Trainer Christophe Clement will be represented by the talented duo of Carson’s Run and Deterministic in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy, a nine-furlong outer turf test for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A.
West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey’s dual Grade 1-winner Carson’s Run [post 4, Dylan Davis, 124 pounds] makes his 4-year-old debut off a more than five-month respite that dates to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in November at Del Mar. The 3 1/4-length defeat as the mutuel favorite came with a rallying trip that saw him close from ninth-of-11 but fail to threaten in the stretch.
The Hollywood Derby was an uncharacteristic result for the talented Cupid chestnut, who notched his first graded win as a juvenile in Woodbine’s Grade 1 Summer on the heels of a runner-up effort in Saratoga Race Course’s Grade 3 With Anticipation.
He improved even more so as a sophomore, securing a win in Monmouth Park’s Tale of the Cat ahead of a return to Grade 1 glory with a three-quarter-length triumph in the Saratoga Derby Invitational in August at the Spa, winning with his signature late kick to edge clear of Legend of Time in the final stages as stablemate Deterministic finished another nose behind in third.
Caron’s Run went on to post a game runner-up finish in Kentucky Downs’ Grade 3 Nashville Derby and earn another graded coup traveling 1 3/8 miles over the Big A green in the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational when closing from nine lengths off the pace to finish three-quarter lengths better than Deterministic ahead of the Hollywood Derby.
Carson’s Run has made eight of his 10 trips around the oval under Dylan Davis, who earned his first American Grade 1 victory when engineering the winning trip in the Saratoga Derby.
Deterministic Draws Post 3
St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker and Vicarage Stable’s Deterministic [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche, 124 pounds] is a graded stakes-winner on dirt and turf, but has found his best stride since being transferred to the grass last summer here.
The Liam’s Map 4-year-old made his seasonal bow on April 6 at Keeneland, finishing second 1 3/4 lengths behind Money Supply in an off-the-turf allowance. The talented dark bay ran exclusively in graded events last year, beginning with a two-length score in the Grade 3 Gotham over the Big A main track ahead of off-the-board efforts in two other local dirt graded stakes.
Deterministic has not missed the board on turf, beginning with a close second in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 3 Manila and his aforementioned third in the Saratoga Derby before a breakthrough victory in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby going this distance in September at Colonial Downs. He closed out the year with his runner-up finish to Carson’s Run in the Jockey Club Derby en route to a stalk-and-pounce victory in the Grade 3 Hill Prince over course and distance.
Kay Army Makes North American Debut
Ignacio Hurtado’s Kay Army [post 1, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds] puts a perfect 10-for-10 record on the line as he makes his first North America outing for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Kay Army was entered in the Grade 2 Woodward in September on the dirt here, but was scratched.
The 5-year-old Katmai chestnut, who made all 10 previous starts in Chile with conditioners Patricio Baeza Alamos and Juan Baeza Jarpa, returns to the races off a more than one-year layoff, his last effort a 6 1/4-length romp in the 1 1/2-mile Group 1 El Derby last March at Valparaiso. The six-time Group 1-winner boasts wins on both dirt and turf, his win two starts back coming in the 1 3/8-mile Group 1 St. Leger over the Hipodromo Chile.
A nine-time group stakes-winner overall, Kay Army has been dominant in every start, his margins of victory between 1 1/2 and eight lengths at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs up to 1 1/2 miles. He has banked $421,708 through his perfect ledger.
Frank Argano, Julia Iavarone, Michael Iavarone and Nicholas Zoumas’ veteran turf specialist Master Piece [post 2, Eric Cancel, 122 pounds] looks to defend his title in his event after capturing last year’s running by a neck over Ottoman Fleet.
Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., the 9-year-old Mastercraftsman gelding makes his first start since an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Red Smith in November here, a race he was also defending his title in after taking the 2023 edition in surprise fashion at odds of 10-1.
The seasoned grey put together a productive campaign last year that saw him earn a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his determined Fort Marcy win, along with respectable finishes in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap [fifth] and Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship [third], beaten less than two lengths in both efforts.
Master Piece, who also captured the Grade 2 Eddie Read in 2022 for conditioner Michael McCarthy, holds a 33-8-4-5 record with $945,827 in total purse earnings. The Chilean-bred is out of the Group 3-winning Proud Citizen mare Torre Laguna.
Completing the field is Repole Stable’s Grade 3-placed Tuscan Sky [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 120 pounds], who tries turf for the first time off a third in the Grade 3 Ghostzapper on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old son of Vino Rosso won the Listed Pegasus in June at Monmouth and finished second in the local nine-furlong Discovery in November.
Magnolia Midnight has been entered for the main track only.
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Alogon Returns for Listed $150,000 Elusive Quality
Charles T. Matses’ Kentucky homebred Alogon will look to double up on local stakes scores in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Elusive Quality, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by Ned Allard, the 6-year-old California Chrome gelding was last seen dead-heating for victory with Works for Me in the Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 9. There, he and Works for Me tracked the speedy Jean Valjean through splits of 22.49 seconds, 45.18 and 56.64 over the firm footing, with the stalking duo finding their best stride late to hit the wire together in a final time of 1:08.42.
Allard said he thought Alogon was on his way to victory when the field turned for home.
The ultra-consistent Alogon has banked $397,799 via a 19-6-2-4 ledger topped by stakes scores in the 2023 Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park and Listed Parx Dash in August. He entered his Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship score from a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint in October here when 1 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Senbei, and a half-length in arrears of runner-up Nothing Better. Both of those rivals will reoppose here.
Allard said Alogon has benefitted from time off and getting started back on an Aqua-tred machine at Nor Mar Farm in Freeland, Maryland.
Duarte Sends Out Nothing Better
Colts Neck Stables’ Nothing Better [post 1, Fernando Jara, 122 pounds] is also making his seasonal debut for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr.
The 8-year-old Munnings gelding boasts a field-best $854,182 in purse earnings through a 31-11-8-3 record. His trio of frontrunning wins over the local strip includes back-to-back victories in the Listed Turf Sprint Championship in 2022-23.
Nothing Better has averaged six starts per campaign over his five years of racing and won off-the-bench to kickstart his 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
Nothing Better posted many of his early scores in gate-to-wire fashion but demonstrated an ability to rate last year when sitting third and pouncing to a three-quarter length victory in the Wolf Hill in July at Monmouth Park.
Gary Barber’s dual Grade 1-placed My Boy Prince [post 10, Jose Lezcano, 122 pounds] will cut back in distance after a trio of off-the-board efforts traveling one-mile or farther for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.
The 4-year-old Cairo Prince gelding finished a prominent second to the victorious Carson’s Run in his turf debut in the one-mile Grade 1 Summer in September 2023 at Woodbine one month before posting a 4 1/4-length score in the restricted Cup and Saucer over 1 1/16-miles of good Woodbine turf. The Ontario-bred completed that campaign with a prominent third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita en route to Sovereign Award honors as Canada’s Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.
My Boy Prince won 3-of-8 starts last year, taking the King Corrie and restricted Queenston and Plate Trial over the Woodbine Tapeta ahead of a runner-up effort to Caitlinhergrtness in the historic King’s Plate.
The talented grey, out of the stakes-winning Silent Name mare Hopping Not Hoping, will return to sprinting from a more than five-month layoff after a close fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf on November 23 at Churchill Downs.
Clement Sends Out Duo
Christophe Clement will be represented by a pair of talented runners in graded stakes-winning New York-bred Senbei [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche, 124 pounds] and stakes-winner Apollo Ten [post 4, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds].
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski’s Senbei, bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski, made the grade over course and distance with a rallying 1 1/4-length score over Nothing Better in the aforementioned Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint in October.
The 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding was a talented dirt runner earlier in his career, including state-bred scores as a juvenile in the 2021 Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, New York Breeders’ Futurity and the Notebook. He added the Listed Gold Fever to his ledger in his 3-year-old debut in May 2022 at Belmont Park.
Senbei was moved to turf in July 2023 with a runner-up effort in an open company optional-claimer at Belmont Park and produced his first win over the green in July here when bounding to a 2 1/4-length score in an optional-claiming sprint.
He was off-the-board in two outings following his Belmont Turf Sprint score and will make his seasonal debut following a string of works at Payson Park Training Center in Florida and a half-mile effort in 49.95 seconds over the Belmont Park dirt training track on Friday.
Senbei is out of the winning Western Cat mare Sweet Aloha, making him a half-brother to multiple stakes-winners Filibustin and Indy’s Lady.
Cheyenne Stable’s Apollo Ten was last seen finishing a closing second to the speedy stakes-winner Joe Shiesty in a Keeneland turf allowance sprint in October.
The 4-year-old Violence colt graduated at second asking here at the Elusive Quality distance in September 2023. He won a pair of starts last year, taking his seasonal debut in April in a five-furlong turf sprint at Gulfstream Park and adding the 5 1/2-furlong My Frenchman to his ledger in July at Monmouth Park.
Trainer Joe Orseno will send out D. J. Stable’s Horsepower [post 2, Rajiv Maragh, 120 pounds] on the back of a three-quarter-length score over stakes-winner Xy Speed in a five-furlong turf handicap on April 5 at Gulfstream Park.
The 4-year-old Good Samaritan gelding boasts an 8-3-4-0 record in turf sprints, including a fourth-out maiden win in July at Monmouth Park and an optional-claiming score in September at Colonial Downs.
Rajiv Maragh, aboard for his last two outings, will ship in for the mount. Last out, Horsepower rallied from last-of-5 and 2 3/4-lengths off the pace to post the narrow win and earn a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure.
Horsepower, out of the stakes-placed Maria’s Mon mare Bear’s Lightning, has banked $211,975 through a 11-4-4-0 ledger that includes a synthetic score against winners on New Year’s Day at Gulfstream.
Roger Cimbora, Jr.’s New York homebred Twenty Six Black [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 118 pounds] will make his seasonal debut over a turf course on which he boasts three wins from four starts.
Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 5-year-old War Dancer gelding has been a model of consistency, hitting the board in 9-of-11 outings including a game second to Ramblin’ Wreck in the 2023 NYSSS Spectacular Bid sprinting seven furlongs over the Belmont Park green.
His local turf scores include a second-out maiden win in April 2023, a state-bred optional-claimer in May and an open-company score against winners in September that garnered a career-best 92 Beyer.
Twenty Six Black was last seen finishing a one-length fourth in the aforementioned Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship where he rallied from eighth position early.
He is out of the First Dude mare Brazo de Oro, who also produced turf stakes-placed Can’t Fool Me. Twenty Six Black has banked $342,560 through a lifetime record of 11-5-3-1.
Rounding out a talented group are Bold Journey [post 7, Eric Cancel, 118 pounds], a graded stakes winner on dirt, who returns to turf for the first time since taking a June 2023 allowance at Belmont for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; multiple stakes-placed Shards [post 3, Adam Beschizza, 118 pounds] for trainer Kelsey Danner; and maiden winner Marcus Gift [post 8, Lane Luzzi, 118 pounds], who makes his stakes debut for conditioner Adrianne DeVaux. Surveillance and Unlimitedpotential are entered for the main-track only.
