​European flavor spices up Sunday's G3 Athenia for fillies and mares on the turf

by Brian Bohl

Trainer Christophe Clement will send out a pair of European-bred contenders with Victorine and Candy Store both looking for their first respective North American stakes victories in the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on Sunday at Belmont Park.

The 41st running of the Athenia, at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf, is carded as Race 9 on the 10-race card with a post time of 5:13 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:45 p.m.

Edouard de Rothschild's Victorine ended her sophomore campaign with a third-place finish in the Pebbles in October 2018 at Belmont. The French-bred Le Havre filly returned off a 10-month layoff to run fifth at one mile on August 9 at Saratoga Race Course and came back to run third against optional claimers at the Athenia distance on September 22 over firm Belmont turf.

Victorine stayed at Belmont since them and recorded two breezes this month, including a four-furlong inner turf work in 49.97 seconds on Sunday.

"She had a nice race at Belmont and has trained forwardly since," Clement said. "She's had two good works, so we figured why not? She's in good shape and she's professional. It's exciting."

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride from post 2.

Speedway Stable's Candy Store also worked her way back from a long freshening. After closing her 2018 year with an off-the-board finish in October 2018 at Belmont, the Irish-bred started her 5-year-old season with a third-place effort in the President's Cup on September 2 at Parx.

Candy Store then ran ninth last out in the Violet on September 28 at Monmouth. Clement said he drew a line through the clunker and has been impressed with her recent works at Saratoga, including a four-furlong work in 51.21 on the Oklahoma turf track on October 10.

"She's doing well. She did real well at Parx and came back with a very disappointing race," Clement said. "But she came back and is training well and looks great. She looks like a brand new filly, so we said, 'let's go.'"

Junior Alvarado picks up the mount and will break from post 5. 

Another European import will look to make a splash, with Cloros Bloodstock's Simply Breathless earning graded stakes blacktype in each of her last three starts, posting a 2-2-0 record in four starts since arriving from her native Great Britain.

With Neil Drysdale picking up training duties following her cross-Atlantic trip, Simply Breathless won her United States debut with a one-length score in the Golden Poppy on April 27 at Golden Gate and followed with a stirring 1 ¼-length win in the Grade 3 Wilshire on June 22 at Santa Anita, earning a 95 Beyer Speed Figure in rallying from seventh in the one-mile test.

Simply Breathless handled a stretch out in distance, running third in the 1 13/16-mile Grade 3 Modesty Handicap on July 13 at Arlington Park and followed with another third-place showing in the Grade 3 Ladies Turf on September 7 at Kentucky Downs.

Joel Rosario will be in the irons for the 4-year-old's first Belmont start, breaking from the inside post.

Don Alberto Stable's Andina Del Sur won last month's Violet, edging Theodora B. by a nose for her first win in 13 starts. The 4-year-old Giant's Causeway filly broke through after multiple competitive efforts for trainer Tom Albertrani, including third in an allowace race on August 9 at Saratoga and a third in the Sand Springs on March 30 at Gulfstream Park. 

Luis Saez will pick up the mount from post 4.

Xenobia will be making her first North American stakes start after back-to-back allowance races at Belmont. The Jonathan Thomas trainee improved on her fourth-place effort on June 23 by running second on September 15. The 5-year-old daughter of Falco was a group stakes winner in her native Ireland, capturing the Group 3 Brownstown in July 2018 at Fairyhouse.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will look to add to his all-time leading graded stakes victory total, riding Xenobia from the outside post 9.

Rounding out the field is Pepper Sprout, making her first stakes appearance in her fourth career start, for trainer Edward Graham [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche]; Arabella Bella, a Mike Maker trainee, who will be making her 31st career start coming off a win in September at Kentucky Downs [post 7, Jose Lezcano]; Matty's Magnum, looking for her first win since the Winter Memories in November at Aqueduct Racetrack, conditioned by David Donk [post 6, Manny Franco]; and Sweet Bye and Bye, who ran second in her last Belmont start at six furlongs in May, for trainer Steve Klesaris [post 3, Jose Ortiz].