Belmont Park Notes 10.1.17

by NYRA Press Office

• Brown's Saturday performers come out of races in good order
• G1 Beldame winner Elate coming around the 'right way'
• G1 Vosburgh hero Takaful tops 'great day' for Team McLaughlin
• Oscar Performance keeps healthy appetite after Joe Hirsch effort, still eyes Breeders' Cup
• Seabhac in fine fettle following G3 Pilgrim win
• Sadler's Joy no worse for wear following fourth-place finish in Joe Hirsch
• Frostmourne, Blacktype put in final works for graded stakes assignments

One day after seeing Beach Patrol and Fanciful Angel finish 1-2 in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, trainer Chad Brown said the duo came out of the race in good order.

Fanciful Angel, the Irish-bred who finished second in his North American debut in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on August 12, again was the runner-up in a Grade 1, impressing Brown in making his first start since he took over training duties. 

"He's still a little headstrong, but Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] did a really good job to keep him in cover and settle the horse throughout the race," Brown said. "It's something we can work on. I'm happy that he stayed the distance. It was a question mark for both, and I was very pleased with it."

Voting Control could be on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on November 3 at Del Mar following his second-place finish in Saturday's Grade 3 Pilgrim, Brown said. After being squeezed at the start, Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano led the Kitten's Joy colt to a strong finish in his stakes debut. 

"It was a good effort, just a terrible start," Brown said. "The six-horse [Maraud] just knocked him sideways leaving there. It was unlucky circumstances. I thought he was best. He seems to be OK. He's a little cut up from that, but it's not bad. I'm inclined to take him to the Breeders' Cup as long as he draws well."

Separationofpowers breezed five furlongs in 1:00.88 on Belmont's main track Saturday, with Brown saying she looked sharp in her last work before the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette on Sunday. After running third in her stakes debut in the Grade 1 Spinaway on September 2, the 2-year-old Candy Ride filly will be competing in the Frizette, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Grade 1, $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Grand Jete put in her final work before next Sunday's Grade 1, $500,000 Flower Bowl. The second-place finisher in the Grade 1 Beverly D. went five furlongs in 1:00.95 on Belmont's inner turf Sunday.

Lady Eli breezed five furlongs in 1:01.87 on the inner turf, marking her fourth work at Belmont since September. After typically breezing four furlongs in company with Roca Roja, Brown said the 5-year-old, who has three straight wins in the Grade 1 Gamely, Grade 1 Diana and Grade 2 Ballston Spa, responded when asked to go farther.

"She worked on the turf and we asked her to do a little bit more, and she was beautiful," he said.

Uni, the winner of the Grade 1 Sands Point last out on September 16 at Belmont, breezed four furlongs in 51.45 seconds in company with Abbreviate, a 3-year-old filly by Harlan's Holiday who is targeting the $200,000 Pebbles on October 14, Brown said. Uni remains on target for the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 14 at Keeneland.

Brown said Good Magic, a son of Curlin who finished second in his first race on August 26 at Saratoga, could make his next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne on Saturday, but hasn't decided yet.

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Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm's Elate is in good order following her impressive 8 ¼-length victory in the Grade 1, $400,000 Beldame under jockey Jose Ortiz on Saturday, said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

That win was her second straight Grade 1, following the Medaglia d'Oro filly's 5 ½-length score in the Alabama at Saratoga. With the exception of being pulled up in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland after taking a bad step, Elate has never finished off the board through nine starts.

The Beldame was her fourth career victory and first try at Belmont Park. The filly has proved that different racetracks are not an issue as she has toured seven different racetracks up to this point. Now, five weeks out from this year's $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, run at Del Mar on November 3, Mott said he'll will meet with the owners to decide if the trip to California is the best option.

"It was a good day," Mott said. "We're very happy with her. She looks good. She's on her way to Saratoga. We'll train her, but I haven't talked to anybody. I'm assuming they would probably like to go to the Breeders' Cup. That's my guess. That would be our plan I would think. She'll go up there and start training and we'll go from there. We've got a whole month." 

Mott said that, early on, he thought the filly lacked explosive speed and was more of a steady, grinding type. Now, after maturing through the summer months, the Kentucky-bred is peaking at the right time, Mott said, and it's something that he has been waiting for.

"She's really come on the second half of the year I'd say," he said. "She's kind of ready for her job now. Her form indicates that too, she's coming the right way. Maybe I was surprised early in the year that she didn't come on quicker than she did. That would've been the only surprise."

Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Good Samaritan will work Monday at Saratoga before shipping downstate to Belmont later this week for a start against older horses in the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday October 7. The 3-year-old Harlan's Holiday colt followed the Jim Dandy with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Travers, and will return to Belmont where he finished second in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge and fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, respectively.

In addition to Good Samaritan, the Mott barn will saddle Yoshida in the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince on Saturday. The Japanese-bred colt by Heart's Cry worked five furlongs over the Oklahoma turf Saturday morning at Saratoga in 1:02.41 in anticipation for the 1 1/8 miles he will run over the inner turf. It will be his first start following his second-place finish in the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes which followed his runner-up performance in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes.

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Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin reported Sunday morning that Shadwell Stable's homebred Takaful exited his one-length victory over El Deal in the Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh on Saturday in good order.

With Jose Ortiz aboard, the 3-year-old Bernardini colt stayed close to El Deal, favored at 6-5 as the expected pacesetter, throughout and dug in to beat a field of older rivals in the six-furlong dash, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Grade 1, $1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 4 at Del Mar.

"When Jose came to the paddock, I asked him what he thought, and he said, 'We're fast, it's only six furlongs and we're going to be pretty close to him.' And I said, great. He decided to be very close to him and it worked out. Jose had a lot of confidence in the horse. El Deal ran well and so did the third-place finisher [Stallwalkin' Dude]."

The Vosburgh was Takaful's second win at six furlongs, and third lifetime victory from seven starts. He was Grade 2-placed as a juvenile, finishing third in the Remsen last November, but finished off-the-board in a pair of two-turn Kentucky Derby prep races in early 2017. Following an eighth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, Takaful returned from a 3 ½-month layoff on August 21 at Saratoga to register a 5 ¼-length gate-to-wire win in a six-furlong allowance. He went on to finish a game second in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on August 26 at Saratoga.

"It was a great win, we're excited. He's not the easiest horse to train, but [assistant trainer] Joe Lee, his exercise rider Eduardo Delgado, and the whole team have done a great job with him," said McLaughlin. "He was difficult for us down in Florida. He was tough on himself. He was too keen, got cuts in his mouth, had a few feet issues - this, that, and the other. No injuries, he was just hard on himself. Luckily, Shadwell just let us stop on him. We walked him for a few weeks then jogged for a few weeks, just to get his battery fully recharged and be able to train on, and it's gone very well."

McLaughlin's other entrant, Zilla Racing's New York-bred Celtic Chaos, rallied from last to secure fourth in his open company debut.

"Celtic Chaos ran well too to be fourth," he said. "That was his first try against open company and the first Grade 1 for Zilla, so it was nice that he ran well. That's his style to come from last and he likes the track wet, so everything was in place for him to run a big race."

Celtic Chaos, a 4-year-old chestnut colt by Dublin, will be pointed to the $150,000 Hudson for New York-breds on October 21.

Takaful will complete his major Breeders' Cup preparations at McLaughlin's Belmont base and will catch the last flight to Del Mar on October 31. 

"We'll have all his training done, so when we get there, he might go out and gallop one day and jog another day," said McLaughlin. "He's comfortable here, so we'll get there as close as we can to the race."

Takaful was McLaughlin's second winner on the day's card, following the 2-year-old Avery Island's impressive maiden victory in Race 3. By Street Sense, Avery Island let gate to wire with Joe Bravo, drawing off to a 5 ¼-length score in his second career start. 

McLaughlin added that the colt will be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 Nashua on November 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack, a race the trainer has won four times, including in 2013 with Cairo Prince and in 2015 with Mohaymen.

"We didn't know he'd run that well, but we've liked him a lot," he said. "He broke running. He ran big, so we'll move on to bigger and better things."

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Amerman Racing's Oscar Performance came out his third-place effort in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Saturday in good order, trainer Brian Lynch said Sunday morning.

In his first start against older horses, the 3-year-old son of Kitten's Joy finished a nose behind Fanciful Angel for second, competing well in a race that was a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Grade 1, $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf on November 4 at Del Mar.

"It seemed like he had good energy this morning and never left an oat, so everything looks like he's in good condition," Lynch said. 

"I was very proud of him. I thought he was a tad unlucky not to be second. It wasn't his ideal trip. I was concerned with the construct of the race with the rabbit in it, but we're all very happy with his performance."

Converge, who went off at 147-1, set the pace in the 1 ½-mile race that was won by Beach Patrol. Lynch said Oscar Performance, who has won the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge as well as the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational and the Grade 1 Secretariat, could still be a possibility to run in the Breeders' Cup.

"It's on the radar but nothing is confirmed yet," he said.

Heart to Heart breezed Sunday on Belmont's inner turf track, officially going three furlongs in 37.11 seconds. Lynch said the 6-year-old is on target to try and repeat as winner of the Grade 3, $200,000 Knickerbocker on October 9.

"He actually worked a half-mile but I saw the work came up at three-eighths, but he's looking ready to go," Lynch said.

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Fresh off a victory in yesterday's Grade 3 Pilgrim with Seabhac for Donegal Racing, trainer Todd Pletcher reported the 3-year-old who broke his maiden in the race exited the race in fine fettle, as well as Maraud who ran third.

"Everbody seemed to be in good order this morning," said Pletcher. "[Seabhac] Had a tough trip in the [Grade 3] With Anticipation, he just got stopped at a critical time around the quarter-pole and lost position. He re-rallied to run well and we feel like the addition of blinkers yesterday made that little bit of a difference he needed. I thought Maraud ran well for only his second start. It was a really good effort. Johnny [Velazquez] felt like the ground slipped away from him a little bit in the late stretch but it was a good effort."

Mr. Crow, who entered the Grade 1 Vosburgh in just his fourth start and following an allowance win on August 30, also exited his race in good order although his sixth-place finish left Pletcher puzzled.

"I'm a little perplexed with his performance," said Pletcher. "He didn't break great, but got into the position we wanted him to be, which is stalking behind the two main speed and then he just seemed to flatten out down the lane. He's come back well though and we'll regroup."

Looking towards next week, Pletcher reported thaqt Hazit exited his workout yesterday in good order and remained on target for Saturday's Champagne whileGrateful, who was nominated to the Grade 1 Flower Bowl, would now be under consideration for the Grade 3 Dowager at Keeneland on October 4 or the Grade 3, $200,000 Long Island on November 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

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Woodslane Farm's Grade 1 Sword Dancer winner Sadler's Joy is in fine order following his fourth-place finish in Saturday's Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and remains on target for the Grade 1, $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, trainer Tom Albertrani said Sunday morning at Belmont. 

In the Joe Hirsch, the 4-year-old homebred by Kitten's Joy broke last under Julien Leparoux in the field of 11 and made a seven-wide move into the stretch to rally for fourth, beaten just over a length for second. The race was his first off-the-board finish since July of 2016.

"He got off a little slow and he was a little further back than we probably needed to be, he had a lot to make up. He made a nice run but he was still far back. Julien thought maybe the ground wasn't to his liking, so a couple of things that might have gone on there, but I thought he ran well. It still keeps us in the race at the Breeders' Cup."

"The winner won easy, but we were still right there for second, he just had a lot to make up. He was 13 lengths or so back when they were turning for home. But, it's all good. He came out great. We'll see how he is when he goes back to the track. Just kind of see what his energy level is like and we'll make a plan."

Albertrani said Sadler's Joy, who picked up an all-fees-paid berth into the Turf on November 4 at Del Mar with his half-length win over Money Multiplier in the Sword Dancer at Saratoga, will train at Belmont before shipping to Southern California on October 29.

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Working in company over the turf course on Sunday, multiple graded stakes winners Blacktype with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, and Frostmourne with Joel Rosario breezed five furlongs in 48.87 seconds and 48.03 respectively under the watchful eye of Christophe Loureil, assistant to trainer Christophe Clement. 

"They both really went well," said Loureil. "I would say the turf is good to firm, even with the rain we had yesterday. Rosario was working a little bit more on Frostmourne who was just a touch behind but once they hooked up together at the eighth-pole, I thought the last part of the work was very good."

Scratched from yesterday's Grade 2 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup at Laurel Park, Blacktype, who last out won an allowance race at Belmont on September 9 will be pointed to next Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Knickerbocker. Frostmourne, who won the Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park is probable for the Grade 3, $500,00 Hill Prince.

Lastly, Loureil reported Disco Partner, who set the world record for six furlongs in a record time of 1:05.67 in the Grade 3 Jaipur is doing well and on schedule to run in next Saturday's Belmont Turf Sprint Invitation. Most recently, the 5-year-old home-bred for Patricia Generazio ran fourth stretching out to a mile in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga