eastern first post. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Halladay Faces Five In Bernard Baruch

Riding a two-race winning streak, Harrell Ventures’ Halladay (War Front) will try to take it to the next level in Sunday’s GII Bernard Baruch S. at Saratoga. Victorious in Gulfstream’s Tropical Park Derby last December, the grey finished fourth–beaten two lengths–in the GIIII Tampa Bay S. Feb. 8 before returning with a three-length score in a one-mile Gulfstream optional claimer Apr. 4. Most recently, Halladay went gate-to-wire over subsequent GI United Nations winner Aquaphobia (Giant’s Causeway) and stablemate Social Paranoia (Street Boss), who took the GIII Poker S. at Belmont Park two starts later.

“So far, the turf course has not been kind to horses close to the pace,” said trainer Pletcher, who won the Baruch in 2012 with Dominus. “That’s really my only concern. The horse is training super and we’re excited about Sunday. He’s in great form and seems to be steadily improving. Obviously, he took to the turf at Gulfstream quite well so I’m hoping that he can apply that to this turf course.”

Jockey Luis Saez was aboard for Halladay’s two latest winning efforts and retains the mount from post six.

Trainer Chad Brown is represented by a pair of contenders in the 8 1/2 furlong test–the lightly-raced Good Governance (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and graded-stakes winner Olympico (Fr) (Rajsaman {Fr}). Campaigned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, Good Governance broke his maiden last August over the Spa’s inner turf before finishing a close-up second in the GIII Saranac S. Benched for the remainder of the season, the English-bred registered a 3 3/4-length win in a Belmont allowance June 26.

“He’s lightly raced, but he’s very talented,” said Brown. “Hopefully he’s up to the challenge. He has a nice race under his belt and he looks good.”

The bay’s regular pilot, Irad Ortiz, Jr., reuintes with the 4-year-old and will attempt to collect his third Bernard Baruch triumph.

Stablemate Olympico will attempt to record his first win since lighting up the tote board at 18-1 in his North American debut in last year’s GII Fort Marcy S. at Belmont Park. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables, the 5-year-old finished fifth in this race one year ago before finishing runner-up in the GII Knickerbocker S. over the inner turf at Belmont Oct. 14.

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