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Somelikeithotbrown Holds Off Sanctuary City To Get Second Mohawk Win

In a postponed renewal of the 1 1/16-mile $200,000 Mohawk for New York-breds 3-years-old and up on the turf, which was washed off its intended surface earlier in the meet, odds-on favorite Somelikeithotbrown made all the running and fended off longshot Sanctuary City's menacing late rally to capture his second straight edition of the race by posting a half-length score at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Skychai Racing and David Koenig's Somelikeithotbrown, a 5-year-old son of Big Brown, was making his first appearance against state-bred company since winning last year's Mohawk in October 2020. The Mike Maker trainee had run exclusively against graded stakes competition in 2021 spanning his first five starts, including a win in the Grade 2 Dinner Party at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., in May and a third-place finish last out in the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on October 9.

Keen on the class relief despite the quality New York-bred competition, bettors sent off Somelikeithotbrown as the prohibitive 1-2 favorite in the Mohawk. He looked the part, breaking from post and surging to the front under Jorge Vargas, Jr. With Klickitat providing only token pressure off his flank, the bay horse ambled down the backstretch through an opening quarter-mile in :24.23 and a half in :49.15 over firm going on the Widener turf.

Somelikeithotbrown and Vargas kept up the moderate tempo, going three-quarters in 1:13.49, and it wasn't until leaving the far turn that they received their first serious test in the form of the Christophe Clement-trained City Man, who ranged up on their outside leaving the bend. Shrugging that one off with little opposition, the pair again opened up a daylight lead in mid-stretch. A hard-charging Sanctuary City then picked up the chase. Coming with a burst of energy down the middle of the Widener Turf Course, Sanctuary City looked poised to go by the frontrunner in the final eighth of a mile, but Somelikeithotbrown was unrelenting and dug in late to hit the wire in 1:42.39.

“He was [originally] pointing to the Breeders' Cup so you had to feel confident,” said Vargas, Jr. of the suspenseful finish. “He was traveling easily throughout. When they got to me I asked a little bit and he jumped on them right away. When it was time to run he fought to the end.

“He's a nice horse,” the winning jockey added. “Nice horses make multiple moves. They know what they're capable of, and that's what he does. He still had something left; I could barely pull him up he was feeling so good.”

Somelikeithotbrown returned $3 on a $2 win wager, while his career earnings now stand just shy of $1.2 million.

Sanctuary City, trained by James Ferraro for the owner/breeder combo of Edward Messina and William Butler, came alive again in the Mohawk, having run shockingly well in this race last year at odds of 41-1, and finished a clear second ahead of City Man, who was 2 ½ lengths back in third. It was another 1 ½ lengths back to Therapist in fourth, who was followed home by Cross Border and Klickitat. Rinaldi was scratched, as was main-track only entrant Tiergan.

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Live racing resumes Sunday with Closing Day of the Belmont fall meet. The 10-race card, which features an 11:50 a.m. first post, will feature a pair of stakes in the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Race 4 at 1:18 p.m. and the Grade 3, $150,000 Nashua for 2-year-olds in a one-turn mile on the main track in Race 9 at 3:43 p.m.

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.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Gibberish Decisive In Turnback The Alarm At Belmont

Gibberish tracked 2-5 favorite Miss Marissa in the early going, took command before the turn, and finished strong to post a 3 3/4-length victory in Saturday's $150,000 Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/8 miles on the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The 27th edition of the Turnback the Alarm, the first of four stakes on Belmont's 10-race card, saw e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Gibberish post her first victory in nearly a year, earning her first winner's circle appearance in six starts.

Gibberish, off at 3-1, broke from the outermost post under jockey Dylan Davis as Miss Marissa led the five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in :23.56 and :47.22 for the half over a fast track.

As rider Kendrick Carmouche kept Miss Marissa to the inside, Davis urged Gibberish up from the three-path, taking command with three-quarters in 1:12.29. Gibberish kept command entering the stretch and easily repelled So Darn Hot's late bid, completing the course in a 1:51.93 final time for her first win since the Treasure Chest on November 27, 2020, at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The 4-year-old Lea filly returned $8.20 on a $2 win wager, improving to 5-2-1 in 14 career starts. She increased her career earnings to $340,010.

“I just wanted to come out running and not give an easy lead to Miss Marissa. I saw the four-horse [Firing Carol] was getting more engaged, so I was able to back off since she was doing a little more of the dirty work for me” said Davis, who rode Gibberish for the first time. “She's a big, nice-moving filly. She got to the turn and the half-mile pole and started picking up her stride.

“I didn't want to fight with her too much,” he added. “If you start fighting with her, she tends to back off, just looking at her replays. I let her run until the turn there and once we got in the stretch, she got her stride going even more and she was determined to get to the wire.”

Bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge Farm, Gibberish had posted a pair of stakes runner-up in the current campaign, starting with the Lady's Secret on June 6 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., before finishing 1 1/4 lengths back to Miss Marissa in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 10 at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.

“We knew who the horse to beat was and we knew Gibberish can be forwardly placed,” said Sarah Shaffer, assistant to Joseph, Jr. “The idea was to be close to that. But if there was not much pace in front, we weren't going to restrain our filly. We wanted her to go to the front and get into a comfortable stride. We had another horse kind of creep up in there and put the pressure on, and it set up beautifully for her.”

Shaffer said Gibberish could be ready to embark on the next phase of her career.

“I have a van set up for her to ship out to the horse sale in Lexington. She's headed to the sale,” Shaffer said. “I think broodmare is in her future and I think she deserved it to go out with another stakes win.”

So Darn Hot, trained by George Weaver, bested Jilted Bride by five lengths for second. Miss Marissa ran fourth while Firing Carol completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday with Closing Day of the Belmont fall meet. The 10-race card, which features an 11:50 a.m. first post, will feature a pair of stakes in the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Race 4 at 1:18 p.m. and the $150,000 Grade 3 Nashua for 2-year-olds in a one-turn mile on the main track in Race 9 at 3:43 p.m.

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Going Global Gets The Win In Goldikova At Del Mar

On the undercard for Saturday's Breeders' Cup World Championships, Going Global (IRE) angled out from the rail on the far turn to find racing room and surge to victory in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Sitting midpack through six furlongs, Going Global and Flaiven Prat bided their time behind leader Princess Grace through early fractions of :23.22 for the first quarter and :47.55 for the half-mile. Around the final turn, Prat moved his filly out to the outside of Zofelle (IRE) and Princess Grace, and sprinted to the lead midstretch to take the Goldikova by 2 1/2 lengths. Zofelle was second and favorite Princess Grace hung on for third. Abscond, Bodhicitta, Constantia, Ippodamia's Girl, and Glesga Gal rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the one-mile G2 stakes was 1:34.57. Find this race's chart here.

Going Global paid $7.60, $4.20, and $2.60. Zofelle paid $5.40 and $3.00. Princess Grade paid $2.20.

“We were running well all the way. She was comfortable. When I took her out she showed me a good turn of foot. When she finished she still had something in the tank,” Prat said after the Goldikova.

“I loved the position all the way around. And when Flavien (Prat) swung her outside in the stretch she really hit a great stride. This is a big step up, going against older fillies and mares, and she handled it beautifully,” trainer Phil D'Amato told the Del Mar Press Office after the race.

Bred in Ireland by N. Hartery, Going Global is by Mehmas (IRE) out of the Invasor (ARG) mare Wrood. The 3-year-old filly is owned by CYBT, Michael Dubb, Saul Gervetz, Michael Nentwig, and Ray Pagano. Consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment, Going Global was purchased by Pioneer Racing for $16,987 at the 2019 Goffs Sportsman's Yearling Sale. In 2021, the filly also has victories in the G1 Del Mark Oaks, the G2 Honeymoon, and the G3 Providencia for a record of six wins in seven starts and career earnings of $648.792.

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Lone Rock Sets Track Record In TAA Stakes Win At Del Mar

Lone Rock, 2021's master of the long-distance dirt race, posted his sixth win of the year in the 1 5/8-mile Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Del Mar. On the Breeders' Cup undercard, the 6-year-old gelding set a track record of 2:42.61, breaking the record for the rarely contested distance that has stood since 1957.

Coming off a last-out second in the Grand Prix American Jockey Club at Belmont Park, Lone Rock stayed a length off frontrunner Tizamagician from the break, biding his time throughout the marathon TAA Stakes. Locally Owned, who beat Lone Rock in the Grand Prix last-out, was third, with Cupid's Claws and Hapi Hapi rounding out the field. On the final turn, Lone Rock made his bid for the lead, pulling even with Tizamagician entering the stretch, as Locally Owned tired and fell back.

In the Del Mar stretch, Lone Rock took the lead easily, striding away from Tizamagician to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Cupid's Claws came on for third. Hapi Hapi and Locally Owned rounded out the order of finish. Find this race's chart here.

Lone Rock paid $5.00, $2.80, and $2.10. Tizamagician paid $2.60 and $2.10. Cupid's Claws paid $2.60.

Winning jockey Ramon Vazquez pledged to donate 10% of his earnings from his mounts on Breeders' Cup Saturday to the family of jockey Miguel Mena, who was killed in a pedestrian accident in Louisville, Ky., earlier this week.

“No special instructions for me. He just said to ride him like you know how. I had a good trip all the way. I was very confident in my horse and he was running well. At the eighth pole, I asked and he ran hard. He's a good horse,” Vazquez said after the race.

“It played out the way we thought it would. We expected (Tizamagician) would go and we would make him use a little bit to clear us. Then when it was time, he likes it on the outside and we could go get him. This is such a good horse. He makes our jobs easy,” Sean Williams, trainer Robertino Diodoro's assistant, told the Del Mar Press Office after the TAA Stakes.

Bred in Kentucky by Town & Country Horse Farms and Pollock Farms, Lone Rock is by Majestic Warrior out of the Hard Spun mare Ruby Lips. The gelding is owned by Flying P Stable and R.A. Hill Stable. Lone Rock was consigned by Taylor Made Sales and sold to Shortleaf Stable for $55,000 at the July 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale. With this win, the 6-year-old gelding has six wins in eight starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 13 wins in 36 starts and career earnings of $1,024,921.

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