Belmont

Last year's champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), a luckless third as the heavy favorite in the GI Derby City Distaff S. May 6, stayed out of trouble this time and was along in time for a narrow success in Saturday's GII Bed O' Roses S. at Belmont Park. Drawn on the fence, the 1-4 chalk broke on top and dropped back to caboose the tightly bunched field of five beneath the hot-handed Irad Ortiz, Jr. through an opening quarter in :22.90. Traveling nicely approaching the quarter pole, Goodnight Olive...

1st-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 6-17, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:08.74, fm, 3/4 length. MISCHIEVOUS ANGEL (g, 3, Into Mischief--Sabrina's Angel, by Scat Daddy), the only first-time starter in the field and the 2-1 selection with a $600,000 purchase price, spotted the field a step at the break and had only a single rival behind him through a half mile in :45.26. He began to make up ground as the leaders hit the far turn and tipped out to be five wide with room to run at the top of the stretch. Pacesetter Beer...

2nd-ELP, $120K, MSW, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 2:20p.m. BC Stables's Cowboy Code (Into Mischief) gets a start for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Bred by Aaron and Marie Jones, the grey was a $1-million yearling purchase out of the Taylor Made Sales consignment at Keeneland last September. Out of Not In Jest (Unbridled's Song), the filly is a granddaughter of MGISW Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues). OXO Equine's Balta (Munnings) debuts for trainer Paulo Lobo. Working sharply at The Thoroughbred Center, the half to SW Opus Forty Two is...

Steve Asmussen made it a 'sweep' for the 2-year-old stakes wins at Belmont Sunday with a dominating performance by Gold Sweep to not only break his maiden but stamp himself a contender for upcoming summer races. Despite missing by a just a neck when unveiled at Churchill Downs May 18, the son of Speightstown was running late and still earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for his losing effort.  Bet down to 4-5 breaking from an outside gate, Gold Sweep came away in good order and raced widest of the...

Closing Act (Munnings) put it all together here to secure the first black-type victory of her young career in the Astoria S. as the 3-5 favorite. A step slow on debut May 11 beneath the Twin Spires, she showed a good turn of foot in the lane to run down rivals for a neck win over an experienced rival. Brushing with Living Magic after leaving the blocks, she was urged along to keep pace from the outside of rivals and went as far as four wide into the final bend. Gaining...

Klaravich Stable's Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah), loose on an easy lead, went wire-to-wire to earn her first top-level success in the GI New York S. at Belmont Park Friday. Sent off at 6-1, the lightly raced 4-year-old was looking to stretch her speed to 10 furlongs following a pair of stakes wins over 1 1/16 miles. She broke alertly and was soon at the head of affairs, setting moderate fractions of :24.56, :50.26 and 1:15.29 while kept well in hand by jockey Jose Ortiz. Finally let loose at the top of...

1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6fT, 11:20 p.m. A New York-bred daughter of 2022's champion freshman sire Bolt d'Oro, ADVANCE ATTACK makes her afternoon debut to open the card on Belmont S. day. Purchased for $450,000 out of last year's OBS April Sale, she is a half-sister to GI Shoemaker Mile S. winner Bolo (Temple City), SW Build to Suit (Dominus), and GSP Let Me Go First (Paddy O'Prdo). Her dam, unfortunately lost in 2021, was a half to the dam of GI Kentucky Derby upsetter and Canadian champion 2-year-old...

In this continuing series, we examine the past winners of significant filly/mare races by the lasting influence they've had on the breed. Up today is Belmont Park's GI Acorn S., the first leg in New York's prestigious summer trio of Grade I events for 3-year-old fillies. Long a coveted prize, the Acorn has been designated a Grade I from the very beginning when the grading system became official in 1973. A disproportionate amount of its winners are in the Hall of Fame, ranging from Top Flight to Twilight Tear to...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) will feature a series of Secretariat-related fan giveaways and vintage artifacts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic 31-length victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 to Saturday, June 10. The first 5,000 fans to pass through the main admission gates at Belmont Park Friday, June 9 will receive a commemorative poster of Secretariat crossing the finish line in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. The first 5,000 through the main admission gates Saturday, June 10...

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Zedan Racing Stables' MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner) will skip Saturday's GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap, at Belmont Park. Taiba worked seven-furlongs in 1:27.40 Friday at Santa Anita in what was to be his final prep for the one-turn mile. He has not raced since an eighth-place effort in the G1 Saudi Cup February 25 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. "His works have been good, but not like I'd like to see them. I just don't think he's ready for...

Trainer Brad Cox has added a third GI Belmont S. contender to his lineup with Tapit Shoes, a stakes-placed son of Tapit who was last seen running second to Red Route One (Gun Runner) in the Bath House Row S. at Oaklawn Park on April 22. "He's a pretty consistent workhorse, steady, and always gallops out well," Cox said Thursday morning at Churchill Downs. "He gives us some confidence that he could like the mile and a half." Owned in partnership by Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers Racing, Martin Schwartz, Michael...

1st-Belmont, $75,000, (S), Msw, 5-28, 2yo, 5f, :58.68, ft, 6 lengths. THE WINE STEWARD (c, 2, Vino Rosso--Call to Service, by To Honor and Serve) brought a final bid of $340,000 from trainer Michael Maker at OBS March earlier this year after breezing in :10.2 to be the second-highest progeny of his freshman sire (by Curlin) at the sale. A popular choice at the window, the bay drew the inside gate at post-time odds of 2-5 and, despite a hesitant beginning, stayed in contention with a rail-skimming ride around the...