Belmont Park: Emollient likely to run next in Garden City

ELMONT, N.Y. – Having secured her second Grade 1 victory of the year in Saturday’s $350,000 American Oaks at Betfair Hollywood Park, Emollient will now focus on some more Grade 1 opportunities this fall, trainer Bill Mott said Sunday.

Mott said the likely next target for Emollient is the Grade 1, $350,000 Garden City Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Belmont on Sept. 13, followed by one of two Grade 1 races at Keeneland in October – the Spinster on synthetic for fillies and mares ages 3 and up or the Queen Elizabeth for 3-year-old fillies on turf. Emollient’s other Grade 1 victory this year came in the Ashland at Keeneland, a race on synthetic that she won by nine lengths.

In the Ashland, Emollient broke on top and kept going. In the American Oaks, Emollient broke a step slowly and settled into third under Mike Smith behind a slow pace.

Smith moved Emollient into second midway down the backstretch, and she was within a head of the lead after six furlongs in 1:14.91.

She wrested the lead from Sarach in midstretch and held Emotional Kitten at bay to win by a half-length. Emollient, a Juddmonte Farms homebred daughter of Empire Maker, covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.38 and earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She hadn’t had a race in a while,” Mott said. “Maybe she didn’t break as sharp as she did in the Ashland, where she had a race seven days before, and she broke sharp. She was very professional. Mike said she was really relaxed and did everything he wanted and said he was just basically looking around when she hit the finish pole. He thought she had more left in the tank.”

Mott said Emollient likely would ship back to Belmont in a few days.

While Mott was at Belmont on Sunday, he did not work Royal Delta. Instead, he gave her a strong gallop in preparation for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Delaware Handicap.

Mott said he might work Royal Delta again before the race, believing she is getting plenty out of her gallops following a big workout last weekend.

Among the notable workers at Belmont on Sunday were Eblouissante, who went seven furlongs in 1:27.18 in company with Death Star, and the maiden winner Jake’s Magic Hat, who went five furlongs in 59.50 seconds.

Eblouissante will be entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Shuvee at Saratoga but also could run in an allowance race two days later. Jake’s Magic Hat is likely to run in Sunday’s Grade 3 Sanford for 2-year-olds.