Belmont Park

Chad Brown notched 23 wins to finish as the leading trainer at the Belmont spring/summer meet for the fifth consecutive time and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. posted 34 victories to lead all riders as the 25-day meet concluded Sunday at Belmont Park. Klaravich Stables led all owners with 13 wins, outpacing second-place finisher Michael Dubb, who had seven victories. "I'm really proud of our team. We had a late start to the year and it was frustrating for everybody--the staff, the owners, everybody involved," Brown said. "Our team held it...

The running of the GII Ruffian S. Saturday at Belmont lacked the sizzle that was part of the narrative for several other major races over the weekend, but that wasn't the fault of Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). She did exactly what was asked of her. She showed up and beat four overmatched horses in an effort that was more perfunctory than impressive. "This was a nice race for her to come back into stakes competition and now we can tackle some bigger races and a tougher field, too," jockey Florent Geroux...

Champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) will face four overmatched rivals in her return to graded competition in Saturday's GII Ruffian S. at Belmont Park. After missing her entire 4-year-old season due to several different setbacks, the Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables colorbearer made her first start since capturing the 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff a winning one, annexing an optional claimer in impressive fashion in the Churchill Downs slop May 16. Monomoy Girl, winner of the 2018 GI Kentucky Oaks, is a perfect three-for-three at the...

ALDA (Munnings) became the newest 'TDN Rising Star' Thursday with a decisive score at Belmont Park. Rallying to be third on debut in a five-panel event at this oval June 12, she was hammered down to even-money to improve over an extra furlong here. Saving ground in a joint third, the homebred was several lengths off the dueling leaders through a sharp first quarter in :21.89. Closing the gap entering the backstretch, the homebred split horses with a three-wide move turning for home and overtook Illegal Smile (Ire) (Camacho {GB})...

1st-BEL, $64K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:15 p.m. Gary Barber's Frankel At Ascot (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) is one of several well-bred juveniles set to square off in this turf dash. The Mark Casse pupil was a €535,000 Arqana August yearling purchase by Justin Casse. She is out of stakes-winning juvenile Ascot Family (Ire), making her a half to precocious MGSW and GISP Family One (Fr) (Dubai Destination). The bay has fired a couple of bullets over the local dirt in preparation for this first go. Steal My Sunshine (Distorted Humor)...

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) exited his determined victory in Saturday's GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. in fine shape and could now be aimed at the Aug. 29 GI Forego S. at Saratoga, while connections also consider training the 4-year-old up to the Breeders' Cup. "What a horse," co-owner Randy Hill said Sunday. "I'll never own another horse like this. I've watched the race about 20 times and it just gives me goosebumps. I really wish I could have been there, but I'd rather win than be there and lose them." Vekoma...

One of the most welcome schedule changes imposed upon the racing calendar by the COVID-19 pandemic was the repositioning of the GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. to headline status on the July 4 holiday at Belmont Park. In 2014, the Met Mile got yanked off its decades-long anchor as the Memorial Day feature in New York, reassigned to a supporting role on GI Belmont S. Day. This move was part of the prevalent (but not always aesthetically pleasing) national practice of stacking graded stakes on big-race Saturdays. It never felt like...

On an afternoon when Joey Chestnut was devouring a record-setting 75 hot dogs not far away at Coney Island, trainer Chad Brown was making some history of his own at Belmont Park. OXO Equine LLC's Instilled Regard (Arch) came with a sudden burst of late energy to pip stablemate Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in Saturday's GI Manhattan S., giving the conditioner his record-equaling sixth victory in the 10-furlong grass feature, all since Desert Blanc (GB) (Desert Style {Ire}) provided him with his first in 2012. It was the...

Given a positive ride by Javier Castellano, R A Hill Stable and Gatsas Stable's Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) dared them to catch him in Saturday's GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. at Belmont, and catch him they could not, as the immaculately bred chestnut made every yard of the running to best perfect-trip Network Effect (Mark Valeski) by 1 1/4 lengths. Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) was forced to cover ground on the turn, but plugged on gamely to be third, while favored 'TDN Rising Star' McKinzie (Street Sense) had little...

TDN Rising Star Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) wasn't given the easiest of tasks in the early going of Saturday's GIII Victory Ride S., but she showed her grit and class late with a hard-fought head score over the well-meant Reagan's Edge (Competitive Edge). Off a hair slow, the Bill Mott trainee raced out to take an early advantage from her inside draw and was closely attended by Reagan's Edge, an allowance winner at Churchill in May, and Center Aisle (Into Mischief), a $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Florida sale graduate who scored first...

Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables' Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) breezed a half-mile in company in an easy :49.30 over the Belmont main track Saturday morning as she completed her preparations for the July 11 GII Ruffian S. at Big Sandy. Partnered with Javier Castellano, the 5-year-old worked in the company of her multiple stakes-winning stablemate A Bit of Both (Paynter) and was timed in splits of :12.30 and :24.40 before galloping out five-eighths of a mile in 1:02.10. "Today it was a very...

6th-Belmont, $66,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 7-3, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:40.67, ft. SPICE IS NICE (f, 3, Curlin--Dame Dorothy {GISW, $749,740}, by Bernardini) romped by 12 lengths to earn the 'TDN Rising Star' tag in her Gulfstream unveiling Jan. 12. Runner-up to Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist in that venue's GII Davona Dale S. Feb. 29, the $1.05-million KEESEP purchase was fifth to divisional leader Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks last time Mar. 28. Hammered down to 1-2 favoritism to get back in the winner's circle in...