Grade 3 heroine WEATHERED (Key Contender) will venture into male company for
the first time in her career in Saturday’s $250,000
Empire Classic S. at Belmont Park, anchoring the state-bred stakes
extravaganza dubbed as New York Showcase Day.
The Empire Classic is one of five stakes on the card, all of them on the
dirt. Because an inch or more of rain is forecast for the New York metropolitan
area, beginning Friday evening, the two turf stakes originally slated for
Saturday — the $150,000 Mohawk and the $150,000 Ticonderoga for fillies and
mares — have been moved back to Sunday. This marks the second straight weekend
that adverse weather prompted a postponement of turf stakes. Last weekend, NYRA
postponed the Athenia S. (G3) from Saturday to Wednesday and moved the
Knickerbocker S. (G3) from Sunday to Thursday.
The 1 1/8-mile distance of the Empire Classic suits Weathered well, as
evidenced by her two-for-three mark at the trip. Both of those victories have
come in stakes on Aqueduct’s inner dirt, a 7 1/4-length rout in the Rare Treat
H. and a determined score in the Next Move H. (G3). In her only subsequent try
at the distance, the Karl Grusmark trainee finished fourth in the slop in the Go
for Wand H. (G1) at Saratoga. Weathered comes off a super-game, half-length
decision in the 1 1/16-mile Belle Born S. at Belmont, and the four-year-old
filly figures to flash early speed for regular rider Mike Luzzi.
Weathered will line up against 11 opponents, led by 124-pound highweight
FUTURE PROSPECT (Freud), hero of the Funny Cide S. and Jazzing Around S. in his
past two starts for Mike Maker. DR. V’S MAGIC (Raffie’s Majesty), the 2007
Empire Classic winner, will try to regain his title after missing last year’s
running. The Dominic Galluscio charge romped in the Genesee Valley H. two back,
but was a well-beaten fifth behind Future Prospect in the Funny Cide at the Spa
and must find a way to reverse form here. In a similar position are the
millionaire veteran NAUGHTY NEW YORKER (Quiet American) and DR. D. F. C.
(Personal Flag), who have been unsuccessfully chasing Future Prospect all
summer. Naughty New Yorker will be making his fourth appearance in the Empire
Classic, having finished sixth in 2005 and 2006 and fourth in 2007.
Two sophomores are likely to draw support in the Empire Classic. The Steve
Asmussen-trained HAYNESFIELD (Speightstown) flirted with the Kentucky Derby (G1)
trail over the winter, courtesy of dominating victories in the Damon Runyon S.,
Count Fleet S. and Whirlaway S., but was derailed by an uncharacteristic eighth
in the Gotham S. (G3). Sidelined for nearly seven months, Haynesfield returned
with a terrific second in the 6 1/2-furlong Sir Keys S. at a distance much too
short for him, and is eligible to take a step forward Saturday. SLEVIN (Belong
to Me), runner-up in all three legs of the Big Apple Triple, overcame a bad
stumble at the start to dismiss older state-breds in an allowance prep for Carl
Domino.
The day’s marquee race for distaffers is the $125,000
Iroquois S. at seven furlongs. Top contenders among the crowded field of 13
include a raft of sophomores, including Grade 2 queen DOREMIFASOLLATIDO
(Bernstein), who adds blinkers and cuts back in trip in hopes of sparking a form
turnaround; GOLD FOR THE QUEEN (Gold Token) and SAPPHIRE SKY (Sky Mesa), the
respective top two from the New York Oaks who upset Doremifasollatido in that
Finger Lakes affair; RIGHTLY SO (Read the Footnotes), who brings a three-race
winning streak into her stakes debut; and the ultra-consistent stakes performer
MOTHER RUSSIA (Mayakovsky) from the Linda Rice barn. Their older rivals include
SWEET LORENA (Langfuhr), runner-up to Informed Decision (Monarchos) in the
Presque Isle Downs Masters S. (G3) two back, and MY DINAH (Victory Gallop), who
forced Weathered to pull out all the stops in the aforementioned Belle Born.
Eleven sprinters will dash six furlongs in the $125,000
Hudson S.,
where LAW ENFORCEMENT (Posse) and DRIVEN BY SUCCESS (Precise End) will renew
rivalry. Based on his third-place efforts in the Carter H. (G1), Metropolitan H.
(G1) and Tom Fool H. (G2), Driven by Success was dispatched as the 2-5 choice in
the John Morrissey S. at Saratoga, but had no answer when Law Enforcement nabbed
him in the stretch and drew off. The pair were crushed in the Forego S. (G1)
most recently, with Driven by Success checking in a troubled eighth and Law
Enforcement trailing in 12th. BE BULLISH (Pure Prize) prevailed in the three-way
photo with Haynesfield and LEGAL CONSENT (Officer) in the aforementioned Sir
Keys, while GOODANDACCEPTABLE (Good and Tough) exits an impressive allowance
score at Finger Lakes, and CITIFEST (Citidancer) employs the turf-to-dirt angle
off a runner-up effort in the Maryland Million Turf Sprint H.
MAKE NOTE (Read the Footnotes), who scraped the paint en route to a smart
victory in the Bertram F. Bongard S., will bid for his third win in a row in the
$100,000
Sleepy Hollow S. over one mile. The George Weaver juvenile will face a few
familiar foes in COME FROM BEHIND (Roaring Fever), CITY TROOPER (City Zip) and
MAGIC TIGER (Hold That Tiger), the respective second- through fourth-place
finishers in the Bertram F. Bongard, but will be tested by a new shooter in the
undefeated IBBOYEE (Medallist). Trained by Todd Pletcher, Ibboyee has captured
the Aspirant S. and New York Breeders’ Futurity by a combined 13 lengths at
Finger Lakes. Recent maiden winners POWER BLAST (Jump Start) and FENWAY FAITHFUL
(Grand Slam) could also factor in the 11-horse field.
In the companion event for juvenile fillies, the $100,000
Maid of the Mist S., MINERALOGIST (Mineshaft) will attempt to follow up on
her emphatic 3 3/4-length victory over SUGAR TRADE (Performing Magic) and
RAFFIE’S ROSE (Raffie’s Majesty) last time out in the Joseph A. Gimma S. Of the
remaining six in the field, perhaps the two most dangerous are STELLALUCE
(Cuvee) and SPIRIT OF ROSE (City Zip), both coming off maiden wins for the
ever-dangerous Rice.