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Nothing Better back to the Big A for G3 Belmont Turf Sprint

by Keith McCalmont

Colts Neck Stables’ multiple stakes-winner Nothing Better will look to make the grade in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Jorge Duarte, Jr., the 7-year-old Munnings chestnut has three wins and one second from six local starts led by back-to-back wins in the Turf Sprint Championship in 2022-23.

Nothing Better [post 9, Jorge Ruiz] has shown no signs of slowing down, posting wins in the Listed Mighty Beau in June at Churchill Downs and the Wolf Hill in July at Monmouth Park. He arrives from a pair of narrow runner-up efforts when missing by a nose in the Select in August at Monmouth and by a neck last out to the Graham Motion-trained dual Group 1-winner Isivunguvungu in the Da Hoss on September 7 at Colonial Downs.

“He just keeps digging. It's a shame we didn't get up at Colonial last time,” Duarte, Jr. said. “Graham's horse had the perfect trip, and we got floated a little wide, but he brought his ‘A’ game and kept fighting. He's come out of that good. He's thriving in training and loves his job.”

Nothing Better utilized gate-to-wire trips for the majority of his wins coming into this campaign but has shown a more patient approach this year when sitting just off the pace.

“We wanted to see a different dimension from him,” Duarte, Jr. said. “We sometimes were running into horses that had a little faster turn of foot than him where some races we were lone speed. We just wanted to let him be right off a target and it seemed like he really took that in for the Wolf Hill. He will close and it gives you another option depending on pace.”

Duarte, Jr. said a good effort Saturday could propel Nothing Better to a start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“If everything goes good, we might give him a shot at Del Mar. I think he deserves a chance if he keeps running this way,” Duarte, Jr. said.

Nothing Better, a winner in each of his five years of racing, enjoys his winter break and compact campaigns.

“He's a unique horse to have in the barn,” Duarte, Jr. said. “He appreciates the time off we give him, and he keeps coming back good. We're very fortunate to have him.

“He's been pretty sound, and I think he enjoys his job,” Duarte, Jr. added. “We'll see how he winters and if he shows us he wants to do it again, we'll go for another year.”

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Nothing Better is out of the Irish-bred Duke of Marmalade mare One True Love – a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Folk Opera. He was a $230,000 purchase at the 2019 OBS April Sale.

Determined Stables and Kingdom Bloodstock’s Virginia-bred Determined Kingdom [post 7, Victor Carrasco], a five-time restricted stakes winner, will look to break through in open company for trainer Phil Schoenthal.

“Earlier on in his career he was on the cusp of being an open company horse, but he's been a dominant Virginia-bred,” Schoenthal said. “We've always focused his year on the summer Colonial meet where he has the opportunity to make a lot of money in restricted races.”

Schoenthal said Determined Kingdom, who will also enter in Saturday’s Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland, will run here only if he doesn’t make the body of the field for the “Win and You’re In” test in Kentucky.

The talented 5-year-old Animal Kingdom gelding has won 3-of-4 starts this year, taking his seasonal debut against open optional-claiming company by besting a trio of foes in a compact four-horse field, including returning rival Outlaw Kid in June at Laurel Park.

“There was no pace in the race, and he got left alone on soft opening fractions,” Schoenthal said. “They weren't going to run him down when you give a quality horse that kind of head start. We were thrilled to win but the playing field was heavily tilted in our favor that day.”

He followed by capturing the restricted Punch Line for the third successive season in July at Colonial Downs ahead of a troubled-trip third in the open Van Clief when defeated 1 1/2-lengths by the victorious Dream Shake.

“We used that open stakes as a barometer of if he’s gotten better and he was an unlucky third that day,” recalled Schoenthal. “He was bottled up with run until about the eighth pole and then managed to get free and make a run. With a clean trip, you could argue he might have been the best horse in the race that day.”

Determined Kingdom enters from a pace-pressing three-quarter length score over Ken Ramsey’s stakes-winner Whenigettoheaven in a Colonial Downs handicap on August 31. He covered the 5 1/2-furlongs in a track record time of 1:02.28.

"The Ramsey horse was coming into the race in good form, and we felt like we had a tactical advantage over that horse,” Schoenthal said. “The instructions were to keep him in the clear and make him run by us. So, that's why he pressed the pace and was a little more forward.”

Schoenthal said the improved Determined Kingdom is in fine fettle regardless of where he runs next weekend.

“He's blossomed at five and grown a little bit,” Schoenthal said. “He's training like a monster and running like a monster and has really stepped up his speed figures and his desire to compete. He's running with confidence and we're excited to see him against better company for better money.”

The $47,000 purchase from the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale has banked $671,539 through a 23-9-2-3 ledger. His second dam is the Group 1-winning Entrepreneur mare Damson.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski’s multiple stakes-winner New York-bred Senbei [post 5, Manny Franco] arrives from a close third-place finish when a head back of Nothing Better in the aforementioned Select.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 5-year-old Candy Ride gelding won three state-bred stakes on dirt as a juvenile and added the Listed Gold Fever to his ledger as a sophomore in 2022.

“He used to be very good on the dirt as a younger horse but for some reason he lost his dirt form,” Clement said. “He seems to be much more willing to run on the grass, so we've kept him on the grass.”

Senbei made his turf debut last July with a runner-up effort traveling seven furlongs against open optional-claiming company at Belmont Park.

He has remained on turf or synthetic surfaces since, including an impressive rallying 2 1/4-length win two starts back here traveling six furlongs that registered a career-best 94 Beyer.

“It was a very good effort, but it was very firm that day and that’s one thing he might not get this weekend,” Clement said. “The stake is a bit ambitious on paper, but he's doing well. He's sound and he has to run, so it's a logical spot.”

Senbei, bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski, is out of the winning Western Cat mare Sweet Aloha, making him a half-brother to multiple stakes-winners Filibustin and Indy’s Lady.

R.A. Hill Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds’ Outlaw Kid [post 3, Flavien Prat] will look to make the grade for trainer George Weaver.

The 5-year-old Violence dark bay, bred by Robert G. Harvey, arrives from a successful title-defense on August 25 in Woodbine’s Vice Regent, a five-furlong turf sprint for Ontario-breds. There, he stalked from fourth position under Sahin Civaci through sharp splits of 21.45 seconds and 43.98 before making a four-wide move late in the turn and surging to the front at the sixteenth pole to win by 2 1/4-lengths in a final time of 55.83.

Outlaw Kid, a veteran of 16 starts, sports a consistent ledger of 6-4-1 for purse earnings of $498,234. He boasts a pair of victories against winners over course and distance to go along with a third-place finish in the 2022 Carle Place here. Outlaw Kid’s victory here three starts back on July 4 over dual graded stakes-winner Big Invasion was completed in a six-furlong outer turf course record of 1:06.73.

A half-brother to stakes-winner Babbo, Outlaw Kid is out of the multiple stakes-winning City Zip mare Calling Rhy Rhy, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Bickersons. Outlaw Kid earned his graded placing two starts back when second in the off-the-turf Grade 3 Troy on August 10 at the Spa.

A talented field also includes dual graded stakes-placed Axthelm [post 1, Dylan Davis] for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.; the Ned Allard-trained multiple stakes-winner Alogon [post 8, Jaime Rodriguez]; stakes-placed Maya Prince [post 4, Joel Rosario] for trainer Michael Trombetta; as well as allowance winners Mischievous Angel [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for conditioner Jorge Abreu and the Tom Morley-trained Son of a Birch [post 6, Ben Curtis]. Prince of Jericho is entered for the main-track only.

The Belmont Turf Sprint, slated as Race 6, is part of a lucrative 12-race card topped by two Grade 1 “Win and You’re In” qualifiers at one-mile for juveniles in the $500,000 Champagne [Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile] in Race 8 and the $400,000 Frizette [Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies] in Race 7. The card also features the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational in Race 5. First post is 12:10 p.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.