Chelsea Durand Photo

Lull looks to prove she’s more than a sprinter in Saturday’s Wild Applause

by Brian Bohl

After crafting a reputation as a formidable sprinter, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s Lull will look to find success at longer distances as part of a field of six in Saturday’s $100,000 Wild Applause for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

In four career sprints, Lull has two wins and a second-place finish. The daughter of War Front will make her seventh consecutive stakes start, which includes a fourth-place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 4 at Santa Anita. Following a freshening, Lull faded to seventh in the Grade 3 Appalachian before a bounce-back runner-up effort in the Soaring Softly for trainer Christophe Clement, where she posted a personal-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure in being bested by a nose.

Lull will be returning to Belmont Park, the site of her winning debut effort as a juvenile on July 16. She will also be looking for her first win at a mile, drawing post 2 with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

“She’s training well and we’re excited,” Clement said. “We always liked her. She got beat last time but it was a great race. She’s ran well at 1 1/16 miles as a 2-year-old, so I don’t think the distance will be a problem. She should be able to get a mile.”

Bellavais has shown great consistency since her third-place debut effort on September 2 at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Jimmy Tonner and owned by Phillips Racing Partnership, Bellavais is 2-1-2 in six starts, including a victory in the Ginger Brew on January 7. 

Bellavais most recently rallied for third in the Soaring Softly, finishing a nose ahead of Con Te Partiro, who won the Sandringham Handicap on Wednesday morning at Royal Ascot.

“I guess that race was better than what we thought it was,” Clement said with a laugh. 

Bellavais will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez from post 3.

Rubilinda earned headlines for her debut win on May 27, rallying from last in a nine-horse field to post a 3 ¼-length score. Rubilinda, a Chad Brown-trainee, became the first U.S. winner for multiple Group 1 turf-winner and sophomore sire Frankel.

Rubilinda is also the first foal to race out of the Invincible Spirit mare Rubina. She will look to go 2-for-2, breaking from the outside post with jockey Jose Ortiz.

Rum Go will return to stakes competition after winning an optional claimer on May 31. Trained by Brad Cox, gray filly raced in her only graded stakes as a juvenile, finishing third the Grade 3 Jessamine. Javier Castellano will ride from the rail.

Talaaqy will make her first stakes start for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, drawing post 5 in tandem with Luis Saez. Super Marina already has 11 starts to her credit, including nine on the turf, for trainer George Weaver. Manny Franco will have the call from post 4.