Belmont

There were 13 graded stakes races run in North America Saturday and the combination of Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox and Mark Casse won eight of them. That's three Hall of Famers and two future Hall of Famers. Not that any of this should come as a surprise. The so-called super trainer stables seem to only be getting bigger and more powerful by the day, leaving everyone else to fight over the leftover scraps. So what chance did Jason Cook have in the GII John A. Nerud...

4th-ELP, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 2:13 p.m. EDIFIED (Tapit), a half-brother to GI La Brea S. winner Constellation (Bellamy Road), makes his afternoon debut Saturday for owner Courtlandt Farms and trainer Steve Asmussen. A $650,000 yearling purchase out of Keeneland September last autumn, the colt is out of the stakes-winning mare For Royalty, who brought a final bid of $2.1m from Summer Wind Equine at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale. For Royalty is herself a half-sister to champion imported 2-year-old colt in Puerto Rico El Viento (El Corredor) and GSW/GISP...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Skims in a Belmont affair. Frankel Filly Strikes In New York Last autumn's GII Sands Point S. heroine Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}) ran out an easy winner in New York for breeder Andrew Rosen and trainer Shug McGaughey earlier this month (video). Now with four victories to her name, the $235,000 Keeneland September buy-back is the seventh foal out of Royal Decree (Street Cry...

3rd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 1m, 2:07 p.m. The only first-time starter facing a field of more experienced maidens, SPELL ON YOU (Curlin) makes her afternoon debut Friday as a homebred for John Gunther, also the breeder of the filly's Triple Crown-winning half-brother Justify (Scat Daddy). Dam Stage Magic, 2018's broodmare of the year, is also responsible for the late GSW The Lieutenant (Street Sense) along with 'TDN Rising Star' Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile). Under the tutelage of trainer Jorge Abreu, Spell On You picks up jockey Dylan Davis...

Last year's champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), a luckless third as the heavy favorite in the GI Derby City Distaff S. May 6, stayed out of trouble this time and was along in time for a narrow success in Saturday's GII Bed O' Roses S. at Belmont Park. Drawn on the fence, the 1-4 chalk broke on top and dropped back to caboose the tightly bunched field of five beneath the hot-handed Irad Ortiz, Jr. through an opening quarter in :22.90. Traveling nicely approaching the quarter pole, Goodnight Olive...

1st-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 6-17, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:08.74, fm, 3/4 length. MISCHIEVOUS ANGEL (g, 3, Into Mischief--Sabrina's Angel, by Scat Daddy), the only first-time starter in the field and the 2-1 selection with a $600,000 purchase price, spotted the field a step at the break and had only a single rival behind him through a half mile in :45.26. He began to make up ground as the leaders hit the far turn and tipped out to be five wide with room to run at the top of the stretch. Pacesetter Beer...

2nd-ELP, $120K, MSW, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 2:20p.m. BC Stables's Cowboy Code (Into Mischief) gets a start for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Bred by Aaron and Marie Jones, the grey was a $1-million yearling purchase out of the Taylor Made Sales consignment at Keeneland last September. Out of Not In Jest (Unbridled's Song), the filly is a granddaughter of MGISW Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues). OXO Equine's Balta (Munnings) debuts for trainer Paulo Lobo. Working sharply at The Thoroughbred Center, the half to SW Opus Forty Two is...

Steve Asmussen made it a 'sweep' for the 2-year-old stakes wins at Belmont Sunday with a dominating performance by Gold Sweep to not only break his maiden but stamp himself a contender for upcoming summer races. Despite missing by a just a neck when unveiled at Churchill Downs May 18, the son of Speightstown was running late and still earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for his losing effort.  Bet down to 4-5 breaking from an outside gate, Gold Sweep came away in good order and raced widest of the...

Closing Act (Munnings) put it all together here to secure the first black-type victory of her young career in the Astoria S. as the 3-5 favorite. A step slow on debut May 11 beneath the Twin Spires, she showed a good turn of foot in the lane to run down rivals for a neck win over an experienced rival. Brushing with Living Magic after leaving the blocks, she was urged along to keep pace from the outside of rivals and went as far as four wide into the final bend. Gaining...

Klaravich Stable's Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah), loose on an easy lead, went wire-to-wire to earn her first top-level success in the GI New York S. at Belmont Park Friday. Sent off at 6-1, the lightly raced 4-year-old was looking to stretch her speed to 10 furlongs following a pair of stakes wins over 1 1/16 miles. She broke alertly and was soon at the head of affairs, setting moderate fractions of :24.56, :50.26 and 1:15.29 while kept well in hand by jockey Jose Ortiz. Finally let loose at the top of...

1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6fT, 11:20 p.m. A New York-bred daughter of 2022's champion freshman sire Bolt d'Oro, ADVANCE ATTACK makes her afternoon debut to open the card on Belmont S. day. Purchased for $450,000 out of last year's OBS April Sale, she is a half-sister to GI Shoemaker Mile S. winner Bolo (Temple City), SW Build to Suit (Dominus), and GSP Let Me Go First (Paddy O'Prdo). Her dam, unfortunately lost in 2021, was a half to the dam of GI Kentucky Derby upsetter and Canadian champion 2-year-old...

In this continuing series, we examine the past winners of significant filly/mare races by the lasting influence they've had on the breed. Up today is Belmont Park's GI Acorn S., the first leg in New York's prestigious summer trio of Grade I events for 3-year-old fillies. Long a coveted prize, the Acorn has been designated a Grade I from the very beginning when the grading system became official in 1973. A disproportionate amount of its winners are in the Hall of Fame, ranging from Top Flight to Twilight Tear to...