Based out of New York, Piedi Bianchi was accompanied by East Coast rider Tyler Gaffalione for her start in the Cardinal Stakes. Just as the field of eight was entering the starting gate, a torrential rain blasted down with horses almost at times unrecognizable on the television monitors.

Piedi Bianchi left from post seven and got into good early positioning as expected on the inside and was immediately joined by Magical Peapod and Florent Geroux, who placed pressure on them through the first half of the one and one-sixteenth mile race. Down the backstretch, Fireball Baby and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. joined in on the pressure, moving three wide at the halfway marker before slipping over to duel with just Piedi Bianchi.

In the stretch, Piedi Bianchi did what she does best, drew away from the field and was an eventual winner by four and one-half lengths at the finish line. Fireball Baby finished second over Bumble of Love and Rodney Prescott, who closed for third over the sloppy track.

Piedi Bianchi now has eight career wins in 27 career starts for owners Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Lucien Bianchi and Jordan Rubenstein's Al Bianchi Racing, LLC, Adam Bayroff and Mike Maturo. Carlos Martin trains the striking grey filly who was a purchase by her connections for $80,000 out of the Ocala Breeders Two-Year-Old Sale in 2017. It was the fifth stakes win for Piedi Bianchi, who is a Graded Stakes placed six-year-old.

“She slipped a little at the start, so I didn't want to rush her, but she broke pretty good, so we were able to get near the front early,” said Gaffalione through an interview with Jimmy McNerney, guest racing analyst. “I wasn't concerned about the pressure because she was doing it easily and was pretty comfortable. When I threw to her a little, she gave me everything she had. She is just a classy horse.”

Piedi Bianchi is now behind all-time Indiana bred leader Bucchero, who has $947,000 in earnings, followed by Lady Fog Horn who earned in excess of $824,000 during her career. Piedi Bianchi is moving into the final strides of her racing career and her connections hope to retire her at the end of the 2021 racing season.

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A pair of Grade 1, $500,000 stakes highlight Saturday's card at Belmont with the Woodward for 3-year-olds and up going a one-turn 1 1/8 miles on Big Sandy; and the Champagne for 2-year-olds running one mile in a prestigious race, affording a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile to the winner. The lucrative card is bolstered by the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational along with the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for juvenile fillies.

Trained by Carlos Martin, Piedi Bianchi was named the 2020 Indiana Horse of the Year for a campaign that included a runner-up effort in the Merrillville and a second career score in the Frances Slocum at Indiana Grand. The versatile mare also posted a win in the six-furlong Correction last March on the Big A main track.

The now 6-year-old Indiana-bred daughter of Overanalyze, who is multiple Grade 1-placed on dirt, has re-focused on turf racing in her current campaign, posting a game second to Change of Control in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Intercontinental in June at Belmont.

The talented grey, a four-time winner on the main track, finished second in the off-the-turf Perfect Sting at one-mile on a sloppy and sealed Belmont main track in July ahead of a 2 1/2-length score over multiple stakes winner Lead Guitar and graded-stakes placed Robin Sparkles last out in the 5 1/2-furlong Smart N Fancy over yielding turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Martin credited Oringer with the change of direction for Piedi Bianchi.

“She's really stepped up her game and Jay had emphasized to me her numbers on the turf and the way she gets into a race, it seems like she does it so easily,” Martin said. “She's so tactical. She doesn't have to be too far away. She breaks out of there and gets a good spot and places herself accordingly. She has a good kick, which you need in these turf sprints. She really finishes off her races.”

Piedi Bianchi was sent to post as the third choice in a compact field of four in the Smart N Fancy, tracking the early speed of Robin Sparkles from second position before taking control inside the eighth-pole en route to a 2 1/4-length score.

“She did it quite convincingly. We had got some rain on the turf course and it seems like she handles any type of turf, so it's a big advantage to have,” Martin said. “She's one of those Rodney Dangerfield types. I think she just doesn't get the respect she's due. But she showed it on the racetrack and won easy. She beat a nice field of mares and did it on the biggest stage at Saratoga on Alabama Day. I was very proud of her.”

Martin said Piedi Bianchi will be cross-entered in the $150,000 Cardinal, a 1 1/16-mile main track event for Indiana-bred fillies and mares slated for October 6 at Indiana Grand. The connections will examine both options before making a final decision where to run.

“She's doing great. She's come out of her last race really well,” Martin said. “Jay has been great helping me manage the filly and she's ready to go either way.

“She's really been flourishing on the turf,” Martin added. “I think she deserves a chance to run against the best, so if she stays here I'm fine with that.”

Charles Roberts is named to ride from the inside post.

Lael Stables' Arrest Me Red won the 5 1/2-furlong Mahony last out by a neck over firm Saratoga turf while making her debut for trainer Wesley Ward. The 3-year-old Pioneerof the Nile bay won the six-furlong Atlantic Beach in November on the Big A turf for former conditioner Arnaud Delacour.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot Arrest Me Red from post 3.

Christophe Clement saddled the winner of three of the previous five runnings of the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational, scoring with Pure Sensation [2016] and Disco Partner [2017-18].

He will be represented Saturday by Oak Bluff Stables' Therapist, a stakes winner at state-bred and open company, who was scratched out of Friday's off-the-turf Ashley T. Cole.

The 6-year-old Freud chestnut, bred in the Empire State by Oak Bluff Stable and Clement, will be in search of his first win since the Artie Schiller in November 2020 at Aqueduct. The ultra-consistent gelding, who boasts a record of 26-9-3-6, has won at least one stakes race every year since his 2-year-old season in 2017.

Therapist enters from a game runner-up effort in the restricted West Point, rallying to finish a nose back of stablemate City Man in the 1 1/16-mile turf test on August 27 at Saratoga.

Tyler Gaffalione has the call from post 5.

Gatsas Stables' Backtohisroots stumbled at the start of last year's Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational, unseating Jose Lezcano. The 5-year-old Mark Valeski gelding returned to action off nearly a one-year layoff last out with a runner-up effort to returning rival Pulsate in the 5 1/2-furlong Lucky Coin on September 3 at the Spa.

Luis Saez retains the mount from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Lucky Coin-winner Pulsate [post 7, Manny Franco]; 2019 Awad victor Buy Land and See [post 4, Jose Ortiz]; Guildsman [post 6, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], winner of last year's Grade 3 Franklin Simpson at Kentucky Downs; Grade 1 Jaipur runner-up Chewing Gum [post 9, Eric Cancel], and Belgrano [post 8, Junior Alvarado], last-out winner of the Rainbow Heir at Monmouth.

The Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 11-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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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The highest selling Indiana-bred was Hip 829, a yearling by Gormley and out of the Aljbar mare Northern Kraze, bred by Deann and Greg Baer, DVM, and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. The flashy filly sold to Tommy Town Thoroughbreds out of Santa Ynez, California, for $125,000 from the fourth session. The filly's half-sister by Jimmy Creed, Krunch, is a black-type stakes winner already earning $241,082 in limited racing at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino.

The second highest seller was Hip 1926, sold to Kenneth McPeek for $75,000. The colt by Kantharos and out of Ice Women (Street Sense) shined on a day where two other Indiana yearlings sold as well.

Jay Oringer, co-owner of 2020 Indiana Horse of the Year Piedi Bianchi purchased a yearling by Good Magic and out of Our Lesmis (Yes It's True) for $30,000. Oringer is excited for the prospect of another top Indiana-bred runner to campaign not only in Indiana, but nationwide, just as he has with the gray mare.

“I was so happy to see Jay purchased our Good Magic filly,” says breeder Dennis Farkas. “He's done such a nice job with Piedi Bianchi.”

Pocket Aces Racing Partnership has entered the regional racing scene by purchasing their first Indiana-bred yearlings at Keeneland September. Agent Marc Wampler had nothing but positive things to say for hip 3319, a filly by Sharp Azteca and by Sarah Elizabeth (Sky Mesa) consigned by Ballysax Bloodstock.

“Hip 3319 ticked all the boxes I was looking for… She is a leggy filly with a forearm-to-canon ratio I associate with a low and long stride,” Wampler says in his notes. “She has just enough strength where she needs it the most, in her hips and her gaskins, while the rest of her body has just enough strength to stay sound and not wear her down over the course of a two-turn race.”

The overall average for the yearlings sold was $48,350, with hopes of more positive gains as the sales season continues. Your next opportunity to purchase quality Indiana-bred and Indiana-sired racehorses is the ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale, to be held Oct. 16 in the Receiving Barn at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville.

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Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Overanalzye mare, making just her fifth appearance on turf in 26 starts, demonstrated a strong turn-of-foot under Tyler Gaffalione down the lane to overtake pacesetter Robin Sparkles and post a 2 1/4-length score.

Robin Sparkles, with Jose Ortiz up, surged to the lead with Piedi Bianchi tracking in second position as Lead Guitar saved ground under Luis Saez in third through a quarter-mile in :23.09 seconds on the yielding turf.

Piedi Bianchi edged closer to the pacesetter late in the turn as Lead Guitar waited patiently for racing room along the hedge through a half-mile in :46.93. Robin Sparkles, the 4-5 mutuel favorite, attempted to open up on her rivals once straightened for home but was soon overtaken by Piedi Bianchi, who powered home in a final time of 1:04.95.

Lead Guitar squeezed up the rail to complete the exacta by 2 1/4-lengths over Robin Sparkles with Hydra, who leaped at the start and trailed throughout, completing the field. Pacific Gale was scratched.

Piedi Bianchi made a pair of starts on turf last year, including a fourth-place finish in the My Charmer in December at Gulfstream Park. She finished a prominent second in the Grade 3 Intercontinental sprinting seven furlongs over the Belmont grass in June.

Martin credited his owners for persisting with turf ambitions in Piedi Bianchi's 2021 campaign.

“I give the owners credit. When she went to Florida last year, I asked 'Do you really want to run this mare on the turf? She's so good on the dirt',” Martin said. “We got back together and we ran her on the turf and she ran a big second in the Intercontinental. Today, she just loved the going. It made a big difference. The other horses are great horses. I'm not taking anything away from our victory, but it worked out perfectly for us today.”

Gaffalione secured his fifth stakes score of the meet, adding to a ledger that includes wins in the Coronation Cup [Goin' Good], Grade 3 Troy [Fast Boat], Grade 1 Fourstardave [Got Stormy], and Skidmore [Averly Jane].

“Out of the gate, I took a nice hold and was getting over the ground well,” Gaffalione said. “Coming into the stretch, when I asked her, she gave me everything she had. She really relished the course today.

“It was a nice tempo in front of us,” he added. “It gave us a nice target, and when I asked, she finished up well.”

The victory marked the fourth career stakes win for the Indiana-bred, who previously captured the 2018 and 2020 editions of the Frances Slocum at Indiana Grand and last year's Correction at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Out of the Tactical Cat mare Adore You, Piedi Bianchi is a half-sibling to 3-year-old colt Outadore, by Outwork, who is a stakes winner on turf and synthetic and finished third in last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland.

Piedi Bianchi banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 26-7-6-5. She returned $11.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 Summer Colony, a nine-furlong main track event for older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stakes race in 2021. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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The Perfect Sting is one of two stakes on the Saturday card, including the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban Handicap that is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

While the eighth edition of the Perfect Sting is not graded, the resume of the participants provides a big-race pedigree, highlighted by Juddmonte's Grade 1-winner Viadera.

The Chad Brown trainee will be making her 5-year-old debut after capping 2020 with three consecutive stakes scores by slim margins, starting with a win by a neck in the one-mile De La Rose in July at Saratoga Race Course in her second North American start.

The British-bred daughter of Bated Breath posted another victory by a neck in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel going one mile on the Belmont turf in September and concluded her successful year by edging Blowout by a nose in the Grade 1 Matriarch going one mile in November at Del Mar, earning a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Viadera, who has been training at Saratoga leading into the Perfect Sting, won three of her first nine starts in Ireland and Great Britain before being shipped to the United States and transferred to Brown's care.

Joel Rosario will ride from post 9.

Susan and John Moore's Princess Grace also will be making her seasonal bow off graded-stakes success, with the 4-year-old Karakontie filly concluding her sophomore year with a 2 3/4-length win in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere moved off the turf in November at Churchill Downs.

Princess Grace has won three of her four starts, getting her picture taken in her first two outings before earning a personal-best 88 Beyer for a runner-up effort in her stakes debut when she finished just a half-length back to Stunning Sky in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Valley View in October at Keeneland.

“She's a small, feminine looking filly but she runs huge in her races and everything she does is game and all heart,” Stidham said. “Those kind don't have to be big and powerful, they just have what it takes inside and she seems to have that.”

Luis Saez will have the call from post 3.

Piedi Bianchi has won three stakes on dirt but earned black type going seven furlongs on the turf last out, finishing just 1 1/2 lengths back to Change of Control in a strong runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 3 as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Owned by Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Al Bianchi Racing, Adam Bayroff and Mike Maturo, Piedi Bianchi, whose experience at Belmont includes a third-place finish in the 2020 Grade 2 Ruffian on Big Sandy, put in a strong breeze going five furlongs in 1:01.55 on June 20 over the Belmont inner turf. Trainer Carlos Martin said her workout sustained her progress after earning an 86 Beyer for her Intercontinental effort.

“She showed another dimension last time and ran her best turf race. She really ran a terrific race,” Martin said. “We only got beat by Change of Control, who is one of the better turf fillies out there. She's keeping the momentum and I'm optimistic. We'll see. It just came up a very tough race for a listed stakes. This looks like a Grade 2 field.”

Piedi Bianchi, who won her first stakes in the Frances Slocum in 2018 before adding wins last year in the Correction at Aqueduct Racetrack and another in the 2020 edition of the Frances Slocum at Indiana Grand Race Course, will be seeking her first turf win in five starts.

The Overanalyze grey will break from post 4 under Flavien Prat.

Augustin Stable's Honey Cake, an Irish-bred daughter of Siyouni who last raced in November when winning the seven-furlong Prix Ceres at the Fontainebleau in France, will make her first start in the United States.

Transferred into the care of Jonathan Thomas, the 4-year-old Honey Cake has been breezing at Belmont, including a five-furlong work in 1:01.80 on the inner turf Sunday.

Honey Cake will look to return off a seven-month layoff and show the form that led to four wins in eight starts in France to begin her career.

“She came with a nice resume,” Thomas said. “We're just hoping to pick up where it left off. She's a beautiful filly and seems to have a lot of class and had some good works on the turf. She's shown a very nice turn-of-foot.”

Manny Franco will ride from the inside post.

Team Valor Racing and Everything's Cricket Racing's Madita, the runner-up in the One Dreamer in September at Kentucky Downs, will make her first start in more than eight months for trainer Arnaud Delacour, drawing post 7 with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons. The German-bred Madita, making her 6-year-old bow, will be looking for her second win in seven starts since arriving from her native country in 2019.

Rounding out the field are Hogans Holiday [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Sunset Kiss [post 6, Jose Lezcano]. Truth Hurts and Velvet Crush are entered for the main-track only.

The Perfect Sting is carded as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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Top performers in each division are highlighted daily on the simulcast production, and to honor two of the state's top awards, a special presentation was made Tuesday, June 8 for the ITOBA/Indiana Breed Development Breeder of the Year and the 2020 Champion Indiana Horse of the Year. Top breeding honors were awarded to Deann Baer and Greg Baer, DVM, breeders on the Champion Horse of 2020 Piedi Bianchi.

The Baers have bred many winners in recent years. Hailing from Columbus, Ind., the small breeding operation sends many yearlings to the sales in Kentucky where Piedi Bianchi was originally transported as a weanling. Her current connections of Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Al Bianchi Racing LLC, Adam Bayroff and Mike Maturo purchased the filly at the Ocala Breeders Sale during her 2-year-old season and have reaped rewards since that time.

Piedi Bianchi won two of three starts at Indiana Grand in 2020. Overall, she has won six races in 24 starts with earnings of more than $650,000. The multiple graded stakes placed daughter of Overanalyze has had success outside of the borders of Indiana, winning at Aqueduct and Del Mar with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders Cup Juvenile at two at Del Mar. She most recently finished second in the Grade 3 Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont Park.

“We hope to get her back to where we started in November at Del Mar (Breeders Cup),” said Jay Oringer, who was present for the awards ceremony. “Her career is winding down, but we hope she has a few more good races in her. Once she is done racing, she will be a broodmare and we are thinking Tapit. The baby should come out nice and grey.”

Oringer and his partners work hard to ensure every horse they have ever owned gets a good home after racing. A portion of the earnings from Piedi Bianchi goes to racehorse aftercare.

“It's important to us to give to aftercare,” added Oringer. “We make sure all of our horses are taken care of after they are done, even if we have to claim them back.”

Oringer was in town to watch another horse under his ownership in the Shelby County Stakes on the Wednesday, June 9 card at Indiana Grand. Expect Indy, trained by Cipriano Contreras, is set to start from post three with Santo Sanjur aboard. She is the favorite in the field of nine and won the $75,000 stakes race in 2019.

The 19th running of the Shelby County is one of two stakes on the Wednesday card, joined by the 18th running of the $75,000 William Henry Harrison Stakes. The stakes are set as races six and eight, respectively, on the card.

Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing, and Leigh Ann Hopper and Terry Phillips of ITOBA, were on hand for the trophy presentations. Rachel McLaughlin, on-air racing commentator, conducted the special ceremony. Trainer Tim Glyshaw accepted the award on behalf of the Baers.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon.

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“We hope to get her back to where we started in November at Del Mar (for the upcoming Breeders' Cup),” said co-owner Jay Oringer. “Her career is winding down, but we hope she has a few more good races in her. Once she is done racing, she will be a broodmare and we are thinking Tapit.”

Also recognized as Indiana's Breeder of the Year was the team of Deann Baer and Greg Baer, DVM. The two bred Piedi Bianchi and have a small breeding operation near Columbus, Indiana. The ITOBA generally hosts a spring banquet to honor Indiana's top performers, but is instead highlighting the honorees daily on the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino simulcast production due to COVID-19 restrictions. A special presentation was made Tuesday, June 8, to honor Piedi Bianchi and the Baers.

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Piedi Bianchi, who was kicking her heels up in the post parade, was ready to race when the gates opened. She burst out of post nine in the 12-horse lineup and was quickly among the top group heading to the lead. Copper Nickel and Jermaine Bridgmohan crossed over to the lead and were tracked closely by Unbridled Class and Rodney Prescott in the early stages. Horses were three and four wide around the first turn to stay close to the pace setters.

Down the backstretch, some began to retreat, allowing Piedi Bianchi to advance up slowly on the outside. In the final turn, she began to stretch out even more and was neck and neck with Magical Peapod and Rocco Bowen and Copper Nickel. In the stretch, Fernando De La Cruz gave a command to advance and she blasted to the lead, drawing away by seven and one-half lengths at the finish line for the win. Fireball Baby and Marcelino Pedroza closed gamely for second, just a head in front of Expect Indy and Emmanuel Esquivel to make it a first and third finish for trainer Cipriano Contreras.

“I was a little worried about the post position,” admitted De La Cruz. “We were four-wide, but we were able to sit down and wait. I knew at the half-mile we had a good shot to win because I was sitting on a lot of horse. At the quarter pole, I asked her for more and she did it all by herself.”

Piedi Bianchi now has six career wins in 19 career starts for owners Jay Oringer, Jack Bick and Madaket Stables. An $80,000 purchase at two from the Ocala sales in 2017, Piedi Bianchi now possesses in excess of $578,000 in purse earnings and moves into eighth place on the list of all-time leading Indiana bred money earners. Among females, she is ranked third behind Lady Fog Horn ($824,273) and Dreamin Big ($602,350).

“This is a nice mare that has been running in Graded Stakes competition,” said Contreras. “She has been training really good up to this race and I think she is a little bit better going a little longer. The main thing today is to stay out of trouble and the race worked out perfectly. When you are a big favorite like that, the worst thing to happen is to get caught in behind horses, so being wide wasn't a concern. Fernando (De La Cruz) did a good job. He waited and was patient.”

The abbreviated 2020 racing season comes to a close Thursday, Nov. 19 with a mandatory payout in the Straight Fire 6. The carryover heading into closing day is in excess of $140,000 and will begin in Race 5 to capture the final six Thoroughbred races of the season. Racing dates for 2021 will be approved and announced by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission in December.

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Trained by Brad Cox, Monomoy Girl arrives at the event off an allowance victory on May 16 at Churchill Downs contested at the Ruffian distance of a one-turn mile. Her 2 ¾-length score off a nearly 18-month layoff marked the 5-year-old debut for the chestnut daughter of Tapizar, whose previous start was a one-length victory in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November 2018 at Churchill Downs.

That Breeders' Cup win secured honors for Champion 3-Year-Old filly thanks to a sophomore campaign that featured five Grade 1 wins: the Ashland at Keeneland, the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, the Acorn at Belmont Park and the the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

She was sent to WinStar Farm in the spring of 2019 after a mild case of colic and suffered an injury to her hamstring last fall when preparing for a potential comeback.

Despite several setbacks in her return bid, Monomoy Girl made a strong return to action, winning over a sloppy and sealed Churchill track in May.

“We thought about the [Grade 1 Ogden Phipps [on June 13], but after such a long layoff it was a little quick back,” he added. “She's giving all the right signs and at this point she has to stay sound and do it. Saturday will be the next step. She went to allowance company now she's in a Grade 2 and we'll progress from there.”

The long-term goal for Monomoy Girl is an attempt at a repeat victory in the Grade 1, $3 million Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 7 at Keeneland Race Course.

“I think the ultimate goal is the Breeders Cup and the shot at another championship,” said Dubb. “There's no reason to stretch her out to two turns in her second start in 18 months. This seems like the logical spot. I've seen her and physically she looks fantastic. She's large, she's powerful and she's beautiful.”

Regular rider Florent Geroux will return to the irons aboard Monomoy Girl from post 5.

Four other fillies and mares will take on the champion, including Piedi Bianchi for trainer Carlos Martin, who won last year's Ruffian with Come Dancing.

The Indiana-bred daughter of Overanalyze won the Correction at Aqueduct two starts back before finishing sixth in the Harmony Lodge on June 5 last out.

Owned by Jay Oringer, Jack Bick and Madaket Stables, Piedi Bianchi is 4-3-3 in 15 career starts.

“She's doing great. I really wanted to stretch her out further and she's training well in blinkers,” Martin said. “It's an opportunity in a small field to get a big graded-stakes placing. I know Monomoy Girl on paper looks imposing, but my dad always said, 'if Secretariat can get beat, anybody can get beat.' So, we'll take our chances. I think a one-turn mile at Belmont will really suit her and Dylan Davis is a great young rider who will give it all he's got.”

Martin is influenced by the training style of the late Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens, who was known for not being afraid to face tough competition.

“When his horses were doing well, he only worried about his horse and he took some chances and often was rewarded,” Martin said. “You can't ever not run because of one horse. We're going to go for it. Hopefully it will be a great race and if we can't beat Monomoy Girl, we hope we can get a big graded-stakes placing in the Ruffian and that would be an honor as well.”

A victory with Piedi Bianchi in the Ruffian would make Martin the first trainer to score back-to-back editions of the race since Kiaran McLaughlin won with Wedding Toast (2015) and Cavorting (2016).

“It would be a dream come true to win the Ruffian two years in a row,” Martin said.

Piedi Bianchi, with blinkers on, will break from the inside post under Davis.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert seeks a third Ruffian triumph with Mother Mother, who will attempt to make amends after finishing fourth in the Harmony Lodge. The daughter of Pioneerof the Nile made her seasonal bow a winning one in Santa Anita's Kalookan Queen on January 12. A winner of the Rags to Riches at Churchill Downs during her 2-year-old campaign, Mother Mother is a three-time Grade 1-placed filly having run second in the Del Mar Debutante in only her second lifetime start, and was third in the La Brea at Santa Anita and the Starlet at Los Alamitos.

Jockey Manny Franco will pilot Mother Mother from post 2.

Mike Repole's Always Shopping, who won last year's Grade 2 Gazelle at Aqueduct, will look to add a graded stakes victory to her ledger is. Following the Gazelle, the daughter of Awesome Again was sixth in the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan last May at Pimlico and did not return until April of this year, where she was third as the favorite in a one-mile allowance optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park. She arrives at the Ruffian off a fourth in the Treasure Coast on June 4 over the turf at the South Florida oval.

A Kentucky homebred, Always Shopping is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed More Than Ready broodmare Stopshoppingmaria.

Always Shopping will leave from post 4 under Eric Cancel.

Completing the field is Calumet Farms' well-bred graded stakes winner Vexatious, who has found the winner's circle on both dirt and turf. Trained by Jack Sisterson, the gray daughter of Giant's Causeway out of multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Dream of Summer is a full-sister to Grade 1-winner and producer Creative Cause and is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Destin.

Vexatious' last victory took place in the Grade 3 Dowager over the Keeneland turf in October 2018, which she won via disqualification and has acquired graded stakes black type on dirt twice during her 3-year-old campaign when finishing third in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks and Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park.

Breaking from post 3, Vexatious will have the riding services of Jose Lezcano.

The Ruffian is named in honor of the multiple Grade 1-winning champion who was named Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in 1974 and became Champion 3-Year-Old Filly the following year, where she won the New York Triple Tiara [the Acorn, the Mother Goose and the Coaching Club American Oaks]. Trained by Frank Whitley, Ruffian was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976 and is buried in Belmont Park's infield.

Slated as Race 4 on Saturday's 10-race card, which offers a first post of 1:15 p.m. Eastern, the Ruffian 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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