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Turf Triple Series to headline Stars & Stripes Festival

by NYRA Press Office

• Concrete Rose looks to bloom in G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational
• Next stop still to be determined for A Thread of Blue
• Baltas could send Lady Prancealot, Neptune's Storm for Turf Triple
• Graded stakes winner Hostess possible for G1 Belmont Oaks
• Clement aiming to close out Belmont spring/summer meet in strong fashion
• Cross Country Pick 5 with Delaware Park and Monmouth Park handles $50K

The inaugural $5.25 million Turf Triple Series, featuring the Turf Trinity and Turf Tiara for sophomores over three legs at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, kicks off on Saturday, July 6 as part of the Stars & Stripes Festival to be broadcast live nationwide on NBC.

The Turf Trinity begins with the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational on July 6. The first leg of the filly Turf Tiara will be the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, both Grade 1 events contested at 10 furlongs.

Trainer Chad Brown enjoyed a successful Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, including wins in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge and Grade 3 Wonder Again for fillies - races which offered the top three finishers an automatic berth in their respective first legs of the Turf Triple Series.

Peter Brant's Demarchelier, a son of Dubawi bred in England by Newsells Park Stud, remained perfect in three career starts with a rallying score in the Pennine Ridge to best Seismic Wave by a neck, with Social Paranoia a length further back in third.

The previous two winners of the Pennine Ridge - Catholic Boy and Oscar Performance - both went on to victory in the Belmont Derby Invitational.

Demarchelier breezed four furlongs in 49.45 seconds on the Belmont inner turf this morning in his first breeze back. He was a debut winner, by a head, over familiar foe Seismic Wave in November and won by three-quarters of a length in his seasonal debut in an April 12 Keeneland allowance.

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Seismic Wave, a son of Tapit trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, breezed four furlongs in 51.66 on June 13 on the Saratoga dirt training track.

"He's pointed to the Belmont Derby as long as he continues to do well," said Leana Willaford, Mott's Belmont-based assistant.

With a record of 2-2-1 from six starts, Seismic Wave graduated at third asking on the Gulfstream turf in February and followed up with a neck score in the Cutler Bay at the Hallandale oval. On May 4 at Churchill Downs, the late-closing chestnut rallied from tenth to finish fourth, defeated less than two lengths, in the Grade 2 American Turf behind Turf Trinity contenders Digital Age, A Thread of Blue and Social Paranoia.

On Saturday, the Elkstone Group's graded-stakes placed Social Paranoia, trained by Todd Pletcher, breezed four furlongs in 50.20 on the Belmont dirt training track. The dark bay son of Street Boss finished third in the Grade 3 Pilgrim, won by Forty Under, to close out his juvenile campaign. He returned in March to graduate in his seasonal debut by a widening eight lengths at Gulfstream ahead of completing the trifecta in the American Turf and Pennine Ridge.

Pletcher said he was pleased with Social Paranoia's effort in the Pennine Ridge and will point the colt to the Belmont Derby.

"It was a good effort. For finishing third, that automatically gets him an invite to the Belmont Derby. It's a lucrative series and hopefully we'll have the chance to be involved in some of them. He breezed very well," said Pletcher.

The Pletcher-trained Clint Maroon saw his three-race win streak snapped in the Pennine Ridge. The Oasis Dream grey put back-to-back wins together at Gulfstream over the winter before shipping to Aqueduct in April where he won the Woodhaven by four lengths over a yielding turf.

Clint Maroon was part of a pace battle in the Pennine Ridge, which Pletcher said may have been his undoing.

"We felt like the pace didn't really unfold the way we thought it would. Being a little closer, we got a bit of pace pressure and I think he just got a little tired at the end from that. It wasn't a bad performance, said Pletcher. "We're either going to go in the Manila [July 4, Belmont] or the Belmont Derby. I'm not sure if he's invited yet, but we'll keep both options open."

Pletcher's turf sprint specialist Bulletin breezed three furlongs in 38.68 on Saturday over the Belmont dirt training track. The City Zip chestnut, owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing, won his first three career starts including scores in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs and the Palisades Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Last out, he finished fourth in the William Walker at Churchill.

Out of Sue's Good News, who won the 2003 Grade 3 Singapore Plate over nine furlongs at Arlington, Bulletin is a half-brother to Tiz Miz Sue, who won the 2013 Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at 1 1/16-miles on the Belmont main.

While not a candidate for the Belmont Derby, Pletcher did not rule out stretching out the colt down the road. Bulletin is currently pointed to the Grade 3, $100,000 Quick Call at Saratoga.

"Bulletin worked well for the opening day stakes at Saratoga," said Pletcher. "We're not committed to that [sprinting] long term necessarily, but it's [the Quick Call] a good fit for him."

The Wonder Again featured a Brown-trained exacta of Cambier Parc and Newspaperofrecord.

Cambier Parc, out of Canada's 2007 Horse of the Year Sealy Hill, overtook the free-wheeling Newspaperofrecord for a 1 1/4-length score. Kelsey's Cross, trained and part-owned by Patrick Biancone, rallied from last of five to finish third, four lengths in arrears of the runner-up.

Brown has successfully used the Wonder Again on two previous occasions as a springboard to the Belmont Oaks with Lady Eli [2015] and New Money Honey [2017].

While both Brown trainees are under consideration for the Belmont Oaks, Kelsey's Cross will not make the journey back to New York from Biancone's Florida base.

"She's doing good. The filly came back well but we have no plans for her yet," said Biancone. "She took time to develop. She's very tall but she's developing well and we're very happy with her so far. At the moment, I think it's a lot for her to come back for the Belmont Oaks. We're looking more at the Saratoga Oaks [second leg of the Triple Tiara]. We'll see how she's training next week and decide. She's a young horse and we don't want to rush her too much."

The Biancone-trained A Bit Special was one of the early favorites for the Triple Tiara, winning four of her first five starts including a victory in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park. Unfortunately, Biancone had to stop on the British-bred daughter of Mukhadram, who is owned by Linda Shanahan, Mrs. M. V. Magnier and J.P. Magnier.

"She had a little setback but my owners are very patient and we're giving her plenty of time," said Biancone. "She could have been ready for early Saratoga and we thought about the Lake Placid, but I think we will give her a little more time and come to Saratoga for the Lake George. We're looking forward to the fall season with her."

Hard Legacy and Winter Sunset, the one-two finishers of Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Regret for sophomore fillies on Saturday night, will likely bypass the Belmont Oaks Invitational, according to their respective connections.

Owned by Marylou Whitney Stables and trained by Norm Casse, Hard Legacy gave her trainer his first graded stakes victory when taking the 1 1/8-mile test over Churchill Downs' Matt Winn Turf Course over Wayne Catalano trainee Winter Sunset, whose dam Winter Memories won the Belmont Oaks in 2011 when it was called the Garden City.

The Turf Tiara continues Friday, August 2 at Saratoga with the inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks, held at 1 3/16-miles (1,900 meters) on the Saratoga lawn and broadcast live nationally on FS2, kicking off Whitney weekend festivities.

The second jewel of the Turf Trinity, the inaugural $1 million Saratoga Derby, will be contested at 1 3/16-miles (1,900 meters) on the Saratoga green on Sunday, August 4 and featured live on FS1.

The Turf Triple Series reaches its conclusion on Saturday, September 7 at beautiful Belmont Park with the inaugural edition of the $1 million Jockey Club Derby, third leg of the Turf Trinity, to be aired live across the country on NBC.

The final jewel of the Turf Tiara, the first-ever $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks slated for September 7 at Belmont Park, will be contested at 1 3/8-miles (2,200 meters) on the turf, and aired live on NBC, as part of an action-packed weekend of racing to raise the curtain on the Belmont fall meet.

For more information on the Turf Triple Series, please visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/turf-triple-series.

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Concrete Rose looks to bloom in G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational

Concrete Rose appeared to come out of her morning breeze at Keeneland in good order and remains on target for the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational as part of the Stars & Stripes Festival on July 6 at Belmont Park, trainer Rusty Arnold said Sunday.

Owned by Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing, Concrete Rose, with regular jockey Julien Leparoux aboard, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on the turf track in Kentucky in her fourth breeze since winning the Grade 3 Edgewood on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

"She's cooling out good and the work was good. Julien came down to work her," Arnold said. "The Belmont Oaks is the plan. We circled that after she ran last time and it's been the plan all along and that's where we're headed. That's the plan, if we get invited. It's an invitational, so we have to make sure we get invited."

The Twirling Candy filly will now turn her attention to the Belmont Oaks, which will kick off NYRA's newly minted Turf Tiara series for 3-year-old fillies.

Concrete Rose has four victories in five career starts, winning her debut on August 20 at Saratoga before posting a three-length score in the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 10 at Keeneland. After ending her 2-year-old campaign with an eighth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Churchill, Concrete Rose came off a four-month break to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks by a half-length over Blowout before her 3 ¾-length win over formidable contender Newspaperofrecord in the $250,000 Edgewood, earning her a personal-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

"It's a huge purse for 3-year-old fillies," Arnold said. "We probably ran in the biggest filly race up to this time and it was $250,000, so now you're dealing with something that's three times that size. But you have to be able to step up and get that distance and we're hoping we can do that."

The Belmont Oaks will be Concrete Rose's first start at 1 ¼ miles. She is 3-for-3 running at 1 1/16 miles, marking all three of her graded stakes victories, and has won twice on firm ground and twice on turf labeled good overall. All four of her victories have come at different tracks.

"A mile and a quarter is a lot different than a mile and a sixteenth, but she has a lot of stamina on her dam side. She's out of a Powerscourt mare [Solerina], and he won the Arlington Million [in 2005]. So, she's built like a horse who can get the distance and she trains like one who will get it. You never know until you do it, but we're cautiously optimistic that it won't be a problem for her."

Arnold said Concrete Rose is comfortable shipping. She is slated to arrive at Belmont on July 3.

"She's won at Saratoga, Keeneland, Churchill and Tampa. She doesn't need a certain racetrack, and now she'll try Belmont," Arnold said. "She'll be there three days before she runs, so she'll try and settle in. But she has a really good mind on her. She's usually not a problem."

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Next stop still to be determined for A Thread of Blue

Leonard Green's A Thread of Blue does not yet have a firm target for her start, with trainer Kiaran McLaughlin saying he might need a few more days to talk it over with the Hard Spun colt's connections. The Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby could remain a possibility for a horse who is 4-2-1 in nine career starts.

"I haven't decided it yet, so maybe in a day or two. I have to talk to the owner, I don't know yet," McLaughlin said.

A Thread of Blue is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Penn Mile contested on June 1. Before that effort, the Kentucky-bred, who was purchased for $430,000 at the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sale, had finished on the board in seven consecutive starts.

A Thread of Blue won the Dania Beach on February 3 at Gulfstream Park and then won his first graded stakes with a three-quarter length victory over Casa Creed in the Grade 3 Palm Beach on March 2, extending his winning streak to three before running second to Digital Age in the Grade 2 American Turf on May 4 at Churchill.

"He's doing really well out of the Penn Mile and is training well, so we're just going to see what we're going to do," McLaughlin said.

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Baltas could send Lady Prancealot, Neptune's Storm for Turf Triple

Trainer Richard Baltas is considering sending a pair of stakes winning sophomores for the Stars and Stripes Racing Festival at Belmont Park.

A recent winner of the Grade 3 Honeymoon on June 1 at Santa Anita, Lady Prancealot could ship to Belmont Park for the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. Owned by Craig Arntz, Michael Arntz, Donald Durando, Jules Iavarone, Michael Iavarone and Jerry McClanahan, the 3-year-old daughter of Sir Prancealot has won or placed in her last four career starts, three of which were against graded stakes company.

On Saturday, Lady Prancealot breezed a half-mile in 49 seconds flat at San Luis Rey Training Center in southern California.

"We're taking a good look at it," Baltas said. "She worked [Saturday] morning so we're one step closer. She just went an easy half in 49. I'll talk to the owners and make sure that she's ready to go. It'll be a tough race."

The last horse Baltas sent to Belmont for the Belmont Oaks was Grade 1 winner Spanish Queen, who ran tenth in the 2015 edition.

Bred in Ireland by Tally-Ho Stud, Lady Prancealot is out of the unraced Haatef broodmare Naqrah and comes from the same family as Grade 1 winner Almanaar.

Possible for the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational is Neptune's Storm, who is a winner of his last two starts. The gelded bay son of Stormy Atlantic won the Singletary and Cinema over the turf at Santa Anita in his last two efforts.

"He's won his last two races which were stakes, so we're considering the Belmont Derby for him," Baltas said.

Neptune's Storm is owned by Cybertec International, Inc., Saul Gevertz, Lynn Gitomer, Mike Goetz, Michael Nentwig and Daniel Weiner. He is out of the unraced Ifraaj broodmare Immortal Life and was bred in Kentucky by Tracy Farmer.

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Graded stakes winner Hostess possible for G1 Belmont Oaks

California-based trainer Simon Callaghan has placed graded stakes winner Hostess under consideration for the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

Owned by Mr. J Warren Stable, the 3-year-old English-bred daughter of Ifraaj was second in the Grade 3 Honeymoon on June 1 at Santa Anita last time out, where she finished three-quarters of a length behind Lady Prancealot. She recorded her first work since that effort last Wednesday, breezing five furlongs in 1:02.40.

"Hostess is possible for the Belmont Oaks," Callaghan said. "She's been training really well and came out of the Honeymoon in good order. She has trained very forwardly since then."

Hostess began her career in Europe before relocating to the United States and won her North American debut in the Grade 3 Providencia on April 6 at Santa Anita, which was her first start since last October. She then finished fourth behind stable mate Maxim Rate in the Grade 3 Senorita on May 4 at Santa Anita.

"We were looking at an allowance at the time but stakes race wasn't coming up all that strong so we figured that we would give it a chance," Callaghan said.

Bred in England by Highclere Stud, Hostess is out of the stakes winning Alhaarth broodmare Birdie.

Callaghan noted that Slam Dunk Racing's Maxim Rate, who captured the Grade 3 Senorita in May, would not be considered for the Belmont Oaks.

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Clement aiming to close out Belmont spring/summer meet in strong fashion

Currently tied for seventh-place in the trainer standings with six wins through the first 32 days of Belmont Park's 48-day spring/summer meet, conditioner Christophe Clement is aiming to close the stand in strong fashion.

Clement has notched a pair of stakes wins with 6-year-old New York-bred Gucci Factor in the Kingston on May 27 and 4-year-old New York-bred Therapist in the Elusive Quality, who are entered in Sunday's Grade 3, $300,000 Poker.

Clement is pointing a number of horses for upcoming stakes, including Feel Glorious, a 3-year-old British-bred filly for owners Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Tango Uniform Racing. She is likely to breeze on the dirt on Monday, eyeing a start in next Saturday's $100,000 Wild Applause at one mile on the turf.

Making her first five career starts in Europe, she won her first two starts in North America taking an allowance race on March 9 at Gulfstream Park and followed with a win in the Memories of Silver in April at Aqueduct. Last out, she finished a game second, by a length, in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly.

"She's doing well," said Clement. "She did not work today, but that's only because I wanted to wait one more day to work her. I think we'll breeze tomorrow on the dirt and we're aiming her for the Wild Applause next Saturday."

Multiple graded stakes placed 4-year-old Chipolata, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Hubert Honore and Robert Masiello, will look to make her next stakes assignment soon, following a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 11 at Belmont. She started her year with an allowance win at Aqueduct on April 11.

"She will probably work tomorrow on the dirt," said Clement. "Just an easy work, and we'll look at a few stakes options here and out of town going forward for her. I'm not sure yet, but she's doing well."

Homeland Security, a 5-year-old multiple stakes winner for Moyglare Stud Farm who ran third most recently in the Searching on May 18 at Pimlico Race Course and Sky Full of Stars, a German-bred 5-year-old who joined the Clement barn after finishing seventh in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor last October worked four furlongs in company on the inner turf Sunday completing the distance in 49.49 seconds.

"They both looked well," said Clement. "We're going to point for the [$100,000] Manila on the fourth of July."

Clement also reported New York-bred multiple graded stakes winner Disco Partner has exited his third-place running in the Grade 1 Jaipur in good order and is under consideration for the Grade 1 Highlander at Woodbine on June 29 as well as the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy on August 3 at Saratoga.

"He came back in good shape," said Clement. "His first day galloping back looked great. Everything looked well. We're considering a number of options for him including Woodbine and the Troy at Saratoga."

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Cross Country Pick 5 with Delaware Park and Monmouth Park handles $50K

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5 sequence, featuring races from Belmont Park, Delaware Park in Wilmington, Delaware and Monmouth Park in Oceanside New Jersey handled $50,778.40, returning $43,158.75 for the minimum 50 cent wager.

The multi-race wager began with Gotham Gala winning the 1 1/8-mile Obeah in Race 7 at Delaware Park, returning $17.40 on a $2 win bet.

With action shifting to Belmont for the second leg, the John Terranova-trained Dream Friend won a one-mile allowance at 12-1 odds, returning $27. In the third leg, A Bit of Both won the 5 ½-furlong Honey Bee [$5.40] for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth, with the last two legs returning to Belmont, with Dakota's Dude, trained by Jorge Abreu, capturing Race 8 and paying $23.60. Holiday Disguise, the favorite conditioned by Linda Rice, won the $100,000 Dancin Renee for New York-bred fillies 3-years-old and up in Race 9, paying $5.60.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents, featuring a 15 percent takeout and a mandatory payout of the entire pool. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country.

For more information on the Cross Country Pick 5, please visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-...