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Donk sends out two for Friday's Hessonite

by Ryan Martin

Trainer David Donk will saddle a pair of mares in Saratoga Treasure and Jc's Shooting Star for Friday's $75,000 Hessonite, a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred fillies and mares over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park.

The veteran New York mainstay conditioner trained the race's namesake mare, who notched a total of nine stakes wins in a 22-race career, including back to back triumphs in Belmont's Ticonderoga as well as the Grade 3 Beaugay in 2013.

Patricia Generazio homebred Saratoga Treasure will look to add a second stakes victory to her ledger, returning off a distant fifth in the last-out Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 6.

The bay daughter of Treasure Beach made her first start in six months when finishing 16 ½ lengths behind Grade 1-winner Newspaperofrecord in the seven-furlong Intercontinental. Her prior start was a 17-1 upset triumph in her stakes debut, which took place in the six-furlong Autumn Days on December 7 over a yielding turf course at Aqueduct garnering a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

"Seven-eighths is a little far for her, but we were two months behind because of the pandemic and we needed to start somewhere with her," Donk said. "The good thing is that I got a race in her and she needed it."

Prior to winning the Autumn Days against open company, Saratoga Treasure won a first level open company allowance event over the Aqueduct turf on November 7.

"She got good last fall. It'll be fun to run her here. This seems like a good spot for her," Donk said.

Jockey Eric Cancel, the pilot in her last two starts, will ride Saratoga Treasure from post 7.

The 8-year-old veteran mare Jc's Shooting Star will make her 53rd lifetime start in Friday's race.

Owned by Shooting Star Stable, the bay daughter of Miracle Man has not won since defeating open company over Belmont's Widener turf on September 13 and will attempt her first stakes victory since winning the 2015 Fleet Indian at Saratoga Race Course. She brags the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $715,119.

Three of Jc's Shooting Star's seven lifetime victories took place at the Hessonite distance.

"Over the years I would have loved to have a spot like this for her," Donk said. "My only concern is time catching up to her. This race will tell us a lot and will give us an idea of what we should do with her."

Jockey Jose Ortiz will ride from post 6.

In search of a third stakes victory, Bad Boy Racing's Kid Is Frosty will go for her first victory since taking the Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series last summer at Saratoga. A winner on both dirt and turf, the consistent chestnut daughter of Frost Giant boasts a record of 12-3-5-2 ad has not raced since finishing fifth to Our Super Nova in the NYSSS Staten Island division on November 10 at Aqueduct.

Trained by Brad Cox, Kid Is Frosty will be ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 4.

Lindy Farms' Mentality will attempt to build on an outstanding record over the Belmont turf when targeting her fifth victory over the New York lawn for trainer Wesley Ward.

The bay daughter of Freud was second beaten two lengths to Dalika in a Churchill Downs allowance event on May 21 and has been training forwardly into Friday's race with two bullet works over Belmont's inner turf, most recently a five furlong move in 59.60 seconds.

Mentality will break from post 5 under Dylan Davis.

Rounding out the field are Hannah's Smile [post 1, Manny Franco] and Purrageous Dyna [post 3, Luis Saez]. Sadie Lady [post 2] is entered for main track only.

Slated as Race 8 on Friday's 9-race card, which offers a first post of 1:15 p.m. Eastern, the Hessonite will feature on America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, and airing live on Fox Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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