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Rinaldi takes on defending winner Somelikeithotbrown in $200K Mohawk

by Ryan Martin

Graded stakes winner Rinaldi will face a quality field in Saturday’s $200,000 Mohawk for New York-breds 3-year-olds and upward going 1 1/16 miles over the Belmont Park Widener turf.

Owned and trained by Jimmy Bond, Rinaldi won the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple going one mile on July 16 at Saratoga. The talented son of Posse staved off a late confrontation from subsequent stakes winner Value Proposition, garnering a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for the half-length score.

A close second in his seasonal bow in the Danger’s Hour versus open company on April 10 at Aqueduct, Rinaldi enters from a disappointing fifth in the West Point when facing fellow state-breds on August 27 at the Spa.

Rinaldi has won at least one stakes race in each of the past three years. Following a sophomore campaign, which saw stakes victories in the NYSSS Spectacular Bid at Belmont and NYSSS Cab Calloway at Saratoga, he captured last year’s running of the West Point at Saratoga.

“He’s the true meaning of a great horse,” Bond said. “His run in the Danger’s Hour at Aqueduct was a great race. I’m so proud of what he’s done this year. He just shows up. He’s an honest, great horse that we’re so lucky to have in our barn. He’s held some great company this year and has been in such good form.”

Rinaldi was bred by Barry R. Ostrager and is out of the Dynaformer mare Dynamite Cocktail, who also produced stakes-winner and graded stakes-placed Ontario-bred Hollinger.

Breaking from post 5, Rinaldi will be piloted by Kendrick Carmouche.

Trainer Christophe Clement will send out a graded-stakes placed pair of contenders in City Man [post 8, Manny Franco] and Therapist [post 2, Dylan Davis], who ran one-two in the West Point.

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles, City Man earned a 99 Beyer in the West Point. The accomplished son of Mucho Macho Man arrives off a third-place finish in an off-the-turf edition of the Ashley T. Cole on September 24 at Belmont.

The versatile City Man, who worked a half-mile in 49.88 Sunday over Big Sandy, captured the Funny Cide over the Spa main track against his New York-bred counterparts in August 2019. During his 3-year-old year, he defeated open company in the Gio Ponti last November traveling 1 1/16-miles over turf at Aqueduct.

“City Man is doing great, he worked well on Sunday,” Clement said.

City Man was bred by Moonstar Farm and is out of the City Zip mare City Scamper.

Oak Bluff Stables’ Therapist, second in last year’s Mohawk, will attempt his ninth stakes victory. The well-travelled son of Freud, who notched six-of-eight stakes wins at open company, arrives off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint on October 2.

“Therapist is very fit and looking well at the moment,” said Clement, who bred Therapist in partnership with owner Oak Bluff Stable.

Somelikeithotbrown will attempt to defend his Mohawk title as one of three entrants for trainer Mike Maker. Owned by Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable, the son of Big Brown will attempt to become the first back-to-back Mohawk winner since Quiet Ruler [2002-03] and arrives off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile on October 9.

Boasting a field-high bankroll of $1,079,338, Somelikeithotbrownm bred by Sand Dollar Stable and Hot Pink Stables, is a three-time graded stakes winner.

Jorge Vargas, Jr. will ride Somelikeithotbrown from post 4.

Three Diamonds Farm’s Cross Border turns back in distance from a seventh-place finish in 12-furlong Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 9 at Belmont Park. The 7-year-old son of English Channel, bred by Berkshire Stud and B.D. Gibbs, will attempt to recapture his winning form from the Grade 2 Bowling Green on July 31 at Saratoga three starts back.

Paco Lopez will ride Cross Border from post 3.

Paradise Farms Corp’s Klickitat will make his stakes debut first time off the claim for Maker. The son of First Samurai, bred by EKQ Stables Corp., was claimed for $45,000 from a narrow runner-up in a September 30 allowance optional claimer going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont.

Breaking from post 1, Klickitat will be ridden by Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.

Completing the field is Edward J. Messina and William Butler’s homebred Sanctuary City, a four-time winning son of Temple City trained by James Ferraro. Ruben Sivera will ride from post 6.

Tiergan has been entered for the main track only.

The Mohawk is carded as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race program, which also includes the Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm for fillies and mares going nine furlongs on the main track; the $100,000 Stewart Manor for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs over the turf; and the $100,000 Chelsey Flower at 1 1/16 miles for juvenile fillies over the turf. First post is 12 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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