Brown, Clement stars gear up on Belmont turf

Real Solution (left) and Stephanie’s Kitten matched strides ahead of the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and Flower Bowl, respectively (NYRA/Adam Coglianese/Susie Raisher)

Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Real Solution and Stephanie’s Kitten together traveled
five furlongs on the firm
Belmont Park turf in 1:01 4/5 on Saturday, one week ahead of their
respective engagements on Super Saturday.

Real Solution is aiming for the Grade 1,
$600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at 1 1/2 miles, with Stephanie’s
Kitten pointed toward the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational for fillies
and mares at 1 1/4 miles. Both have already posted Grade 1 scores on the Belmont
Park turf course, with Real Solution having won the Manhattan in June and
Stephanie’s Kitten taking the 2013 Just a Game.

Also probable for the Flower Bowl is Alterite, who is owned by Martin Schwartz.
Alterite, victorious in the 2013 Garden City at Belmont, breezed five furlongs
in 1:01 1/5 in company with Minorette, who is on target for Keeneland’s Queen
Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 11.

Irish Mission could be bound for Santa Anita’s Rodeo Drive, leaving Aigue Marine for the Flower Bowl (NYRA/Adam Coglianese/Susie Raisher)

Irish Mission, winner of the 1 3/8-mile Glens Falls on August 23 at
Saratoga in her latest start, went four furlongs in :48
over a very firm Belmont turf course. The daughter of Giant’s Causeway was
transferred to Clement at the start of her five-year-old campaign, and earned her
first victory of 2014 in the Glens Falls after near misses in the Matchmaker at Monmouth Park and the inaugural running of the two-mile Belmont
Gold Cup against males.

Aigue Marine breezed five furlongs on the turf in 1:01 1/5 in company with
European import Belle de Lawers. Most recently fifth in the Glens Falls, Aigue
Marine has one win and two seconds through five starts in 2014, with her lone
victory coming in the 1 3/8-mile Robert G. Dick Memorial on July 5 at
Delaware Park.

“Irish Mission had a very nice work,” Clement said. “We’ll see how she comes out
of it, but the plan is to run her in the Flower Bowl or the
Rodeo Drive. She might go to California; she likes a very fast turf course.

“Aigue Marine also worked well; she will go to the other (race), which in this
case is probably the Flower Bowl. We’ll see how she comes out of it. I’ve got
two fillies who are training well; one will go (to California) and one will stay
here.”