Future Is Now vies for title defense in G2 Intercontinental

The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s multiple graded stakes-winner Future Is Now will look to successfully defend her title in Thursday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares, at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

The Intercontinental [Race 7] is one of four stakes on the Thursday program, and is co-featured with the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker in Race 9; the Listed, $150,000 Tremont in Race 1; and the $150,000 Astoria in Race 3. First post for the 10-race program is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Future Is Now kicked off an impressive run of efforts last year when capturing the The Very One sprinting five furlongs over good Pimlico Race Course turf, her first start with Paco Lopez in the irons. The pairing would prove almost perfect as the two went on to win last year’s Intercontinental by a head over Roses for Debra, the Listed Smart N Fancy in August at the Spa, and the Grade 2 Franklin in October at Keeneland to cap a brilliant campaign, with their only loss together a close third in the Grade 3 Caress in July here.

Future Is Now has won with both inside and outside position, and as both the pacesetter and with stalking trips under the guidance of Lopez, whom Trombetta credits with much of the mare’s recent success.

“Her and Paco have a pretty good relationship,” Trombetta said. “Early on, she was kind of keen and eager, and was a kind of need-the-lead type. When Paco rode her for the first time in the The Very One, I told him that. That day, she came from third, and he was pretty adamant that she’ll do what she’s supposed to do. She was evolving into the kind of racehorse you want to have – one that can adapt – and he seems to have hit it off good with her. They appreciate each other.”

Lopez and Future Is Now picked up right where they left off on April 13 with a prominent nose victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland, besting returning rival Pandora’s Gift in an effort that garnered a 97 Beyer Speed Figure in her first start off a six-month respite.

Trombetta said he was impressed that Future Is Now fired such a big effort off the layoff.

“That’s a big ask for any horse, and for her to come through and run that hard off the bench like that – we were all in awe of her,” Trombetta said. “I thought she’d run good, but for her to be pressed and then have to fight off horses that have been racing, we were over-the-top proud of her. She’s been beyond fantastic.” 

The consistent Great Notion 5-year-old boasts a 15-8-1-1 record that includes a 2-for-3 record at Saratoga and $748,410 in total purse earnings. A Maryland homebred for the late R. Larry Johnson, Future Is Now is out of the Bernardini mare Past as Prelude, who also produced stakes-winner Call Another Play and multiple stakes-placed Continentalcongres.

“She’s just a good horse. We knew she would be a nice one early on, and she showed some real talent, but she has taken it to a whole new level,” Trombetta said.

Lopez will look to engineer a winning trip from post 2.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse sends out a pair of contenders in graded stakes-winner Time to Dazzle [post 8, Javier Castellano] and stakes-placed Creed’s Gold [post 9, Dylan Davis], while also being prepared for rain with the main track-only entrant Run for the Hills.

Tracy Farmer’s Time to Dazzle was second to the reopposing On Command last out in the Listed License Fee on May 4 at Belmont at the Big A when making her first start off a more than six-month layoff. There, she stalked in second throughout under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano and made a two-wide bid to give chase to the pacesetting On Command, but Castellano lost his crop at the eighth pole and On Command held steady to win by one length.

“Her first race back in New York was pretty darn good,” Casse said. “She's her own worst enemy. If she does things right, she's extremely talented. It's just getting her head in the right place.

“She's tough to handle and extremely tough to ride, but I thought she did a little better the other day,” Casse added. “She's gotten older and maybe she's a little better.”

The 4-year-old Not This Time grey made the grade in last July’s one-mile Grade 3 Ontario Colleen at Woodbine, trouncing her 11 rivals by 4 1/2 lengths with a wire-to-wire trip. She went on to post a pair of fourth-place finishes in the Grade 2 Music City at Kentucky Downs and the Listed Glen Cove at Belmont at the Big A to close out the season.

Kristin Meldahl’s Creed’s Gold steps back into stakes company off a strong six-furlong optional claiming victory on May 11 at Belmont at the Big A. The 4-year-old Jimmy Creed chestnut stalked in second under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and pounced in the turn to drive clear to a 1 3/4-length win, which was awarded a career-best 89 Beyer.

Casse said he believes Creed’s Gold, who makes her first stakes appearance since a third in the Listed Alywow last June at Woodbine, will need to overcome a slight cutback in distance.

“The class test doesn't concern me as much as losing the sixteenth of a mile,” Casse said. “She's a nice horse; she tries hard and she's getting better. The cutback is a little worrisome.”

Creed’s Gold’s two other lifetime victories came going one-mile last March over the Gulfstream Park turf and sprinting five furlongs over the Gulfstream synthetic this January. She was a head second to dual graded stakes-placed Crown Imperial going the Intercontinental distance two starts back in a Keeneland optional claimer.

Trainer Miguel Clement saddles two contenders in the aforementioned Pandora’s Gift [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and graded stakes-winner Danse Macabre [post 4, Joel Rosario]. Both entrants make their first start for Miguel Clement after the recent passing of his father, trainer Christophe Clement.

LSU Stables’ Pandora’s Gift makes her fourth stateside outing and enters on the heels of her nose defeat to Future Is Now in the Giant’s Causeway on April 13, where she made her first start in the Clement barn. The effort came with a more forward trip than her previous American outings when in the care of conditioner Stuart Williams, which included a second and third in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters and Grade 2 Franklin, respectively, with stalking trips. She was disqualified from purse money in the latter effort due to a positive test.

The Churchill 4-year-old was Group 3-placed in her native Ireland, and captured the Listed Chelmer Fillies last May over the Chelmsford synthetic in Great Britain. She was an $850,000 purchase at the Keeneland Championship Sale in October.

NBS Stable and Elements Racing’s Danse Macabre made her first 12 outings for conditioner Kelsey Danner, including a win in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in March 2023 at Gulfstream Park. She was transferred to the Clement barn for her 5-year-old campaign, which began with a rallying third in the Giant’s Causeway one length behind Future Is Now and Pandora’s Gift.

The talented Army Mule 5-year-old has been on-the-board in 12-of-13 lifetime starts, including additional stakes wins as sophomore in the Glen Cove at Belmont at the Big A and Listed Mamzelle at Churchill, as well as the Listed Bolton Landing over course and distance as a juvenile.

Completing the field are Grade 3-winner Pipsy [post 6, Jose Ortiz] for trainer Will Walden; Group 3-winner Kairyu [post 7, Flavien Prat] for trainer Cherie DeVaux; multiple stakes-winner Twirling Queen [post 5, Luis Saez] for trainer Jose D’Angelo; and stakes-winner On Command [post 3, Katie Davis] for trainer Amelia Green. 

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule. 

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