All signs point to Pivotal Connection

ELMONT, N.Y. – Pivotal Connection caught a firm turf course and a razor-sharp opponent when she finished second in her return to the races off a nine-month layoff last month at Belmont Park.

Friday, Pivotal Connection gets more distance, a turf course that figures to have some give in it, and a potential pace battle in front of her when she runs in a first-level allowance race that serves as Belmont Park’s feature on its eight-race card.

The 1 1/4-mile race drew seven for the turf and one – Kingdom’s Queen – for the dirt. The race carries an $30,000 claiming option, but none of the horses are in for the tag.

Pivotal Connection, trained by Bill Mott for Team Valor International, had one third- and three fourth-place-finishes in this condition when she raced in the United States last year. In her lone start at 1 1/4 miles, Pivotal Connection finished fourth behind Lady Paname, who came back to win the Grade 3 Long Island Handicap last November.

Following a 1 1/4-length loss to stablemate Mitchell Road at Aqueduct in December, Pivotal Connection didn’t race again until Sept. 13, when she rallied along the inside to get second behind Coffee Crush in a one-mile allowance that went in a fast 1:34.44.

Junior Alvarado rides Pivotal Connection from post 2 on Friday.

She should get some pace in front of her, partly supplied by the Mott-trained Giant Zinger, who drops out of an eighth-place finish in the John Hettinger Stakes for New York-breds on Sept. 22. Prior to that, she was beaten a half-length by Romantic Pursuit, who is entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes.

Giant Zinger is likely to have some company in the form of Cap de Creus and Nonsensical. It would make perfect sense if Nonsensical is on the lead. She is coupled with the late-running Fancy That, and both are owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing, who won two stakes here last Saturday, including the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational with Final Frontier and the Matron with Alms.

Nonsensical, trained by Tom Albertrani, is returning to allowance company after a fourth-place finish in the Unbridled Essence Stakes going 1 1/2 miles at Monmouth Park. Fancy That, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, finished second in this condition at Saratoga last out. Fancy That looked to be stalling out in the stretch of that Aug. 22 race but re-rallied to get second behind Beau Belle.

Both Nonsensical and Fancy That have won on wet surfaces in the event the race comes off the turf.

McLaughlin said he prefers that the race remains on the turf. Fancy That is by Street Sense out of the three-time graded dirt stakes-winning mare Sara Louise.

“She wasn’t necessarily bred for the turf but she handled it,” McLaughlin said.

Team Win and Cap de Creus are separate betting interests from the Todd Pletcher barn. So Charming, trained by Michael Matz, is 1 for 16.