New York-breds take center stage on ‘Big Apple Showcase
Day’
With seven stakes on a 10-race card worth $1 million, New
York-bred horses will get their chance to shine at Belmont Park for the first
“Big Apple Showcase Day.”
In all, more than 80 horses bred in the Empire State were
entered, with the stakes action kicking off in the 3RD race with the $125,000 Bouwerie
for three-year-old fillies and wrapping up in the 9TH race with the $125,000 Kingston for
three-year-olds on the turf.
Also on Saturday, fans will have the opportunity to get
autographed photos from three “Legends of New York” — Hall of Fame riders Angel
Cordero Jr. and Jorge Velasquez along with longtime New York fixture Richard Migliore — for a $10 donation to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund. As
well, the weekly Farmer’s Market will take place in the grandstand from 11 a.m.
until 4 p.m. (EDT).
The centerpiece of the afternoon’s racing is the $150,000
Commentator Handicap for
three-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles, in which Spa
City Fever is the narrow 2-1 morning-line favorite over five other statebred
stalwarts. The seven-year-old gelding, 1-1-1 in five 2013 starts, most recently
was a 2 1/2-length winner of a one-mile optional claimer at Belmont in which he
earned a BRIS Speed rating of 102.
Among his challengers will be the four-year-old Readtheprospectus, who
carries a five-race winning streak into his stakes debut as the 5-2 second
choice on the morning-line.
“He’s doing very well,” said Cherie DeVaux, assistant to
trainer Chad Brown, of the Read the Footnotes gelding.
“He came out of the winter great; his coat looks good, he’s gained weight and
looks fantastic.
“In his first two starts (second and third-place finishes) he
sprinted, and the third time, he was stuck on the rail and wound up fourth,
which was the only time he was off the board. When Chad stretched him out next,
he’s never looked back.”
Also entered were multiple stakes winner Icabad Crane,
returning to competition at the age of eight after a near 18-month layoff, and
Awesome Vision, whose three-race win streak was snapped when fourth in a
one-mile optional claimer on May 1.
In the $125,000
Mike Lee, the first leg of the Big Apple
Triple for three-year-olds, Weekend Hideaway and
West Hills Giant are expected to vie for favoritism in their return to state-bred
company.
Weekend Hideaway, who in 2012 won the David overnight
stakes and the Bertram F. Bongard while finishing third behind Belmont Stakes contender
Overanalyze in the Futurity, seeks the winner’s circle after finishing
fifth in the Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park and fifth again in the Fred
“Cappy” Caposella at Aqueduct.
West Hills Giant, who last year won the New York Breeders’
Futurity at Finger Lakes, finished second in the Gotham to Vyjack and
was unable to factor in the Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 13.
Weekend Hideaway was listed at 5-2 on the morning line from
the far outside post 9, with West Hills Giant tabbed at 3-1 from the rail. The
Big Apple Triple includes the New York Derby on July 20 at Finger Lakes and the
Albany on August 21 at Saratoga.
Six sophomore fillies will travel the same seven-furlong distance of the Mike
Lee in the
$125,000
Bouwerie. Lovely Syn, trained by Dominick Schettino, is undefeated in three starts
and will stretch out
slightly on Saturday. The daughter of Freud was last seen taking the 6
1/2-furlong Statue of Liberty division of the New York
Stallion Series by 9 1/2 lengths on May 5 at Belmont.
Javier Castellano will take over for injured jockey Mike
Luzzi aboard Lovely Syn, who was made the 7-5 morning-line favorite and drew
post 5.
La Verdad, the 5-2 second choice, has
matured immensely since finishing fourth in her debut in March. Trained by Linda
Rice, she has won two straight, breaking her maiden by 6 3/4 lengths in April at
Aqueduct and dominating an optional claimer by 5 3/4 lengths on May 8 at Belmont.
Rudy Rodriguez will run Kelli Got Frosty in the Bouwerie off a second-place finish in
the Road Princess overnight stakes on April 21 at Aqueduct.
Saginaw, the 2012 older male New York-bred champion, goes for
his fourth straight win as he defends his title in the $100,000
Affirmed Success Handicap. The
seven-year-old son of Peruvian, a
winner of 13 of 16 starts since being claimed by trainer David Jacobson for
himself and Drawing Away Stable last March, most recently held on to win an open
optional claimer by a nose on May 12.
The gelding has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite and chief among his five challengers is 9-5 second choice Willy Beamin, who last year capped a six-race winning streak with a victory in the
King’s Bishop at Saratoga. Subsequently second in the Oklahoma Derby and
Discovery Handicap, the gelded son of Suave ended his three-year-old campaign with
a fifth in the Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct. The 6 1/2-furlong
Affirmed Success will be his first start of 2013 and first start for new trainer
Rodriguez.
Miss Valentine will aim for her fourth consecutive stakes triumph in the
$100,000
Dancing Rene for filly and mare sprinters. The five-year-old daughter of
Afleet Alex has won stakes at distances ranging from six furlongs to a
mile-and-70 yards, but has yet to score at the Dancing Rene’s seven-furlong
distance. In her most recent start and 2013 debut, the one-mile No Reason
overnight stakes on May 10 at Belmont, Miss Valentine made a steady run to
triumph by a half-length.
“(Miss Valentine) always tries very and is great hard to be around,” trainer
Christophe Clement said. “She has won going six, she has won going a mile, she
has won close to the pace, she has won from off the pace. She’s fun. This is not
an easy race and she’s picking up weight, but we’ll try our best.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Miss Valentine, 3-1 on the morning line, from post
5.
The Dancing Rene also drew Clear Pasaj and Lady On the Run, respectively
second and third in the No Reason. Sunny Desert, the 2-1 morning-line favorite,
will be scratched, according to trainer John Parisella.
The day’s stakes action will end in the $125,000
Kingston, the second of two turf stakes on the card. Lubash will face a pair
of rivals he defeated in the Fort
Marcy and six others when he aims for his second straight stakes score in the
grassy mile contest.
The six-year-old son of
Freud closed into a fast pace to earn his first graded stakes triumph in the
Fort Marcy on May 4 at Belmont. In the Kingston, a race he finished second in
last year while making his first start for the Clement shedrow, Lubash will take on King Kreesa and Abilio, respectively third and fifth in
the Fort Marcy, as well as Street Game, who defeated him by 2 3/4 lengths in
the Dave overnight stakes in April at Aqueduct.
“On paper, a New York-bred race should be easier than a
graded race, but this is not an easy race,” Clement noted. “(Street Game)
beat (Lubash) first time out this year, and he’s a nice horse who did not run in the
Fort Marcy. (Street Game) is a fresh horse, and yet (Lubash is) picking up a lot
of weight.
“Lubash is a fun horse,” the horseman added. “He came to me a little more than a year ago,
and he has been a very pleasant addition to the stable.”
Jose Lezcano, who has ridden Lubash to four of his stakes
wins, will be back aboard the bay on Saturday. Lubash will depart from the
outside post in the field of nine as the 9-5 morning-line favorite.
Shakeira will have the
chance to escape the shadow of New York-bred champions Dayatthespa and Hessonite
when she competes in the $125,000
Mount Vernon
in the other carded turf stakes sending distaffers a mile.
Last fall, Shakeira was second to Hessonite in the Ticonderoga at Belmont and
won a first-level allowance against open company in November at Aqueduct. Now
five,
the dark daughter of Freud has won her lone start this year in a last-to-first
move in an optional claimer
on April 20 at the Big A.
With her stablemate, Dayatthesthespa, awaiting the Just a Game on June 8 and Hessonite having finished sixth in last
Saturday’s Sheepshead Bay, Shakeira inherited the role of the 2-1
morning-line favorite in the Mount Vernon.
“I think it’s a really good spot for (Shakeira) to be in a
stakes,” DeVaux said of the Brown trainee. “It definitely makes it easier
without (Dayatthespa and Hessonite), which gives her a good opportunity to step
up and win. She’s a runner. Ever since Chad claimed her, he has done a really
good job finding spots for her.”
Rajiv Maragh has the assignment aboard Shakeira from post 5
on Saturday.
Kibosh, second to Dayatthespa in the in the You Go West Girl overnight stakes
on May 5, was made the 3-1 morning-line second choice for the Mount Vernon. Yes
It’s Pink will be withdrawn from the race after tying up, according to Clement.
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