With Belterra joining Take Charge Lady and Bella Bellucci as Mother Goose defectors, the nine-furlong second leg of the "Triple Tiara," will go with only four starters – Chamrousse, Dust Me Off, Nonsuch Bay, and Seba. The first three are all grade II winners.
Saturday's Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) suffered another blow Friday when trainer Carl Nafzger told New York Racing Association stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes that Belterra, the likely favorite, will not run in the $250,000 race because of a fever.Belterra, owned by Robert Manfuso, captured the Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II) last fall, but was third in the Bonnie Miss Stakes (gr. II) and Ashland Stakes (gr. I) in her first two outings this years. Following throat surgery to correct a breathing problem, she rebounded to win a seven-furlong allowance race at Churchill Downs on June 6.