Grade 1 winner FRIENDLY MICHELLE (Artax) is set to make her four-year-old debut
Saturday when taking on nine rivals in the $150,000 Genuine Risk H. (G2) at
Belmont Park. The Bob Baffert-trained miss scored three stakes wins last season,
including the Prioress S. (G1) and La Troienne S. (G3), as well as placing in
the Las Virgenes S. (G1) and Acorn S. (G1). She hasn’t been seen in competition
since an off-the-board finish in the Raven Run S. (G2) during Keeneland’s fall
meet, and will have to tote the top weight of 119 pounds under John Velazquez on
Saturday.
ELUSIVE DIVA (Elusive Quality) will switch back to the dirt for this test
after taking the Las Cienegas H. (G3) last out. That was her second straight
turf win, following a half-length victory in the Wishing Well H. while making
her 2005 bow in January. In between those two grass starts, the Mark Glatt-trained
bay ran third in the Buena Vista H. (G3). Also included in the field are BANK
AUDIT (Wild Rush), who successfully moved up from claiming company to take the
Distaff Breeders’ Cup H. (G2) two back, and TRAVELATOR (A. P Jet), a close third-place finisher in the Distaff Breeders’ Cup at 17-1 in her last one.
The complete field for the six-furlong Genuine Risk, with riders and weights,
is Elusive Diva, Jose Santos, 118; Travelator, Jorge Chavez, 114; FORESTIER
(Forestry), Richard Migliore, 115; FOREST MUSIC (Unbridled’s Song), Jason
Lumpkins, 115; FORTY MOVES (Gold Fever), Mike Luzzi, 114; SENSIBLY CHIC
(Distorted Humor), Cornelio Velasquez, 115; Bank Audit, Norberto Arroyo Jr., 117;
Friendly Michelle; LILAH (Defrere), Channing Hill, 117; and SMOKEY GLACKEN
(Forestry), Edgar Prado, 116.