Belmont Park

With divisional heavies the likes of Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Serengeti Empress (Alternation) and the comebacking Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) all eye-balling a potential clash in the GII Fleur de Lis S. at Churchill Downs in two weeks' time, Saturday's GI Ogden Phipps S. may lack a 'marquee' name, per se, but it remains a competitive affair that offers the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7. Ollie's Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of last year's GI Clement L. Hirsch S.,...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-CD, $79K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, post time: 1:34 p.m. ET Bidding on behalf of Heider Family Stables, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni went to $950K for THOUGHTFULLY (Tapit) at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale and the March-foaled bay takes her first step towards repaying that investment here. The dark bay was bred by Gainesway from Passion (Seeking the Gold), dam of GSW Annual Report (Harlan's Holiday) and MSW Giant Payday (Giant's Causeway). The filly's Grade I-winning second dam Furlough (Easy Goer) was responsible for...

A number of conditioners were checking on their charges and plotting their next starts Sunday morning at Belmont following a strong card Saturday that included four graded stakes Last year's GI Runhappy Travers and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup hero Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) made a successful seasonal debut in the GIII Westchester S. and has Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey weighing either the GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. July 4 or waiting for the GI Whitney H. at Saratoga for the W.S. Farish homebred. "He seems to...

2nd-Belmont, $66,000, Alw, 6-7, (NW1$X), 3yo, 1mT, 1:35.81, fm. DOMESTIC SPENDING (GB) (g, 3, Kingman {GB}--Urban Castle {SW-Eng}, by Street Cry {Ire}) closed late to win his debut as the even-money favorite going one mile over the Tampa Bay turf Feb. 12. The 3-2 favorite to go two-for-two, the bay gelding was off a half-step slowly and trailed the field through fractions of :23.83 and :48.63. Still well back at the top of the lane, he was tipped out to the center of the course and veered in greenly, but...

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) made 8-5 look like a gift, as he paddled his way through the final furlong of the Belmont slop to post a dazzling 7 1/4-length victory in the GI Runhappy Carter H. and in the process, earning a fees-paid berth in the gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 7. Drawn outside in a field scratched down to eight runners, Vekoma was one of the first away, but was happy to cede the early advantage to American Anthem (Bodemeister). Stalking that one through...

Confidently handled by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, last year's comebacking GI Runhappy Travers S. hero Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a well-timed decision in Saturday's GIII Westchester at Belmont. Drawn widest in the field of nine, the Farish homebred settled slightly worse than midfield and was kept in the clear as Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro) made an aggressive mid-race move beneath Joel Rosario to assume command at halfway. Code of Honor began to hit his best stride three furlongs from home and had...

Recent allowance winner Tap It to Win (Tapit) is now under consideration for the GI Belmont S. June 20, according to trainer Mark Casse. "I've always said, run them when they're good," Casse said. "We won the [GI] Breeders' Cup [Filly and Mare Sprint] with Shamrock Rose (First Dude) [off of two week's rest] and last year we spun Got Stormy (Get Stormy) back off of a week's rest to beat colts in a Grade I [Fourstardave at Saratoga]. Sixteen days will be enough time." A second-out graduate in August,...

With four talented members of his star-studded stable signed on for this test, the main question facing Chad Brown Saturday seems to be not if he will win Belmont's GIII Intercontinental S., but which of his fillies he will win it with. Favoritism is likely to go to Significant Form (Creative Cause), who won this test last year. The gray also captured the GII Ballston Spa S. in August and the GIII Noble Damsel S. in September. She was seventh to Got Stormy (Get Stormy) when last seen in the...

Dual Grade I winner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) makes his first start as an older horse Saturday in Belmont's GIII Westchester S. Victor of the GII Fountain of Youth S. last term, the Farish homebred captured the GIII Dwyer S. going a mile over this strip last summer and followed suit with a decisive score in the GI Runhappy Travers S. in August. Crossing the line a nose short of Vino Rosso (Curlin) in this venue's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. Sept. 28, the chestnut was promoted...

After Shug McGaughey saddles the likely favorite Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) in the GIII Westchester S. Saturday, he will send out on of the top choices in Belmont's GI Runhapppy Carter H. in the talented Performer (Speightstown). The Carter is typically run in April at Aqueduct, but was rescheduled and relocated due to the COVID-19 racing shutdown. It is a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Graduating at second asking going six panels at this oval last June, Performer followed suit with an...

NYRA will partner with Churchill Downs to host a Cross Country Pick 5 Saturday. The wager will include action from both Belmont Park and Churchill, with live coverage of all the races in the sequence available with America's Day at the Races on FS1 and MSG+. Belmont will be the site of the sequence's first two races, starting with the GIII Westchester S. in Race 7 at 4:32 p.m. Following will be the GIII Intercontinental in Race 8 at 5:04 p.m. Action will then switch to Churchill for Race 9...

Kendrick Carmouche said he has never experienced racism, at the racetrack or elsewhere. But that doesn't mean that the events surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers didn't hit home for the 36-year-old jockey. The New York-based Carmouche is one of only a handful of African-American jockeys riding in the U.S. Earlier this week, Carmouche posted an emotional video on social media. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he spoke of the heartache he had been experiencing since the Floyd killing. "It is very...