Tag: Triple Crown

Rombauer Holds One-Point Lead Over Essential Quality In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

John and Diane Fradkin's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer has a one-point lead over Godolphin's Essential Quality in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll, leading five of the top 10 ranked horses who will be starting in Saturday's Grade 1, 153rd Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at Belmont Park.

The final NTRA Top Three-Year-Old-Poll will be released next Monday, June 7, so Saturday's Belmont Stakes will have a definitive impact as to which horse finishes with the No. 1 ranking.

Rombauer, trained by Michael McCarthy, is the 3-1 second choice on the Belmont Stakes morning line. Rombauer received eight first-place votes and 258 points. Godolphin's Essential Quality, fourth as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, has 12 first-place votes and 257 points. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Belmont. Juddmonte's Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, is in third place with four first-place votes and 213 points.

Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Kentucky Derby, is in fourth place. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, the 7-2 third choice in the Belmont, has 211 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, is in fifth place. Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit has six first-place votes and 177 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, second in the Preakness, is in sixth place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 158 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, is in seventh place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has 145 points. Another Asmussen-trained runner, Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, who won the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU and is entered in Saturday's Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont, is in eighth place with 63 points. Two other Belmont Stakes starters complete the top 10. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, is in ninth place with 51 points. Rock Your World is listed at 9-2 on the morning line for the Belmont. St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda, trained by Todd Pletcher, is in 10th place with 37 points. Known Agenda is 6-1 on the morning line for the Belmont.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide retains the No. 1 rating in the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses. Winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27, Mystic Guide had his second workout since the World Cup, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.8 on Saturday at Fair Hill in Maryland. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 28 first-place votes and 284 points. Now tied in second place with 194 points apiece are Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go, with three first-place votes, and Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam. Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go, winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, is scheduled to start in Saturday's Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. Colonel Liam, trained by Todd Pletcher, finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs. Colonial Liam drew post 10 for Saturday's Grade 1 Resorts Casino World Manhattan Stakes at Belmont.

The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, drops to fourth place with 166 points. My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the 2020 older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, remains in fifth place with 156 points. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, jumps from eighth to sixth place this week with one first-place vote and 131 points. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (123 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, falls one position to seventh place. The 4-year-old Gamine, last year's champion female sprinter, drops from sixth to eighth place. Owned by Michael Lund Peterson and trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine has one first-place vote and 118 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (89 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, stays in ninth place. Completing the top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (57 points), who is also entered in Saturday's Manhattan for trainer Chad Brown.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-june-1-2021/

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Essential Quality Draws Post Two, Installed As 2-1 Favorite For Belmont Stakes

Godolphin homebred Essential Quality, just a length from being undefeated in his career, drew post position two and was installed as the 2-1 morning line choice for Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old son of Tapit suffered his first loss in six starts when fourth in the Kentucky Derby, but the juvenile champion and jockey Luis Saez are all set to return for the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer returns for the Belmont, albeit with John Velazquez picking up the mount for trainer Michael McCarthy. Flavien Prat was aboard Rombauer for his victory at Pimlico, but Prat opted to remain with Derby third-place finisher Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O'Neill) for the Belmont Stakes.

Other Grade 1 winners in the Belmont field include Known Agenda (Florida Derby) and Rock Your World (Santa Anita Derby). Wood Memorial winner Bourbonic is back for the Belmont, as is the graded stakes-placed Overtook, both trained by Todd Pletcher.

The wildcard in the field remains France Go De Ina, the Japan-trained colt who ran seventh in the Preakness Stakes.

Another expected foreign entry, UAE Derby winner Rebel's Romance, was removed from consideration early Tuesday morning by trainer Charlie Appleby due to an infection in the colt's hind leg.

The full field for the Belmont Stakes is as follows:

  1. Bourbonic – Kendrick Carmouche, Todd Pletcher – 15/1
  2. Essential Quality – Luis Saez, Brad Cox – 2/1
  3. Rombauer – John Velazquez, Michael McCarthy – 3/1
  4. Hot Rod Charlie – Flavien Prat, Doug O'Neill – 7/2
  5. France Go De Ina – Ricardo Santana, Jr., Hideyuki Mori – 30/1
  6. Known Agenda – Irad Ortiz, Jr., Todd Pletcher – 6/1
  7. Rock Your World – Joel Rosario, John Sadler – 9/2
  8. Overtook – Manny Franco, Todd Pletcher – 20/1

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Hind Leg Infection To Keep Rebel’s Romance Out Of Belmont Stakes

Godolphin's UAE Derby winner Rebel's Romance will not run in this Saturday's third leg of the American Triple Crown, Tamarkuz Media announced via Twitter on Tuesday morning. The 3-year-old son of Dubawi had been pointing for the Belmont Stakes since March, but trainer Charlie Appleby wasn't happy with the colt's condition.

“Unfortunately, he has an infection in his hind leg and, unfortunately, it's not going to shift and his bloodwork is showing it's still hanging around there, as well,” Appleby said in a statement posted to the Tamarkuz Media Twitter account. “As we know in these big races, there's just no point in going there with only 75 percent of a horse, so we'll give this a swerve and regroup and find another event for him.”

Rebel's Romance has won four of his five career starts and raced at four different tracks, his only loss coming with a tough trip in the Saudi Derby back in February. The Godolphin homebred is out of the Street Cry mare Minidress,

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Cox: Belmont Stakes Triumph Can Add To Essential Quality’s Legacy

The last few years have brought trainer Brad Cox to new heights of the sport. Cox has saddled multiple high-quality graded stakes winners, with Essential Quality among his highlights. The Tapit colt will look to add to that legacy and give Cox his first win in a Triple Crown race when he competes in Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival runs from Thursday, June 3, through Saturday, June 5, and is headlined by the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

A potential favorite for the Belmont, Essential Quality started his career 5-for-5 before running a competitive fourth last out in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, finishing just one length back to winner Medina Spirit in the 1 1/4-mile first leg of the Triple Crown.

The Godolphin homebred earned the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old after winning the G1 Breeders' Futurity in October at Keeneland and followed with a victory in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile over fellow Belmont Stakes-contender Hot Rod Charlie.

Essential Quality was one of four Breeders' Cup winners for Cox in 2020, with Monomoy Girl [Distaff], Knicks Go [Dirt Mile] and Aunt Peal [Juvenile Fillies Turf] also getting their picture taken. That successful weekend at Keeneland helped earn Cox his first career Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer.

“This horse has put us in this position and we feel very fortunate to be a part of it,” Cox said. “He's accomplished so much already, being a champion 2-year-old. But at some point, he'll be retired to stud and it's our job now to continue to add to his legacy. A Grade 1 win at 3 is going to be huge for this horse and we're hopeful it can happen in the Belmont.”

Cox will be saddling his first contender in a Belmont Stakes, which this year returns to its famed 1 1/2-mile distance. He has come close to winning an American Classic twice, with Owendale running third in the 2019 Preakness and Mandaloun finishing second, just a half-length back to Medina Spirit, in the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Mandaloun will not be part of the Belmont Stakes field, but Essential Quality, with earnings of more than $2.4 million through six starts, gives his conditioner a formidable contender.

“It's a great feeling to be in this position and have a realistic shot,” Cox said. “He gives us a fantastic opportunity on Saturday.”

Essential Quality is expected to arrive at Belmont on Tuesday morning. The Kentucky bred breezed five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on Saturday over the Churchill Downs main track. That bullet work was in company with 4-year-old filly Bonny South, who will also be shipping to New York to run in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps going 1 1/16 miles on Belmont Stakes Day as part of a “Win and You're In” Breeders' Cup qualifier for the Distaff.

“He had a great work Saturday and looked great Sunday morning,” Cox said. “He'll ship Monday afternoon. But he breezed great and we're going in the right direction.”

Essential Quality has improved his Beyer Speed Figures in each of his six starts, culminating with his first triple-digit number when earning a 100 for his “Run for the Roses” performance.

Other expected contenders for Cox on a loaded 13-race Saturday card that will feature nine graded stakes and eight G1 contests will be Shedaresthedevil, who is also targeting the Ogden Phipps; Knicks Go for the G1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan that's a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile; two-time G2 winner Travel Column for the G1, $500,000 Acorn for sophomore fillies going a one-turn mile; and Caddo River, fresh off the Triple Crown trail, shortening to seven furlongs for the G1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.

Cox will also send out Kinenos for the two-mile G2, $500,000 Belmont Gold Cup for 4-year-olds and up on the Widener turf course on Friday.

For information and details on Belmont Stakes Racing Festival hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing, visit BelmontStakes.com. For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

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