Bishops Bay looks to return to winning ways in G3 Forty Niner

The dual graded stakes-winner Bishops Bay had never finished outside of the exacta until his last start and will look to return to his winning ways in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Forty Niner, a one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up, on Closing Day of the fall meet at Belmont at the Big A.

The top-three finishers in the Forty Niner will receive a fees-waived berth into the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile on December 6 during the 27-day Aqueduct fall meet which spans Thursday, November 6 through Wednesday, December 31. 

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the 5-year-old Uncle Mo horse was 10-7-3-0 before landing a 4 1/4-length sixth in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Forego last out on August 23 at Saratoga Race Course. Bishops Bay entered that top-level attempt on a four-race win streak, including a half-length score in the Grade 3 Westchester over course and distance in May and a five-length victory over returning rival Nelson Avenue in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June at Monmouth Park. 

Bishops Bay returned to the work tab on September 6 at the Spa and has posted his last four works over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile breeze in 48.90 seconds on October 25. 

“He’s been training well,” said Dustin Dugas, Cox’s Belmont Park-based assistant who rides Bishops Bay in the mornings. “He’s going into this race good. He came out of his last race and last few works in good shape.” 

Bishops Bay’s Westchester victory earned a career and field-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure. It was his first effort in New York since a memorable head defeat to subsequent Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Arcangelo in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan in May 2023 at Belmont Park. 

“He’s been a pretty honest horse,” Dugas said. “He’s always been an honest individual in his training and in his races. He is just a very straightforward horse. The mile distance fits him really well. He is not the quickest one to suit a sprint, but he has that big, stocky build that kind of lends itself to that seven-eighths to a mile distance. I think the mile is his key point.”

Bishops Bay is 4-for-4 with Flavien Prat aboard, who will look to keep that streak alive from post 5. The bay is campaigned by Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, Michael Caruso and his breeder WinStar Farm.

Coleswood Farm’s West Virginia homebred Coastal Mission [post 1, Arnaldo Bocachica] won this event last year by one-length over Nelson Avenue. Trained by Jeff Runco, the 6-year-old Great Notion gray enters from a 1 1/2-length third to that same rival in the Listed Parx Dirt Mile on September 20, which he won last year before taking the Forty Niner.

Coastal Mission, in his last out stalking defeat, was returning from a layoff dating to a third to New York-bred Bank Frenzy in the Listed Stymie in March over course and distance. The gelding is 29-14-5-3 overall and has had returning rider Arnaldo Bocachica aboard for all but one start. 

Coastal Mission’s past win in this event prompted another try in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by TwinSpires, where he landed a 4 1/2-length fourth to fellow millionaires Locked, Mullikin and Post Time, improving from a fifth in 2023. 

Photos Finish’s Nelson Avenue [post 3, Joel Rosario] enters from his aforementioned Parx Dirt Mile triumph. Trained by Jorge Abreu, the 6-year-old Into Mischief gelding secured a second stakes score to go along with the seven-furlong Blitzen in December at Parx Racing for previous conditioner Wayne Potts. 

Nelson Avenue was haltered for $40,000 last August at Saratoga, and after a three-time winning tenure for Potts, was moved to Abreu’s care and has made four starts, including his second in the aforementioned Grade 3 Salvator Mile ahead of a pair of turf outings. 

LNJ Foxwoods' Kentucky homebred Scotland [post 6, Junior Alvarado] has hit the board in each of his trio of starts this year. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old Good Magic gelding was a one-length second to Book’em Danno in the Forego ahead of a two-length third to Patriot Spirit in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule last out on September 27 here. 

Scotland, the winner of the 2023 Listed Curlin at Saratoga, seeks his first graded stakes score in his seventh attempt. The chestnut boasts a 16-5-4-3 record with $693,960 in earnings. 

Rounding out the field is stakes-placed Over and Ollie [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], who is cross-entered as a main track-only in Saturday’s Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.; and Light the Way [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Linda Rice. 

The Forty Niner is slated as Race 4 on Sunday’s 11-race card, which features the Grade 2 Red Smith in Race 7, the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in Race 9 and the Listed Turnback the Alarm in Race 1, and will close out the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.