Looking for Longshots on a Busy Stakes Weekend
Who's ready for a fantastic weekend of competitive racing? The lineup of stakes races scheduled for this Saturday is impressive, making it difficult to choose a single race to handicap.
Keyword: Belmont Park
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Epicharis and Belmont a Perfect Fit
If you want to get a bit more adventurous and take a shot on a horse who not only could win the Belmont, he could win in impressive fashion, then why not take a good hard look at the Japanese invader Epicharis.
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Senior Investment Breezes for Belmont Stakes
Fern Circle Stables' Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) winner Senior Investment posted a half-mile breeze the morning of May 31 in preparation for his expected bid in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
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Weekend Hideaway Repeats in Commentator
On Belmont Park's Big Apple Showcase Day card featuring six stakes for New York-breds worth $900,000, Empire State stalwart Weekend Hideaway held on to win his second consecutive $200,000 Commentator Stakes by a nose over Diversify.
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Fourstar Crook Continues Turf Win Streak
With New York-breds featured Memorial Day at Belmont Park, Fourstar Crook, sent off at odds of 6-5, added a seventh victory to her win streak in the $125,000 Mount Vernon Stakes, one of two stakes run over the yielding turf May 29.
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Twisted Tom Works Toward Belmont Stakes
Cobra Farm's Federico Tesio Stakes winner Twisted Tom will run in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1), said trainer Chad Brown, following his five-furlong breeze May 28 at Belmont Park.
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Rubilinda Impresses as Frankel’s First US Winner
Don Alberto Stable's homebred Rubilinda became the first winner in the United States for her sire Frankel when she showed an impressive turn of foot to go last to first in a May 27 maiden special weight at Belmont Park.
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Tapwrit Works Toward Belmont; True Timber Confirmed
Tapwrit, winner of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and sixth in the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), worked five furlongs in 1:02.25 under his regular jockey Jose Ortiz in preparation for the Belmont Stakes (G1).
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Familiar Faces Highlight New York Showcase
Big Apple Showcase Day for New York-breds at Belmont Park has solid fields for all six of its stakes races. The $200,000 Commentator Stakes and $125,000 Kingston Stakes have drawn many top older runners.
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Graded Stakes Winner Destin Set for 2017 Debut
Multiple graded stakes winner Destin, runner-up in last year's Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), is set to make his first start in nearly nine months when he goes to post May 28 in an allowance optional claiming race at Belmont Park.
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Champion Songbird Confirmed for Ogden Phipps
Fox Hill Farm's champion Songbird will make her first start of 2017 in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park June 10.
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Morticia Holds off Lull to Win Soaring Softly
G. Watts Humphrey's homebred Morticia secured her second stakes win of the season May 20 when she just held off Lull to win the $100,000 Soaring Softly Stakes on the Belmont Park turf.
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Bellavais, Lady Alexandra Meet Again in Soaring Softly
After finishing fifth in her graded stakes debut, Phillips Racing Partnership's Bellavais will try to return to her stakes-winning form when she faces an expected seven other 3-year-old fillies in the Soaring Softly Stakes May 20 at Belmont Park.
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Highway Star Leads Broman Sweep in Ruffian
It was a Chester and Mary Broman homebred sweep in the one-mile Ruffian Stakes (G2), as their Highway Star fought off fellow colorbearer Bar of Gold by half-length to earn her third graded stakes win.
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Hawksmoor Too Good From Beaugay Start
Hawksmoor channeled her prior European form when she led every point of call, including the final bob over grade 1 winner Dacita, to take the $150,000 Beaugay Stakes (G3T) and earn her first North American-based victory.
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Timeline Continues Ascent With Peter Pan Victory
Woodford Racing's Timeline continued his ascent in the 3-year-old ranks May 13 at Belmont Park with a commanding victory in the $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes (G3).
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Cloud Computing, Term of Art Complete Preakness Works
Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Cloud Computing tuned up for his expected run in the May 20 Preakness Stakes (G1) with a half-mile breeze in :48.85 over the Belmont Park training track May 13.
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Zhukova Dominates Man o' War Rivals
Boggy conditions at Belmont Park were of no concern to John Murrell's Zhukova, who trounced her male rivals by six lengths May 13 in the $400,000 Man o' War Stakes (G1T).
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Weekend Stakes Rundown: A Graded Belmont Quartet
Consider this your weekly guide to the best stakes races in North America. This week we have a quartet of graded stakes at Belmont Park and grade 3 races at Arlington International Racecourse and Santa Anita Park.
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Litfin: Weather the Biggest Key in Weekend Stakes
With rain in the forecast, handicapper Dave Litfin sizes up Saturday's top stakes.
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Miss Temple City Heads Stout Beaugay Lineup
Miss Temple City's connections hope a start in the $150,000 Beaugay Stakes (G3T) May 13 at Belmont Park will get her on track for her ultimate target—a return to Royal Ascot in June.
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Master Plan on Schedule for Peter Pan Stakes
Master Plan, an also-eligible Derby horse who didn't make the field, put in a half-mile breeze the day after in preparation for the Peter Pan Stakes.
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Highway Star Tops Ruffian Stakes Field
Chester and Mary Broman's Highway Star will seek a second straight graded stakes win May 13 in the $250,000 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park.
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Zhukova, Wake Forest Headline Well-Matched Man o' War
Having already taken down some of the best turf performers in Europe, Dermot Weld-trained Zhukova (IRE) is now aiming at making her first stateside impression a winning one.
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Connect Adds Westchester to List of Wins
Paul Pompa's grade 1 winner Connect added Belmont Park's $200,000 Westchester Stakes (G3) May 6 to his list of victories, which has now reached six out of lifetime starts.
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Sea Calisi Successful in Sheepshead Bay
Martin Schwartz' Sea Calisi made her return to the races a winning one in the $200,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) May 6 at Belmont Park.
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By the Moon Breaks Through in Vagrancy
Jay Em Ess Stable's By the Moon returned to the winner's circle after a series of close finishes, after she overtook Pretty N Cool entering the turn and held on for a 1 3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Vagrancy Handicap (G3) May 5 at Belmont Park.
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Sea Calisi Aims for Sheepshead Bay Repeat
Grade I winner Sea Calisi (FR) will try to win the $200,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) a second straight year when she faces an expected six other fillies and mares, including Suffused (GB), in the 1 3/8-mile turf test May 6 at Belmont Park.
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Mohaymen, Connect Start Season in Westchester
Shadwell Stable's Mohaymen is set to return to the races in the $200,000 Westchester Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park May 6 after an extensive layoff.
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Midwest/Canada Regional: At the Top
Leonard Zenith’s UpHill Stable finally hits its stride
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Maragh Lives in the Moment After Long Road to Recovery
What is already a successful comeback by any definition could take a storybook twist when jockey Rajiv Maragh pilots grade 2 winner Irish War Cry in Saturday's Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2).
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Look Back: Searching Finds Victory in 1956 Top Flight
Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs last summer made one of the most fortunate purchases of recent years when she bought from Ogden Phipps a 3-year-old War Admiral filly named Searching.
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NYRA Expands Partnership with Fox Sports
New arrangement will produce 46 live shows on FS2 that will cover racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course. The Saratoga Live program will offer 36 shows.
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NYRA Announces Partnership with Hoppegarten
The New York Racing Association has announced a three-year partnership with one of Germany's premier racetracks, Hoppegarten Racecourse in Berlin, to host a unique, intercontinental stakes series beginning in 2017.
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Belmont Announces Stakes Schedule
A total of 18 stakes worth more than $9.6 million will highlight Belmont Park's 54-day spring/summer meet when live racing commences at the track April 28.
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New York Lawmaker Plans NYRA Discussion
An influential New York state senator this week will take testimony about what the Thoroughbred industry envisions for the future of the New York Racing Association.
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Oversight Panel Approves NYRA Spending Plans
A New York state oversight panel has approved major spending plans for 2017 by the New York Racing Association, though not before an annual disagreement surfaced about whether NYRA runs a surplus or deficit from its racing operations.
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NYRA Offers $1M Bonus to 2017 Belmont Winner from Japan
The New York Racing Association has announced a $1 million bonus to any Japan-based Thoroughbred who competes in and wins the 149th running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) June 10 at Belmont Park.
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New Barn Tops List of Belmont Park Improvements
A host of capital improvements will continue to take place at New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks in 2017, building on the work done in the past year.
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NYRA to Offer Eight $100,000 Maiden Races in Spring
Eight maiden races worth $100,000 each will be offered this spring as part of the New York Racing Association's ongoing program for 2-year-olds leading up to the Astoria and Tremont, run June 8 and 9 as the first two juvenile stakes of the year.
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Look Back at Fusaichi Pegasus' 2000 Jerome Handicap
In his first start since the Preakness, Fusaichi Pegasus delivered memorable victory.
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New York Calls Off Belmont Development
Four years after the administration of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo began floating ideas for re-developing a large, unused parcel at Belmont Park, state officials Dec. 9 called off a long-stalled bidding process for the site.
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Dubb Finishes as Leading Owner at Belmont
Michael Dubb was securely perched atop the owner's standings to lock in the 2016 Belmont Park fall meet owner's title.
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Flintshire, Lady Eli Put in Final BC Works
Juddmonte Farms' homebred Flintshire put in his final move in advance of the Nov. 5 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) when he breezed five furlongs in 1:02.85 in company with stablemate Money Multiplier over the inner turf at Belmont Park Oct. 30.
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Ortiz Jr. Sweeps Belmont Graded Stakes
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. won the two graded stakes on the Oct. 29 Belmont Park card when he guided Lewis Bay to an easy victory in the Turnback the Alarm Handicap (gr. III) and Stallwalkin' Dude to a clear win in the Bold Ruler Handicap (gr. III).
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BC Hopefuls Work at Keeneland, Belmont
While many Breeders' Cup pre-entered horses already are in Southern California, several also wrapped up final serious works elsewhere Oct. 29, including I'm a Chatterbox at Keeneland and 2015 Travers Stakes (gr. I) winner Keen Ice at Belmont Park.
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Economic Model, Lewis Bay head Belmont Races
Economic Model, second in the King's Bishop last out, looks like the clear favorite to capture the Bold Ruler, while Lewis Bay escapes grade I company and looms large in the Turnback the Alarm
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Roca Rojo Closes for Athenia Victory
A two-time allowance winner since moving to the barn of Chad Brown, Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables, and Bradley Thoroughbreds Roca Rojo broke through for her first graded win Oct. 23 in the $200,000 Athenia Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park.
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Royal Posse Sails Clear in Empire Classic
Michael Dub, Bethlehem Stables, and Gary Aisquith's Royal Posse continued to make hay in the New York-bred ranks Oct. 22 at Belmont Park with a sloppy score in the $300,000 Empire Classic Handicap.
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Governor Malibu Tops Empire Classic Field
Things may not have gone as well as they could have for Governor Malibu in the Empire State's most iconic 3-year-old races this season, but in starts against his fellow New York-breds the Malibu Moon colt has been dominant.
