Last Year’s KEESEP Co-Topper Game in Belmont Bow

1st-BEL, $75,000, Msw, 9-19, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.16, ft.
+MOHAYMEN (c, 2, Tapit–Justwhistledixie {MGSW & GISP, $449,427}, by Dixie Union), last year’s KEESEP yearling co-topper at $2.2 million, graduated at first asking in game fashion in the Belmont Park opener Saturday. Sent off as the 9-5 chalk, the half-brother to 2013 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hero New Year’s Day (Street Cry {Ire}) (GISW, $1,154,000) broke like a shot, but was quickly shadowed by $900,000 OBSAPR graduate Seymourdini (Bernardini) through an opening quarter in :23.30. Head and head off the far turn, Seymourdini appeared to be going the better of the two and looked like he was on his way to victory, but the aforementioned gray fought back along the rail down the lane to get the money by a half length. King Kranz (Munnings), who was bet down to 5-2 from his 10-1 morning-line quote, came flying late to finish a close third. Justwhistledixie, winner of the 2009 GII Davona Dale S. and GII Bonnie Miss S. and second in that year’s GI Acorn S., is a half-sister to GSW Chace City (Carson City) and the speedy GSP Bakken (Distorted Humor). The dark bay has not produced a foal since Mohaymen, but was bred back to Tapit this spring. (Click here for Mohaymen’s KEESEP sale story) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $45,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Shadwell Stable; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Kiaran P. McLaughlin.