Belmont Park

2nd-Belmont, $80,000, Msw, 10-18, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.84, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. CAFE SOCIETY (f, 2, Empire Maker--Full Tap, by Tapit), let go at 10-1 from a 7-2 morning line for a barn that doesn't win with many firsters and doesn't train many 2-year-old sale grads, proved best of a promising-looking group Sunday at Big Sandy. Away alertly to press favored second timer Exact (Competitive Edge) through a :22.67 opening quarter, the bay challenged for the lead through a :46.08 half. She put away that foe by midstretch, and ran...

3rd-Belmont, $67,900, Alw (C), Opt. Clm ($80,000), 10-17, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:33.93, my, 1 3/4 lengths. PERFORMER (c, 4, Speightstown--Protesting {GSP, $213,050}, by A.P. Indy) made light work of his first start since taking the GIII Discovery S. last November, galloping home as easy as you please in a one-mile Belmont allowance Saturday afternoon. Quickly into stride beneath Joel Rosario, the attractive chestnut colt raced a touch keenly from third while hugging the rail through solid opening splits. Rosario decided he could wait no longer rounding the turn and allowed the...

West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, William Freeman and Cheryl Manning's Decorated Invader (Declaration of War), a close fifth as the 4-5 favorite in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby last time Aug. 15, resurfaces in Sunday's GII Hill Prince S. at Belmont Park. Last term's GI Summer S. winner and unlucky GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf fourth-place finisher kicked off his sophomore campaign with three straight ultra-impressive victories, including Belmont's GII Pennine Ridge S. at this same one-mile distance June 20 and Saratoga's GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-BEL, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, post time: 12:55 p.m. ET Several well-bred firsters will look to run down the likes of morning line favorite Exact (Competitive Edge), who was second over track and trip Sept. 18. Allen Stable and Shug McGaughey unveil Cafe Society (Empire Maker), a $135,000 KEESEP yearling turned $475,000 OBSAPR 2-year-old off a :10 flat breeze. Dam Full Tap (Tapit) was carrying Cafe Society when she brought $375,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The three-time winner, who was third in...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-Belmont Park, Msw, $63k, 2yo, 1 1/16m, post time: 4:14 p.m. Bridledwood Farm and Don Alberto's homebred CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (Tapit), a full-brother to multiple Grade I winner Constitution, debuts for trainer Todd Pletcher. Bridlewood and Don Alberto partnered to purchase the gray colt's dam Baffled (Distorted Humor), in foal to Tapit, for $3.5 million at the 2016 Fasig November sale. Don Alberto bought out the parnership for $1.8 million at last year's Fasig November sale. The mare's yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro sold to Mandy...

If the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) gets passed by the United States Senate and then signed into federal law, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) could launch a legal challenge against it based on the alleged unconstitutionality of the independently overseen anti-doping, drug testing, and racetrack safety standard programs that the new federal law would create. Leroy Gessmann, who serves as both the NHBPA president and as Arizona HBPA's executive director, told commissioners at the Oct. 8 Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) meeting that "this thing is...

Three Chimneys Farm's homebred Royal Approval is two-for-two since returning from Royal Ascot followed a determined victory in the GIII Matron S. at Belmont Park Sunday. The 1-2 favorite tracked Union Gables (Speightstown) through a quarter in :22.53 and a half in :46.28. Union Gables attempted to scamper clear in upper stretch, but Royal Approval duly reeled in the scrappy pacesetter late to score going away. Royal Approval chased stablemate Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) home when second in her debut going five furlongs over the Gulfstream turf May 31. She...

Bryan Hilliard's homebred Second of July (Jack Milton), who was a 68-1 outsider when he captured his debut at Belmont Park last month, came back to score another upset victory in the GIII Futurity S. in Elmont Sunday. The win earned the gelding an automatic berth in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 6. "I knew he was very fit and sharp and doing good, so I knew he would run his race, but I just wasn't sure if it was going to be good enough,...

4th-Belmont, $63,050, Alw, 10-11, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.40, ft, 2 3/4 lengths. MOTIVATED SELLER (f, 3, Into Mischief--Coup {SW, $132,637}, by Empire Maker) was spotting plenty of experience to her competition, but performed like an old pro Sunday to go two-for-two off a lengthy lay-off. A six-length debut scorer at Gulfstream Jan. 12, the bay had been based with trainer Chad Brown's perceived B or C string at Monmouth Park, but was still pounded down to 11-10 shipping up for this. Away on top, Motivated Seller was passed heading...

Lightly raced 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver) squeezed inside of favorite Tacitus (Tapit) and out-finished fellow sophomore 'Rising Star' Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) to stay perfect in Saturday's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The Wertheimer homebred broke his maiden by an auspicious 5 1/2 lengths going seven furlongs on the GI Belmont S. undercard here in June, and saw out nine panels when taking a Saratoga allowance July 26. He again displayed his appreciation for a route...

The 3-1 third choice in a field of seven, Joseph Allen's progressive Civil Union (War Front) built on her last-out success in the GII Glens Falls S. at Saratoga with a breakthrough top-level tally in Saturday's GI Flower Bowl S. at Belmont Park, securing a berth in the gate for the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in the process. Allowed to settle last but one beneath Joel Rosario, with only G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})'s half-sister, French and American Group...

Runaway last out Kentucky Downs maiden winner Royal Approval (Tiznow) looks like the one to beat in Sunday's GIII Matron S. at Belmont Park. Trained by Wesley Ward, the Three Chimneys homebred chased home her brilliant unbeaten G1SW stablemate Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in her first two trips to the post, finishing second as the favorite on debut at Gulfstream May 31 and 17th in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot June 20. Royal Approval, from the same female family as GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Summerly, returned to...