Anne Marie Duff
HAVING landed the English and Irish Derbys, Aidan O’Brien turns his attention to the US this evening when Belmont feature a card of stakes races headed by the two Grade 1 contests, the Belmont Derby and Oaks. Both races are over a mile and a quarter.
A field of 11 will line up for the Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational at 1¼ miles on the inner turf on the Stars & Stripes Racing Festival card.
O’Brien won this race last year with Deauville and his leading contender is Homesman, winner of the Grade 3 Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes at Curragh to add to a maiden win at Limerick. He is joined by Free Handicap winner Whitecliffsofdover, with two wins from seven starts. Both are sons of War Front. Homesman will run from stall three with Colm O’Donoghue aboard, and Whitecliffsofdover will break from post 10 with jockey Wayne Lordan.
“Homesman is very lightly raced. He’s actually grown up to be a fine, big horse,” assistant trainer T.J. Comerford said at the track this week. “They’re two similar horses. Homesman is progressing, it’s a big step up for him, but he’s entitled to do so.”
The home favourite, Oscar Performance, will look for his second straight victory after an easy Grade 3 win last time. Oscar Performance won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in his two-year-old campaign with today’s rival Good Samaritan in third.
Bill Mott runs both Good Samaritan and Yoshida running for Winstar Farm. Senior Investment, last seen finishing fifth in the Belmont Stakes, is another leading contender.
Aidan O’Brien will be represented by Grade 3 Naas Oaks Trial winner Key To My Heart in the Belmont Oaks where she has 11 rivals.
Chad Brown, who will be seeking his third Belmont Oaks tally in four years, is well-represented with four of the 12 entrants including New Money Honey and Sistercharlie, the possible favourite in her first outing for Brown.
The formerly French-based filly won three of her first four starts, including a Group 3 two runs back, before a runner-up in the French Oaks.
Grizzel is an Irish-bred daughter of Kodiac ridden by Irishman Davy Moran and Beau Recall a daughter of Sir Prancealot.
The Grade 2 Suburban Handicap for older horses is headed by Jimmy Jerkens’ Shaman Ghost who won the Woodward last year and chased home Arrogate in the Pegasus World Cup in January. He followed up with a win in the Santa Anita Handicap. Todd Pletcher’s Keen Ice, the only horse to beat American Pharoah in his three-year-old career, is among his rivals.
The Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes over a mile for three-year-olds sees the return of Practical Joke, a dual Grade 1 winner last year,back in action after a fifth in the Kentucky Derby.
The Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes has Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Mind Your Biscuits as favourtie against Unified.