Big Apple Showcase Day highlights the best of New York

Zivo brings a four-race win streak into the Commentator (NYRA/Joe Labozzetta/Adam Coglianese Photography)

New York-breds will take center stage at Belmont Park on
Saturday as the historic track celebrates the Empire State on track and off with
the Big Apple Showcase Day.

In addition to six stakes worth $900,000, highlighted by
the $200,000
Critical Eye for fillies and mares and the $200,000
Commentator
Handicap, guests will be able to experience some of the finest products the
state has to offer, with food and craft vendors offering their wares in the
grandstand.

Also on Saturday, there will be a jockey and trainer
autograph signing session from noon to 12:30 p.m. (EDT) in front of the Secretariat
mural on the east side of the grandstand’s first floor.

Scheduled to be on hand
for the session are Alan Sherman, assistant trainer of Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome;
1977 Triple Crown winning-trainer Billy Turner; Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey;
Jimmy Jerkens, conditioner of Belmont hopeful Wicked Strong; and Christophe Clement,
who trains Belmont contender Tonalist.

Among the jockeys appearing are Hall
of Famer John Velazquez, Javier Castellano, brothers Jose and Irad Ortiz Jr.,
Junior Alvarado, Taylor Rice and Mike Luzzi.

La Verdad captured her graded debut in the Distaff Handicap in mid-April (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

On track Saturday, more than 100 New York-breds will grace a 10-race card,
with the Commentator anchoring the six stakes. Trainer Chad Brown will send out
two very imposing horses in the 13-strong Commentator for three-year-olds and up
at a mile.

Zivo was a terror on the inner track during the winter meet at Aqueduct,
capturing three races including two stakes wins. When racing moved to the main
track in April, the five-year-old son of True Direction didn’t skip a beat,
winning a state-bred optional claimer by a widening two lengths. He enters the
Commentator on a four-race win streak.

“Zivo is in good form — career form — and we’re really looking forward to
running him (in the Commentator),” Brown said.

Brown will also saddle Readtheprospectus, who has won seven of 11 career
starts. The five-year-old Read the Footnotes gelding enjoyed a fruitful 2013
campaign in which he was undefeated until finishing seventh in last October’s
Empire Classic to close out the year. The Commentator will be his 2014 debut.

Lubash will try to improve on his third in last year’s Kingston Saturday (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

La Verdad will seek her first win beyond six furlongs as she heads a nine-distaffer
field in the Critical Eye at one mile. The Yes It’s True four-year-old has seven
wins in eight starts at six furlongs, with the lone loss coming in her debut.
Since then, her only loss was a second after setting the pace in Laurel Park’s
seven-furlong Barbara Fritchie Handicap in February, her first start in a
stakes.

Following the Fritchie, La Verdad regained winning form by taking the
Broadway for New York-breds by 3 1/4 lengths in March and the Distaff Handicap
by 3 3/4 lengths on April 19. Both starts came at Aqueduct.

“She hasn’t been a mile yet, but she did run seven furlongs well in
Maryland,” trainer Linda Rice said. “The timing was good for her on this race; I
needed to give her a little bit more time after that graded win and wasn’t able
to make (the May 17 Vagrancy). She is training very well, and (owner) Sheila
(Rosenthal) is pretty excited about running on Showcase Day.”

Rice and Rosenthal have high expectations for La Verdad in the second half of
2014.

Mount Vernon contender Effie Trinket (inside) gutted out victory in the Ticonderoga last October (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

The talented turf-runner Lubash headlines a strong nine-horse field for the
$125,000

Kingston
sending three-year-olds and up a mile on the turf.

Trained by Clement, Lubash proved he was still
in sharp form in his seven-year-old debut. The son of Freud took an optional claimer
on April 24 at Aqueduct by a neck over Kingston-rival Kharafa. Another Kingston entrant, Notacatbutallama, was
also in the field and finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Kharafa in third.

“He’s a New York-bred, why chance something that worked
almost all of last year?” said Clement’s assistant, Christophe Lorieul, of
electing to run in a state-bred race. “The horse is doing super. He has a race
under his belt with a gutsy win at Aqueduct last time out; he took the lead and
(Kharafa) could not pass him.”

Effie Trinket, a four-year-old daughter of Freud, has finished third in a pair of
graded stakes in two starts this year and returns to New York-bred company when
she competes in the $125,000
Mount Vernon
against eight other distaffers going one mile on the turf.

Uncle Sigh could finally earn his first stakes win in the Mike Lee (NYRA/Susie Raisher/Adam Coglianese Photography)

In 2014, Effie Trinket was third by 1 1/2 lengths after
contesting the pace in the March 15 Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park and
third by 2 1/4 lengths after stalking the leaders in the May 3 Distaff Turf Mile
at Churchill Downs.

“Effie Trinket deserves to be in a spot where she is
favored,” trainer Rick Violette asserted. “You hope she has the class edge. She never wins by much, but a limb can
be enough. We can run here and then start thinking about doing some big game
hunting.”

The $125,000
Mike Lee could get a huge boost if uber-talented New York-bred Uncle Sigh elects to run in the seven-furlong sprint
against nine other three-year-olds. A few other options are on the table, according to Uncle Sigh’s
trainer, Gary Contessa.

Flipcup will be tough in the Bouwerie (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Uncle Sigh’s most recent race came in the Kentucky
Derby, in which he finished 14th after contesting the early pace while
adding blinkers for the first time. Prior to the Derby, the bay son of Indian
Charlie finished fifth in the Wood Memorial and second
in both the Gotham and Withers.

Expected to vie for favoritism in the $125,000
Bouwerie,
which attracted nine sophomore fillies, are Flipcup, who closed out her two-year-old campaign with a
victory in the East View at Aqueduct, and Henry’s Gal, who was claimed for
$75,000 in March and won her two subsequent starts for Rudy Rodriguez by a
combined 15 lengths.

Flipcup, making her second start for Hall of Famer Bill
Mott, was installed as the 5-2 favorite on the morning line under Joel Rosario,
while Henry’s Gal, who will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, is listed at 3-1.