Beholder gallops, Goldencents jogs one day after arriving
at Belmont
Champion Beholder galloped over Belmont’s main track Friday
after shipping Thursday for the Grade 1, $1 million Ogden Phipps on the Belmont
Stakes undercard, June 7.
The Ogden Phipps is one of 10 stakes, nine of them graded, at
Belmont on June 7, with purses totaling $7.7 million, making it the
second-richest day in North American racing to only the Breeders’ Cup.
“Everything’s in great shape,” Richard Mandella said of the two-time Eclipse
Award-winning filly. “She’s doing as well as she was before she won the
Breeders’ Cup (last November).
“I think Martin Panza (senior vice president of
racing operations) in particular and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) deserves a
lot of credit and gratitude from the industry for putting a day like this
together,” Mandella added. “There’s no question that Belmont Park deserves the
Breeders’ Cup. Although the weather can be sketchy in November, a spring time
Breeders’ Cup is not a bad idea.”
The daughter of Henny Hughes concluded her Eclipse Award-winning season with
a win in the November 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She returned to competition on
April 20 with a 5 1/4-length romp in the Santa Lucia at Santa Anita.
“She shipped in great shape,” Mandella remarked. “My good friend Tom Bush is taking care of her. She went to the track
to have a nice gallop (Friday morning) and will do the same tomorrow. We’ll give
her a breeze at some point next week.”
The Ogden Phipps is shaping up to be one of the most
talented races on the Belmont Stakes undercard, as Princess of Sylmar and Close
Hatches are likely to join Beholder in the starting gate.
All three fillies were finalists for an Eclipse Award as the 2013 champion
three-year-old filly, an honor Beholder took home. She’s been beaten just twice
since her 2013 eight races ago, finishing a three-quarter length runner-up in
the Santa Ynez and then just being caught by Princess of Sylmar for a
half-length second in last year’s Kentucky Oaks.
Princess of Sylmar rattled off four Grade 1 wins in a row in 2013: the Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks, Alabama and Beldame.
The daughter of Majestic Warrior’s sophomore campaign culminated
with a start in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but she ran an uncharacteristically
dull race and finished sixth.
Close Hatches, trained by Bill Mott, captured a pair of Grade 1s in 2013 — the Mother Goose
and Cotillion — and has already won two graded stakes in 2014, including a
win in the Apple Blossom Handicap last out in mid-April. The First Defense filly
was second to Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Also expected for the Ogden Phipps are Classic Point and My Wandy’s Girl, while Belle Gallantey and Lunar Surge are possible.
When asked why Beholder is shipping east to face such a salty field, Mandella
succinctly said, “a million dollars.”
Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Goldencents was also among the
talented band of horses to ship into Belmont Park on Thursday. The four-year-old
Into Mischief colt is targeting the Grade 1, $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap.
“He shipped in great,” said Doug O’Neill, trainer of Goldencents. “He jogged today and will gallop tomorrow. As we stand right now,
he won’t have a work, we’re just going to gallop him into the race.”
Goldencents has not raced since finishing seventh in the
2013 edition of the Cigar Mile Handicap, but O’Neill is confident his
trainee is ready to face the star-studded Met Mile lineup.
“We couldn’t be happier with his condition,” O’Neill stated.
“(The Met Mile) is a perfect layout for him and obviously the purse is huge;
we’re really excited.”
Traditionally run on Memorial Day, the Met Mile is shaping up to be a
phenomenal race in its new spot on the calendar, headlined by last year’s Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice.
That Todd Pletcher pupil has won all three of his starts in 2014, commencing his year in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, which he won by a
head, and following up with a 4 3/4-length victory in the New Orleans Handicap
and a 9 3/4-length romp in the May 11 Westchester.
The star-studded field is also likely to include Broadway
Empire, Capo Bastone, Central Banker, Clearly Now, Declan’s Warrior, Moreno,
Normandy Invasion, Romansh, Shakin It Up and Vyjack.
The Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan is shaping up
to be a big field of older male turf runners, featuring 2012 Breeders’ Cup Turf
hero Little Mike.
Formerly trained by Dale Romans, Little Mike is now in the
barn of Carlo Vaccarezza. In 2013, the son of Spanish Steps won only one race, the Turf Classic Invitational
at Belmont Park, and finished seventh while going for a title defense in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Little Mike closed out his six-year-old campaign with a ninth-placing in the Hong Kong Cup,
but opened 2014 on a winning note when taking the May 17 Flying Pidgeon at Gulfstream Park by 2
3/4 lengths.
Imagining, who became a Grade 1 winner in his last start in
the May 11 Man o’ War, is also likely to contest the Manhattan. Trained by Shug
McGaughey, the six-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway is four-for-six since adding blinkers in August
of last year.
Seek Again, who came within a head of defeating reigning
Horse of the Year Wise Dan in his last start, appears set to join the field. His
narrow defeat, which came in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs
on Kentucky Derby Day, was
his first start in 2014 and only his second North American outing.
Also likely for the Manhattan are Amira’s Prince, Finnegans
Wake, Five Iron, Grandeur, Hey Leroy, Kaigun and Real Solution. Boisterous,
Rookie Sensation, and Speaking of Which are possible.
The Grade 1, $750,000 Just a Game is likely to
boast a deep, competitive field of filly and mare turf runners. Discreet Marq, who worked five furlongs in 1:00
3/5 Friday for trainer Christophe Clement, leads the probables for the one-mile
race.
The Discreet Cat four-year-old made her 2014
debut in the Jenny Wiley, in which she finished a half-length second behind another
likely Just a Game starter in Hard Not to Like. Discreet Marq’s 2013 campaign featured a win
in the Del Mar Oaks as well as second-place finishes in the Garden City and Matriarch,
all Grade 1 contests.
Also exiting the Jenny Wiley and likely for the Just a Game
is last year’s winner, Stephanie’s Kitten. The five-year-old mare finished eighth
in the Jenny Wiley in her 2014 debut, having not competed since July 27 when she
finished third in the Diana at Saratoga.
The runner-up from last year’s Just a Game, Better Lucky,
is probable to enter the starting gate again this year. Trained by Tom Albertrani, the
five-year-old Ghostzapper mare has won a pair
of Grade 1s in her career — the 2013 edition of the First Lady and the 2012
running of the Matriarch.
Others likely for the Just a Game are Coffee Clique, Dame
Marie, Filimbi, Hard Not to Like, Somali Lemonade, Strathnaver and Waterway Run.
Ready Signal and Unlimited Budget are possible.
The Grade 1, $750,000 Acorn is likely to feature the second and third-place
finishers from the May 2 Kentucky Oaks in My Miss Sophia and Unbridled Forever.
Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia is set to turn back to a mile in the
Acorn, with her last outing going eight furlongs coming when she broke her
maiden by 11 lengths at Gulfstream on March 9. Unbridled Forever, third in the
Kentucky Oaks, showed an affinity for one-turn racing when taking her maiden by
5 1/4 lengths at Churchill Downs running seven furlongs in an eye-catching
1:21.91.
The Acorn field is also likely to include Aqua Regia, Artemis Agrotera,
Fashion Plate, Fifyshadesofgold, House Rules, Lady Paradime, Our Amazing Rose,
Sweet Reason, Sweet Whiskey and Vero Amore. La Madrina, Risque Reality, and
She’s a Tiger are possible.
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