Churchill Downs announced June 25 that after consultation with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state public health officials, the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and Longines Kentucky Oaks will occur with spectators under strict guidelines. Kentucky Derby week will be held Sept. 1-5 with the Oaks set for Sept. 4 and the Derby Sept. 5.
Tag: Racing
Mean Mary Getting ‘Better And Better,’ Takes On New York Stakes At Belmont
Trainer Graham Motion will saddle a pair of graded stakes winners as part of a seven-horse field of older fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf on Saturday.
The New York is one of four graded stakes on a packed 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf and also featuring the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs, and the Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up contesting at 6 ½ furlongs, also on the main track. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern.
Among Motion's trainees is Alex G. Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary, who has started her 4-year-old campaign with consecutive graded stakes wins in front-running fashion. The Kentucky homebred went gate-to-wire to win the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 La Prevoyante in January over the Gulfstream Park turf and followed with another winning effort on the course by leading a 12-horse field through every point of call in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Orchid on March 28, registering a personal-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure. She has won her last three starts overall, ranging from 1 1/8 miles to a mile and a half.
“Her career took off in Florida,” Motion said. “We thought from her first race that she was talented and it seems like she's gotten better and better. The first time I ran her in the longer stake, it was more because of the circumstances and lack of options. I just thought it was something she could handle, but clearly it was something she was looking to do.”
A daughter of Scat Daddy, Mean Mary is 4-1-0 in six career starts, with her only off-the-board finish coming in her lone main track start when fifth on debut in September. Once Motion moved her to grass, she has won four of her last five and finished as the runner-up in the other contest, a one-mile allowance at Aqueduct Racetrack, in November.
“She's a filly who had shown some ability in the morning and handled dirt well enough, but it's probably not a surprise that she improved on the grass.”
Luis Saez, aboard for the last three wins, will have the return call from the outside post.
Her stablemate, Andrew Stone's Mrs. Sippy, will be making her first start since running ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Santa Anita.
After making her first nine starts in Europe, Mrs. Sippy arrived in the United States last summer, where she promptly won her first appearance for Motion by rallying from last-of-seven to win the 1 3/8-mile Grade 2 Glens Falls by 1 ¾ lengths at Saratoga.
Just five weeks later, Motion ran her back in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl at Belmont, where she ran second to Sistercharlie. The Breeders' Cup marked her third start in just more than two months, and Motion gave her time off in the Sunshine State to start her 5-year-old year in 2020.
Mrs. Sippy has been training at Fair Hill with Mean Mary, breezing in company on Sunday in going six furlongs in 1:13.00 on the all-weather training track.
“They had their last work together last weekend and she's ready to go,” Motion said. “She wintered down in Florida. We had a couple of minor setbacks. She irritated her eye once and missed a couple of works, so it's taken us a little bit longer but quite frankly, she didn't really miss any opportunities with the whole Covid-19 situation. The timing is pretty good.”
Motion said the rest could be beneficial for later in the year as they attempt to keep the daughter of Blame firing for the biggest races towards the end of the campaign.
“We want to have her fresh for the fall. Last year, the Breeders' Cup came at the end of a long year,” Motion said. “Hopefully, we'll have her fresher for the fall this time around.”
Joel Rosario will have the call from post 6.
Feel Glorious will make her seasonal bow as one of two entrants for trainer Christophe Clement. Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Tango Uniform Racing, the English-bred 4-year-old enters off a win in the 1 1/16-mile Winter Memories in December at Aqueduct and was training in Florida at Payson Park before shipping to Belmont.
Jockey Junior Alvarado, who will be in the irons Saturday from post 2, has been working her in the mornings.
“Feel Glorious has been working well the past few weeks with Junior Alvarado,” Clement said. “There's a small question mark with the distance, but we're going to give it a try.”
R Unicorn Stable's Call Me Love, a fellow English bred, was impressive in her first North American start last out, running second to Rushing Fall in the Grade 3 Beaugay on June 3 at Belmont. The 4-year-old garnered a 99 Beyer for that effort, running at 1 1/16 miles, and will return to the same distance as her last two starts in Italy, posting wins in a Group 2 and Group 3 contest, respectively, last fall.
“She's doing very well,” Clement said. “She looked nice in her American debut and she worked well with Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] on Friday.”
Under Ortiz, Jr., she will depart from post 1.
Trainer Chad Brown will also saddle two contenders. Peter Brant's My Sister Nat ended her 4-year-old year as the runner up in the Grade 3 Long Island in November at Aqueduct in her North American stakes debut. The French-bred half-sister to Sistercharlie drew post 3 with Jose Ortiz.
“She's training well and seems to be improving,” Brown said. “They're much different physically and Sistercharlie has a much bigger turn of foot.”
Wise Racing's Fools Gold will also make her first start of the year, coming off a near eight-month layoff. The 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro mare won the Grade 3 Waya last August at Saratoga before running out of the money in the Grade 2 Glens Falls and the Zagora.
Jockey Manny Franco, who won the Belmont Stakes aboard Tiz the Law las week, has the call from post 4.
“This filly I wanted to bring back in an easier spot but the change of schedules because of the virus, it never happened,” Brown said. “I think she's training well enough. She'll move forward exiting this race.”
Valiance, trained by Todd Pletcher, won her first three starts before an 11-month layoff. In her return, she ran third in the Power Break on May 16 at Gulfstream. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount for the first time, with the duo leaving from post 5.
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Talented Sprinter Come Dancing On Her Toes Ahead Of Saturday’s Vagrancy
Blue Devil Racing Stable's Grade 1-winner Come Dancing headlines Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park.
The Vagrancy is one of four graded stakes on a loaded 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf and also featuring the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs; and the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf.
Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Malibu Moon mare will look to rebound after a rare off-the-board performance last out in an ambitious spot going two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 18 at Oaklawn Park.
Come Dancing now returns to sprinting, where she excelled in 2019, highlighted by a dramatic come-from-behind win in the Grade 1 Ballerina in August at Saratoga Race Course. At the Spa, she was left at the break but rallied under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, posting a 3 ½-length score in the seven-furlong sprint.
That was part of a stellar season for the millionaire Come Dancing, who won 4-of-6 starts in 2019 for Martin, including Grade 2 wins in the Ruffian and Gallant Bloom, both at Belmont Park; and the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct.
Come Dancing was prepared for her Apple Blossom effort by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, after which Martin said the talented dark bay was given some time to recuperate before returning to Belmont Park in May.
Castellano, who also rode Come Dancing to victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Gallant Bloom last September at Belmont Park in an off-the-board finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Santa Anita Park, gets the call on Come Dancing again on Saturday, breaking from post 5.
“Javier is one of top jockeys in the world and brings in a lot of experience, that's for sure,” Martin said. “There are certain riders like Javier who are just winners. There are great riders all over the country, but in New York, we have the best in the world.”
Come Dancing enters Saturday with a month of solid work, fortified by two recent bullet workouts on the main track at Belmont: on June 15, going five furlongs in 57.94 seconds and on June 8, going a half-mile in 47 flat.
“We wanted to just keep her fresh,” Martin said. “It didn't look like she was out of a canter. She was just so smooth. It's just one of those things where the track is extremely fast and she came out of it great.”
Lael Stables' 6-year-old Chalon, a winner of seven of 18 career starts, will make her 2020 debut. In her last start, going six furlongs in October at Keeneland, the Dialed In mare finished off the board. Trained by Arnaud Delacour, she will leave from post 3 with Jose Ortiz aboard.
Also looking for redemption is Gainesway Stable's Mother Mother, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who last out on June 5 at Belmont Park finished a disappointing fourth in a 6 ½ furlong sprint. One of the youngsters in the field, the 4-year-old has three victories in 13 career starts. The Pioneer of the Nile filly will be ridden by Joel Rosario from post 2.
Looking for redemption in the Vagrancy will be First Row Partners and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Royal Charlotte, who finished three-quarters of a length back to Honey I'm Good in a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Harmony Lodge on June 5 at Belmont Park in her seasonal bow.
“I wish I had a little more time,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I felt she could've won if she would've gone more to the outside on that wet track. It was a good prep for her.”
Royal Charlotte has five wins in eight career starts, including four consecutively in 2019 when she dominated races from 6-to-6 ½ furlongs, capped last July 4 by a convincing four-length win in the 6 ½-furlong Grade Victory Ride on the July 5 Stars and Stripes Day card at Belmont.
Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Royal Charlotte Saturday, drawing the inside post.
Rounding out the seven-horse field are Jakarta [post 4; Luis Saez], Victim of Love [post 6; Jose Lezcano] and Pacific Gale [post 7; Junior Alvarado].
The Vagrancy is named for the bay mare out of Valkyr by Man o' War, who in 1942 was Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and also the Champion Handicap Mare. Bred and owned by Belair Stud and trained for most of her career by the legendary “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons, Vagrancy enjoyed a season for the ages in 1942, winning nine stakes races that included the Coaching Club American Oaks, the Pimlico Oaks, the Delaware Oaks, the Alabama, Gazelle and Test against other 3-year-olds, and the Beldame Handicap and Ladies Handicap against older fillies and mares. Vagrancy raced 42 times in her career, hitting the board in 31 of her starts.
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Promises Fulfilled Returns From Eight-Month Layoff In Saturday’s True North
Robert Baron and WinStar Farm's Grade 1-winner Promises Fulfilled returns off a more than eight month layoff to headline Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 True North, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for 4-years-old and up at Belmont Park.
Trained by Dale Romans, the 5-year-old Shackleford chestnut last raced in the Grade 2 Phoenix on October 4 at Keeneland when sixth, defeated less than four lengths. That effort capped off an otherwise sparkling campaign that included four wins, led by a 4 1/2-length romp in the seven furlong Grade 2 John A. Nerud in July at Belmont that garnered a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure.
Promises Fulfilled, who will ship up to New York from Kentucky on Thursday, has trained forwardly at Churchill Downs, including a bullet five-eighths breeze in 59 seconds flat on June 13 and a similarly speedy effort in 59.20 Saturday on the Churchill Downs main track.
“He had ankle surgery [during his time off] and since he's come back he's been training very well,” Romans said. “He just keeps getting better. There's a lot of money out there for him. I think he'll run well. He's doing good enough.”
Promises Fulfilled, who sizzled to a front-running score in the 2018 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga Race Course, boasts a record of 17-7-0-3 with purse earnings of $1,455,530.
After running fourth in last year's Runhappy Met Mile in June, he turned back successfully with a dominating front-end effort in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud under regular pilot Luis Saez.
Romans said he expects a similar approach on Saturday when Promises Fulfilled bursts out of post 7 under Saez.
“He likes every track, but he did perform very well there last year,” Romans said. “He's going to do the same thing this time, they're going to have to come get him.”
Chiefswood Stables homebred Yorkton, a multiple graded-stakes winner on synthetic, will seek his first dirt win.
The 6-year-old Ontario-bred son of Speightstown captured back-to-back renewals of the 2018-19 Grade 3 Bold Venture on the Woodbine Tapeta for former trainer Stuart Simon. Last out, in an April 25 optional-claiming sprint at Gulfstream Park, Yorkton set the pace but could not fend off last year's Grade 3 Peter Pan champ Global Campaign in a solid runner-up effort.
Following that effort, Yorkton has breezed five times at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.
“He's coming out of the really tough allowance race down in Florida that came off like a graded race,” said Motion. “I thought he ran a huge race that day. I think it took a lot out of him, which is why I wasn't in a hurry to get him back into the entries.”
Dylan Davis will pilot Yorkton from post 5.
Cash is King and LC Racing's Diamond King, a 5-year-old multiple stakes-winning son of Quality Road, was fifth in his Belmont debut in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap in October. The John Servis-trainee exited that effort to capture the one-mile Stymie with a prominent trip on March 7 at the Big A. Last out, on May 23 at Churchill Downs, Diamond King bobbled at the start en route to running seventh in the Blame.
Looking to make the grade in his 20th career start, Diamond King will emerge from the inside post under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche.
Wicked Trick, co-owned by trainer Linda Rice with Stephen G. Cooper, ran off a six-race win streak from a maiden claiming score in July 2019 at Saratoga Race Course through a 9 1/4-length allowance score on January 20 at the Big A. The 5-year-old Hat Trick gelding, claimed for $16,000 out of a 6 3/4-length score in August at the Spa, was fifth last out in his stakes debut in the one-mile Stymie at Aqueduct.
Jose Lezcano has the call from post 3.
Rounding out the field are Stan the Man [post 6, Joel Rosario], Firenze Fire [post 8, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and a pair from the barn of Ed Coletti Jr. in Midnightcharly [post 2, Javier Castellano] and Wait for It [post 4, Manny Franco].
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