Chelsea Durand Photo

Belmont Park Notes 6.24.17

by NYRA Press Office

Multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Your Biscuits emerged from Friday's bullet breeze in good shape as he nears his stateside return in the Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship during the Stars & Stripes Festival on July 8, trainer Chad Summers reported Saturday morning.

A three-length winner of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse last time out on March 25, Mind Your Biscuits covered five furlongs on the Belmont Park main track in 58.19 seconds under regular jockey Joel Rosario, the fastest of 10 at the distance. NYRA clockers caught the 4-year-old New York-bred through a quarter-mile in 22 seconds and a half in 45 2/5.

"[It was] a little bit faster than we were looking for, but he did it the right way," said Summers. "It was about as easy a 58 as there'll ever be. He galloped out 1:11. It was a good, fine dress rehearsal for what's going to come July 8. He's in the best form of his life. He came out of Dubai great. The time off was good for him. He's raring to go.

"When they work that fast you always have to be a little bit cautious," he added. "I came back to the barn about 9:45 last night just to make sure that the feed tub was empty and it was, and he walked good this morning. We're very excited about where we're at."

The breeze was the fourth for Mind Your Biscuits since settling into Summer's Belmont base in early May following a brief freshening at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky. During his sophomore campaign last year, the chestnut son of Posse hit the board in eight of his nine starts, including victories in the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga Race Course and Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita Park, as well as a second-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

"The biggest thing with him lately is his maturity," Summer said. "When he was a 2-year-old, he was very playful. Well, he still is, but he was a handful at 2, 3, until maybe after the Malibu, then he kind of settled down a little bit. Since he's turned 4, he's been so much more professional. He's been much easier on himself and on me, thankfully. Before, he used to beat me up pretty good.

"At the end of the day, we just think he's a remarkable horse," he added. "He's taken us to remarkable places and we're just excited that the ride continues. We're looking forward to getting him back to start the second half of the year."

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Trainer Chad Brown's contingent in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks at 1 ¼ miles on the inner turf could feature a blend of American stakes winners and international horses looking to make a splash in their North American debuts.

Brown said he is planning on saddling four entries for the 39th running of the Belmont Oaks, which is one of five graded stakes - and the first of two Grade 1s -  on the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival card.

E Five Racing Thoroughbreds' New Money Honey, who won the Grade 3 Wonder Again last out on June 8 at Belmont, will be seeking her second Grade 1 win after capturing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last November in Santa Anita to cap her 2-year-old campaign. Fifty Five, who ran two lengths behind her stablemate in a runner-up effort in the Wonder Again, also has a graded stakes win on her ledger with the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 11.

Brown said New Money Honey and Fifty Five are both scheduled to work on Sunday at Belmont, weather permitting.

Uni, an English-bred stakes winner who went 2-2-1 in her first six starts in France, will be making her first start since winning at 1 1/8 miles on May 11 at Maisons-laffitte. The daughter of More Than Ready will be making her first start at the Belmont Oaks distance.

"I've been impressed; she's come in and trained well and every week she seems to be improving," Brown said. "The layoff concerns me going a mile-and-a-quarter. It'll come down to pace and trip, so she'll have to overcome that. But what I've seen in the mornings, I've been impressed."

Sistercharlie is also slated to make her first start in the United States in the Belmont Oaks after a runner-up finish in the Group 1 Prix de Diane, also referred to as the French Oaks. Bred in Ireland, Sistercharlie has won three times in her five-race career, including a Group 3 win in the Prix Penelope. Brown said she will likely arrive at Belmont next week.

Multiple graded stakes winner Practical Joke has been training well and should enter the Grade 3, $400,000 Dwyer on July 8 in good order, Brown said. The race will be the first for the 3-year-old colt since his fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

"We're excited to get him back running in the Dwyer," he added. "Cutting back to a one-turn mile after a freshening seems like the logical thing to do."

Following the Dwyer, Brown said Practical Joke could be a possibility for either the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park or the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course.

Ticonderoga is slated to run in the Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby, Brown said. Making his first Grade 1 start since a fourth-place showing in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Ticonderoga will look to win at 1 ¼ miles on the inner turf.

"He was unlucky in his last race with the trip he got but he finished well and he's been training very well since," Brown said about his third-place finish in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge on July 3.

Ticonderoga, who won at 1 1/16 miles on the turf in the Grade 3 Palm Beach on March 4 at Gulfstream Park, broke his maiden on September 10 at Belmont.

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Handicappers have until July 6th to sign up for the Stars & Stripes Challenge handicapping tournament, which will take place on Saturday, July 8.

There is a $500 buy-in for the contest, with $300 going towards live money wagers and $200 going to the prize pool, which includes a guaranteed first place prize of $5,000. Additional prizes include a seat in the 2018 Belmont Stakes Challenge and two seats to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship held in Las Vegas.

Players must wager on at least five races at Belmont Park and a minimum of five races at Monmouth. Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Quinella, and Trifecta wagering is allowed in the contest.

For full rules and sign up, please visit NYRA.com/challenge.

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Place your bets, grab a drink and get creative! Tickets are now available for an equine-themed "Paint & Sip" on Friday, July 7 at Belmont Park.

Held from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Paint & Sip event will accompany the day's Party at the Park twilight racing program, with a first post time of 3:05. Tickets are $60 per person, which includes art supplies, two drink tickets, and an array of crudités.