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Sophomore Turfers Take Centerstage at Belmont Saturday

A pair of Grade I events for 3-year-olds on grass will co-anchor a loaded 12-race program at Belmont Park Saturday.

European invader The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), a narrow winner of the G2 Dante S. May 18 and fifth-place finisher after stumbling at the start in the G1 English Derby June 3, will make the trip across the pond for trainer Andrew Balding for the GI Belmont Derby Invitational. The 7-2 morning-line favorite, drawn widest of all in post 11, will square off against 10 rivals, including GII Pennine Ridge S. one-two-three Kalik (Collected), 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) and narrow GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}); and GII American Turf S. winner Webslinger (Constitution).

“He's a high-class horse,” Balding said. “He won the (G2 Juddmonte) Royal Lodge last year and this year he won our main Derby trial at York. He ran a good race in the Derby, but we felt he didn't get the mile and a half. Obviously, the option to drop back to 10 furlongs was attractive. Hopefully, it's a good fit for him.”

A field of nine will line up in the female counterpart in the GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational. Trainer Graham Motion will saddle 2-1 morning-line favorite and GIII Regret S. June 3 heroine Mission of Joy (Kitten's Joy) and Irish Group 3 winner Speirling Beag (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who makes her U.S. debut following a fifth-place finish in the G3 Prix Penelope in France Apr. 1. Trainer Chad Brown will seek his seventh Belmont Oaks trophy via undefeated Hilltop S. May 19 winner Aspray (Quality Road) and GII Wonder Again S. June 11 heroine Prerequisite (Upstart).

'TDN Rising Star' and last year's runaway GIII Dwyer S. winner Charge It (Tapit), meanwhile, headlines a five-horse field in the GII Suburban S. Unbeaten sophomore fillies Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) and Dazzling Blue (Into Mischief) and GII Eight Belles S. winner Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) will do battle in a fantastic renewal of the GIII Victory Ride S.

Derby Day at the Shoe…

Verifying (Justify), second in both the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Apr. 8 and GIII Matt Winn S. June 11, will be favored to break through at the graded level in the GIII Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He dueled through a wicked early pace and paid the price, fading to finish 16th in the GI Kentucky Derby.

“He's doing really well,” trainer Brad Cox said. “I love how he came out of the Matt Winn. It will be back in 27 days, but he's a horse we felt we needed to get a race under his belt. He's run really well, just was narrowly defeated in the Matt Winn and the Blue Grass. His Derby was a throw out with the pace, going too quick too early. But he's a nice horse, he's doing well physically, looks amazing.”

The nine-horse field for the Indiana Derby also includes GIII Gotham S. winner Raise Cain (Violence), grassy Hawthorne Derby winner Act a Fool (Oscar Performance) and the highly regarded Cagliostro (Upstart), a strong second behind the talented Scotland (Good Magic) in an optional claimer at Churchill Downs June 3.

Taxed (Collected), an 11-1 upset winner of the GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico May 19, looks for her second straight win in the GIII Indiana Oaks. She'll face the Ken McPeek-trained GI Central Bank Ashland S. heroine Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic), purchased privately by Northern Farm since finishing seventh in the GI Kentucky Oaks.

Curlin Filly Headlines Delaware Handicap…

Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin), a well-beaten second in the GII Ruffian S. at Belmont May 6 and wire-to-wire winner of the GIII Shawnee S. at Churchill June 3, is the clear cut one to beat in the GII Delaware H. The field of six also includes: Morning Matcha (Central Banker), second in last term's GI Cotillion S. and the local prep Obeah S. last time May 27; and GIII Royal Delta S. heroine Classy Edition (Classic Empire).

Graded Duo Beneath the Lights at Prairie Meadows…

Imonra (Violence) will make her stakes debut in the GIII Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows Saturday evening. The card also includes the GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. for older horses and the $250,000 Iowa Derby.

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Del Mar Partners With Keeneland Sales

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will officially partner over multiple seasons with Keeneland Sales beginning with their summer meet on July 21, the track said in a release Friday afternoon.

As part of the orchestration around the partnership, Keeneland Sales will become the presenting sponsor for the GIII Sorrento S. on Saturday, Aug. 12.

“We're delighted to be partners once again with the folks at Keeneland,” said Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president of racing. “The name Keeneland resounds throughout our industry and Del Mar and Keeneland are a perfect pairing.”

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‘Working Agent’ Gus Bell Passes

A beloved father, grandfather, friend and horseman, Glenn Byron 'Gus' Bell passed away peacefully July 4 in the care of the Veteran's Administration Hospice in Lexington, Kentucky. With a sobriquet like the 'Working Agent' inscribed below his name on his business cards, Bell defined his craft and his outlook on life. He spent nearly a half century in the equine industry as a bloodstock agent based in the Bluegrass region.

As a Lexington native, Bell was a graduate of Lafayette High School before heading out of state to Marshall University, where he was an accomplished football player for the Thundering Herd. Subsequently, he served as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army, as helicopter pilot in the 173rd Airborne Brigade from 1964 to 1968.

Not one to speak of his honors, his family would like to highlight his combat medals and commendations. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Air Medal with 27 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Vietnam Campaign Medal National Defense Service Medal.

As a Thoroughbred bloodstock agent, Bell worked in Kentucky and around the world. Known for his kindness, integrity, keen eye for a horse and his yellow golf cart at the sales, Bell was always quick with a joke or a kind word. Above all else, he honored his trusted clients and respected the majestic horses he loved.

Bell prided himself on accepting people from all walks of life and was a pillar of the recovery community in Lexington for more than 35 years. Known for his no-nonsense mentoring style, he embodied servant leadership. He never expected anything from those in crisis that he was not prepared to give himself and he was always willing to help anyone who wanted to help themselves.

Serving in several capacities in the Lexington area as an educator, administrator and Board Member at the Sayre School, Bell was admired and beloved by his students and colleagues. He enjoyed music, food and maintaining a golf handicap of six. In addition, he caught the biggest fish ever known in Kentucky, but unfortunately no one was there to see it.

Bell was preceded in death by his mother Norma Bell, father Robert Marcum, sisters Bobby Looper, Beverly Bell and beloved cousin Jay Spurrier. He is survived by longtime companion Barbara Beaney of Danville, his children Jessica Bell of Atlanta, Georgia, Patrick Bell (Vanessa) and Desha Bell both of Lexington; niece Cynthia Looper, and cousins Allison Spurrier, Katherine Spurrier Ferster (Todd), Hunter Spurrier and four cherished granddaughters Casey Cherry of Cincinnati, Ohio–Zaida, Rilke and Parker, all of Lexington.

Visitation will take place at Milward Funeral Directors at 391 Southland Drive in Lexington Thursday, July 13 from 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. ET, with a service afterwards. The burial will take place the following day at Camp Nelson with family and friends in-attendance.

In lieu of flowers please send donations 'In Memory of Gus Bell' to the Hope Center of Lexington.

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Saratoga Backstretch Clinic To Celebrate Opening Next Tuesday

Officials from the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will welcome Assemblymember Carrie Woerner, philanthropist John Hendrickson and representatives from Saratoga Hospital and the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST) for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the opening of the new Saratoga Backstretch Clinic next Tuesday, July 11, the organization said in a release Friday.

The new clinic will allow Saratoga Hospital and BEST to expand on the existing healthcare services offered to members of NYRA's backstretch community. The modern healthcare clinic was constructed over the past year to replace a doublewide trailer that previously housed on-site healthcare services at Saratoga Race Course.

As a tribute to his late wife, Marylou Whitney, John Hendrickson funded construction of the new clinic. The opening continues Mrs. Whitney and Mr. Hendrickson's long-running commitment to the backstretch community.

Since Mrs. Whitney's death in 2019, Mr. Hendrickson has continued to lend his support to a variety of initiatives, including backstretch appreciation dinners, English as a Second Language classes and bingo nights.

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