Chelsea Durand Photo

Belmont Park Notes 9.17.17

by NYRA Press Office

Oscar Performance put in his penultimate breeze Sunday before the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 30, Super Saturday, at Belmont Park.

The Brian Lynch trainee worked five furlongs in 59.42 seconds on Belmont's inner turf track in company with The Bull, marking his second breeze in as many weeks on the turf after previously working on the main track on September 1.

"His last few works have been easy ones on the dirt, and the turf is back open now so we wanted him to stretch his legs over five-eighths," Lynch said. "We worked him with a pretty nice import from Australia called The Bull. He looked very good. I would say we're definitely on track for the Joe Hirsch. To the eye, it was a very appealing work."

Oscar Performance has won three graded stakes in a row and has six wins in his last eight starts. The son of Kitten's Joy has put himself in contention for top 3-year-old after winning the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge and followed that effort up with victories in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational and a 2 ¼-length score in the Grade 1 Secretariat on August 12 at Arlington.

Winning the Joe Hirsch would earn Oscar Performance an automatic entry to the Grade 1, $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf on November 4 at Del Mar.

"Coming out of the Secretariat, you couldn't get him going much better than he was going a mile and a quarter. Now, it's just maintenance. It was a nice work today and we'll give him a nice-and-easy five-eighths next week."

Meantime will be headed to Kentucky after running fifth against allowance company on Saturday, Lynch said.

The 3-year-old son of Shackleford, who ran eighth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes June 10, was the runner-up in an allowance race off a freshening August 19 at Saratoga. 

Lynch said a cutback in distance could benefit Meantime, owned by Silverton Hill. On Saturday, he stayed close to the fast fractions before fading late in the one-mile route.

"We'll regroup and get him to Keeneland and put him around two turns," Lynch said. "I think with the one-turn stuff, the heat's on in the kitchen too early. I think he wants to go a little slower and he's his own worst enemy as washy as he gets. We've got to work on getting that out of him."

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Regular NYRA circuit jockey Dylan Davis is back at Belmont Park following an eye-opening trip to South Korea, where he rode for the first time outside of North America in the Group 1 Keeneland Korea Sprint on September 10.

While riding at Saratoga Race Course this summer Davis was approached by trainer Kenny McPeek about the possibility of riding one of his horses.

"I've got one question for you," Davis said he asked McPeek. "'Is it South Korea or North Korea?' Kenny was laughing so hard. He said, 'it's South Korea, you will be fine, don't worry about it.'"

Once word got out that Davis was heading to Seoul Racetrack for the Sprint, his agent, Michael Migliore, was approached by trainer Linda Rice, who was planning on entering Papa Shot in the Group 1 Keeneland Korea Cup.

"There was a lot of people," Davis said. "There is a huge grandstand; big track, big tote boards, a lot of people dressed to a T. I felt a real strong atmosphere like Kentucky Derby Day or Belmont Stakes Day. It had a great feeling to it."

Davis said the most interesting thing about the track was that it was a 100 percent sand surface and that it has long stretch run, forcing him to make some strategic changes. 

"I had to adapt with the riders," Davis said. "I saw that a lot of the riders were very aggressive in the first eighth of a mile, no matter if the race was long or short. Also with the sand track, it was speed holding all day, so I understood why the riders were riding the first eighth aggressively to get that 1-2-3 position."

Davis adapted well, guiding The Truth or Else to a fourth-place finish for McPeek in the Sprint. Then, less than an hour later, he held on to third-place with Papa Shot in the Cup, finishing behind Japan-based horses London Town and 2016 Cup winner Chrysolite.

"It was tough for [The Truth or Else] to make a trip because he's a closer, to make up that kind of ground it was difficult," he said. "In the Cup, [Papa Shot] was a lot easier [to get good position]. It's tough because the Japan horses train and run on sand tracks, so that was a disadvantage."

In addition to riding on a new course, Davis also had to adapt to not having a valet, forcing him to clean his tack in the short time between races. He also had to avoid a potential equipment snafu.

"We checked 50 minutes before a race and I was in a little bit of trouble because I brought one saddle, and the races were back to back, and they didn't want me to use my same saddle," Davis said. "They wanted to check both races right then and there, and I said I didn't want to use someone else's saddle. I wanted to be very comfortable when I am riding these kind of races."

In the end, he was able to use the same saddle. He said the different restrictions and sand track wouldn't discourage him at all from going back to South Korea for a race.

"The jocks room was very clean, they took great care of us. The stewards were very good," he said. "I really appreciate Kenny McPeek for giving me the opportunity to go over there."

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Abdullah Saeed Almaddah's multiple graded stakes winner Green Mask fractured a left front sesamoid during a turf work Sunday morning at Belmont Park and will be retired, trainer Brad Cox confirmed by phone.

Green Mask was pulled up abruptly by his rider at the top of the stretch on the inner turf course and was vanned back to Cox's barn, where he was attended to by veterinarians. Cox said that the injury is not believed to be life threatening but will require surgery.

"It's still kind of in the works as to where he'll go right now, but he will need surgery," he said.

A 6-year-old gelding by Mizzen Mast, Green Mask held an all-fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, earned by his two-length victory in the Grade 2 Highlander on July 2 at Woodbine Racetrack. Last out, he posted a personal-best 111 Beyer Speed Figure for his 1 ¾-length win in the Troy Handicap on August 6 at Saratoga Race Course. The winner's share of the Troy purse pushed his career earnings over the seven-figure mark.

Green Mask retired with an 8-8-3 record from 27 lifetime starts and $1,064,761 in earnings. 

Green Mask, who finished first or second in all six starts this year, also won the Grade 3 Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs in May and checked in a half-length behind the record-setting Disco Partner in the Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational on June 10 on Belmont Stakes Day.

"He's been a tremendous horse," said Cox, who took over the gelding's training in May 2016. "We're very thankful to have had him and for what he gave to us. We'll do all we can to hopefully give him a good life. We will make sure he doesn't suffer, but we think it is repairable. I think he will make a nice pleasure horse."

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Green Lantern Stable's Frostmourne breezed four furlongs in 48.63 seconds on the Belmont turf track Sunday, keeping him on schedule for the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince on October 7, trainer Christophe Clement said.

Owned by Green Lantern Stables, Frostmourne won his first two graded stakes this summer, capturing the Grade 2 Penn Mile before winning the Grade 3 Kent on July 15 at Delaware Park. Clement said he wanted to give the Speightstown colt a rest over the summer and added that Frostmourne has responded well.

"He's doing well and had a nice work this morning," he said. "He wasn't training as well in the summer, so we gave him some time off. He turned it around and he'd doing pretty well at the moment. I worked him last week and got a little bit more aggressive this week. We'll work him in company next week and he should be perfect for the Hill Prince."

Moygrare Stud Farm's Celestine breezed five furlongs in 1:01.42 on Big Sandy Sunday, marking her last work before the Grade 3, $200,000 Noble Damsel on September 23. Clement also said that Disco Partner is on point for the $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.

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Harold Via, Jr.'s Hinterland looks to recover his top steeplechase form as he makes his second start of the year for trainer Jack Fisher in the ninth running of the Grade 1, $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap at 2 ½ miles on Thursday at Belmont Park.

In the Grade 1 Iroquois on May 13, the 9-year-old French-bred Poliglote gelding made his first start in nearly 20 months, finishing a distant second to stablemate and last year's Lonesome Glory winner Scorpiancer. Prior to that, Hinterland was a close second to Bob Le Beau in the 2015 edition of the race, only his second North American start for the Fisher barn.

Hinterland, carrying 152 pounds, will be ridden by Sean McDermott from post 5.

Fisher, who also sent out two-time champion steeplechaser Good Night Shirt to back-to-back Lonesome Glory wins in 2007-08, will also saddle Mr. Hot Stuff for Mrs. S. K. Johnston, Jr.

An 11-year-old gelding by Tiznow, Mr. Hot Stuff most recently finished seventh in the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup on August 24 at Saratoga Race Course.

At 148 pounds, Mr. Hot Stuff will have the services of jockey Danny Mullins from post 6.

Modem will carry the field's high weight of 156 pounds for trainer Elizabeth Voss and owner Robert Kinsley. The British-bred 7-year-old Motivator gelding joined Voss' formidable operation in early summer and turned in a pair of runner-up efforts against Grade 1 competition at Saratoga, finishing second in both the New York Turf Writers and the A. P. Smithwick Memorial at the Spa.

Modem will be ridden by Jack Doyle from post 8.

Also on tap for the Lonesome Glory are Buttonwood Farm's All the Way Jose for Hall of Fame trainer Jonathon Sheppard; Smithwick hero Swansea Mile and Simenon, entered with blinkers for the first time, both from the Richard Hendricks barn for Rosbrian Farm; Irvin Naylor's Grade 2 winner Charminster, third in last year's running, for trainer Cyril Murphy; and Mighty Acorn Stable's Casino Markets for trainer Emma Lavelle.

Moscato will seek his fourth win in five starts as he competes against an eight-horse field in the $75,000 William Entenmann Memorial; the first of two steeplechase races to start Thursday's card at Belmont Park.

Owned by Bruton Street-US, Moscato is 3-4-1 in nine career jump races. The 6-year-old gelding, who made his first 21 career starts in England, has never finished worse than second in five starts since arriving in the United States for Fisher, posting three wins with two-runner up finished by less than two lengths combined.

Jockey Sean McDermott, who has been aboard for all of his North American starts, has the return call from post 6.

Fisher's other entrant, New Member, finished behind his stablemate in both of his Saratoga stakes races, posting back-to-back third-place efforts. Owned by Armata Stable, New Member will seek his first North American win in drawing post 2. Danny Mullins will ride.

Since finishing a disappointing seventh in the Jonathan Kiser, Robert Kinsley's No Wunder rebounded to finish second in a handicap at the Spa on August 9 before winning over the same course at 2 1/16 miles on August 31. Trained by Voss, No Wunder will be making his first Belmont appearance in almost two years, drawing the rail with jockey Jack Doyle.

Mutasaawy, the field's oldest horse at 7 years old, has won two in a row and will return to stakes company for the first time since the Secretariat Stakes on May 6 at Great Meadow. The Neil Morris trainee will exit post 5 with Darren Nagle. 

Rounding out the field for the 2 ¼-mile race is Lachares, making his U.S. debut, from post 3; Surprising Soul, for trainer Richard Hendriks, in breaking from post 4; Zio Elio, trained by Kate Dalton, out of post 7; and Kensington Court, for trainer Julie Gomena, from the outside post.