New York-bred stars are honored at Belmont Park on Monday with several stakes and promised paydays for the best in their class.
There will be six stakes carded and all will be restricted to horses that have been bred in the Empire State.
The action starts in the fourth race as eight runners will pit skills in The Mount Vernon Stakes. The race is for fillies and mare at a mile on grass and there are three major contenders.
Fourstar Crook is the one to beat. The Chad Brown lost her first three races but is perfect since. She was cleverly placed and moved through her conditions before winning the $150,000 Yadoo Stakes last year. She ended 2016 with a win in a $125,000 event at Belmont and she has trained like the proverbial Swiss clock for this race.
Ancient Secret showed her class last year taking the Grade 2 Lake George and she is unbeaten when racing against other New York-bred stars.
Freudie Anne comes to this race on top of her game winning her last three races but she has been handled by some of today’s foes.
Eleven potential New York-bred stars will gather for the Critical Eye Stakes in the sixth race. Again, fillies and mares will be showcased and they will go a mile on dirt. Chad Brown will saddle the favorite Kathryn the Wise. This filly was a poorly-kept secret when she won her debut as the chalk last year. She was freshened until April when she beat entry-level allowance rivals by a dozen lengths with a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. Brown has put a series of solid drills into her and she appears primed to keep the streak going.
Speed merchants will be called to action in the next race, the 7-furlong Mike Lee Stakes. The two likely top players will start next door to each other. The Bobby on Fleek will break from post five and Syndergaard starts from post six.
Once again Brown is represented by Bobby on Fleek. The runner broke his maiden at Belmont at first asking by six lengths. He may not have adored the mud when beaten by Syndergaard in his 2016 finale and he had a valid excuse last time when catching a wet-fast sealed surface in the Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day.
Syndergaard’s chance to show he is one of the true New York-bred stars are bolstered by the fact he is back with his own kind. His last several races came in open company and he showed his class when second beaten a nose in the Champagne Stakes. The runner set the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile before fading and he had a valid excuse in his last race. On April 29 the runner was forced to steady as the favorite and lost his best shot.
Older runners go into the gate next in the Commentator Stakes. The $200,000-mile event has lured eleven runners. Diversify has to prove he can handle stakes foes. He has only run once in a stakes and he was a dull seventh in the Stymie Stakes in March. He has one way to go and that is to the front. He has made the lead in every race but there are others with designs on the lead in this race. This event may not set up great for Diversify.
Royal Posse has been dabbling in open company. Don’t be too harsh about his last race as that is a demanding distance. This racer has been in the exacta in 8 of 10 at Belmont and one could envision him sitting three or four lengths off a lively pace and then begging for room to explode.
Weekend Hideaway’s connections are looking for that Deja vu feeling. This runner is coming off the exact same Beyer as he did last year before winning the Commentator. He has already shown he is one of the New York-bred stars and can’t fault those that give him another shot after flopping as chalk.
Boston fans have a vehicle with Celtic Chaos. The Kiaran McLaughlin charge has hit the exacta half of the time but there are some concerns. The runner was losing ground the last time going a route and sometimes when late-running sprinters like this go long, they are closer early and don’t have the same punch.
Turf performers get another shot to show they are New York-bred stars in the Kingston Stakes. The $125,000 turf event has enticed a competitive group. On the rail will be Macagone. The Bill Mott student drew this very rail in this race last year when he popped, made the lead, and stopped. He is coming off a win in a $100,000 stakes but was losing ground at crunch time.
Lubash has been around the block and back. He has won 18 times in his 52-race career and ten wins came at Belmont. He was a closing fourth in this race last year and could be left with a lot of work to do late.
Offering Plan will be out to make amends for flopping as chalk in the A. T. Cole Stakes in his 2016 closer. A proven stakes winner, he has trained forwardly at Saratoga for this race and his A game will put him in the picture.
Longshot players can take a shot with Get Jets. The Anthony Dutrow student won the $250,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes back in the day and he won his grass debut. In his last race, Get Jets was second to last early but rallied to be beaten only by a neck.
The day ends with the seven-furlong $125,000 Bouwerie Stakes for sophomore fillies. Several runners have legit chances in this race. Bluegrass Flag has only run one poor race and he was caught six wide that day. She is three for five in her career and the way she won the restricted New York Stallion Stakes last time suggests she will adore this distance. The Tom Morley trainee recorded a best of 40 workout last Wednesday and is coming to the race right. Tiznow’s Tradition is the surprise package in the Bouwerie. She looked good winning her last race and just might upset.
That is the way the contenders look and the most likely winner seems to be Kathryn the Wise.
Good luck.
