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​Randomized runs to her odds in G2 Beldame

by Keith McCalmont

Klaravich Stables’ Randomized, sent to post as the 1-4 mutuel favorite, proved to be much the best in Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame, a nine-furlong route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and piloted by Joel Rosario, the 3-year-old Nyquist bay entered from a frontrunning four-length score in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 19 at Saratoga Race Course. 

She utilized similar tactics in the Beldame under her returning rider, marking off splits of 25.02 seconds and 49.18 over the fast main track with A Mo Reay saving ground in third position to the inside of Nostalgic and Riding Pretty trailing in last-of-4.

Riding Pretty made an early outside run at the leader into the final turn to briefly take second position as three-quarters elapsed in 1:12.72, but could not sustain her momentum as Randomized powered on under a hand ride.

A Mo Reay, winner of the Grade 1 Beholder Mile in March at Santa Anita, cut the corner and closed some ground before Rosario shook the reins at Randomized and saw his filly respond with interest, drawing clear to a 3 3/4-length score in a final time of 1:49.05. A Mo Reay completed the exacta by 4 3/4-lengths over graded stakes-winner Nostalgic with Riding Pretty completing the order of finish.

“She was very quick out of the gate. I was trying to get her to settle, because if you let her go, she can go 22 [seconds],” said Rosario, who won this event with Forever Unbridled [2016] and in 2021 with the Brown-trained Royal Flag. “I was able to get into the first turn and get her to relax. She dropped the bridle really nicely and I feel like she did a good job.”

Rosario said he wasn’t too concerned about the competition as Randomized cruised through the final turn en route to providing a third Beldame score for Brown following his past success with Wow Cat [2018] and Royal Flag. 

“They looked like they were coming, but I just wanted to get her to relax at that point,” Rosario said. “I wasn’t too worried about anyone challenging me. She has natural speed.

“She looked like she was going nice and easy,” added Rosario. “She has so much speed and she had a nice stride and she kept moving forward. It’s hard to say how good she is, but she looked very good today.”

Randomized graduated at second asking with a gate-to-wire score in a one-mile maiden special weight on March 31 at the Big A and returned to finish a distant sixth next out on June 9 in the Grade 1 Acorn presented by Great Jones Distilling Co. at Belmont Park. She returned to winning form by making every pole a winning one in the Spa’s restricted one-mile Wilton ahead of her Alabama coup.

A $420,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Randomized is out of the unraced Elusive Quality mare French Passport, who is a half-sister to the Brown-trained multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Smooth Air, graded stakes-winner Overdriven and the nine-time winning mare Super Phoebe, who produced multiple Grade 1-winner Got Stormy and graded stakes-placed Sir Alfred James.

Bred in Kentucky by Cove Springs, Randomized banked $137,500 in victory while improving her record to 6-4-0-1. She returned $2.60 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Belmont at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern. 

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

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