Ancient Goddess drops in from stakes ranks
ELMONT, N.Y. – After racing in seven consecutive stakes races since coming to this country in the summer of 2014, Ancient Goddess gets some class relief Thursday when she starts in a second-level allowance scheduled for six furlongs on Belmont Park’s inner turf course.
Nine were entered for the race, one of six scheduled for the grass a day after heavy rain was expected to fall in the area.
Ancient Goddess came to the U.S. and trainer John Terranova after winning a maiden race at Chantilly in June 2014. In her first start in the U.S., in August 2014 at Saratoga, she finished third in the P.G. Johnson Stakes, her first time going long.
After running sixth to Lady Eli in the Miss Grillo, Ancient Goddess ran twice on dirt during the fall and winter before getting time off. She returned from a three-month layoff to win the $133,000 Star Shoot Stakes over Woodbine’s Polytrack. She finished fifth in the Alywow Stakes on turf at Woodbine before running fourth to the brilliant Lady Shipman in the Coronation Cup at Saratoga on Aug. 5.
Terranova is adding blinkers to Ancient Goddess’s equipment. He tried that last November when he put her on dirt in the Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill, and she finished sixth.
There appears to be ample pace in this race, with Laura Can Disco and Paradise Alley in the field. Scatcapade, coming off a win at Saratoga, and Sustainable, who is trying turf for the first time, also are contenders in this spot.
KEY CONTENDERS
Ancient Goddess (Last 3 Beyers: 79-69-74)
◗ Getting away from the likes of Lady Shipman and Mississippi Delta should aid this filly, who has one win from seven starts.
◗ The Coronation Cup has turned out to be a strong race. Lady Shipman came back to set a Saratoga course record in winning the Smart N Fancy Stakes. Miss Ella and Darling Sky, second and third in the Coronation Cup, came back to run one-two in the Christiecat Stakes here on opening day.
Scatcapade (Last 3 Beyers: 83-81-78)
◗ Comes off a first-level allowance win at Saratoga and shows a bullet three-furlong blowout for this.
“She’s quick,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “I’m really hoping for the ground not to be soft because she has so much natural speed.”
◗ She is winless in five tries at Belmont and may be better at 5 1/2 furlongs, Clement said.
Laura Can Disco (Last 3 Beyers: 61-64-79)
◗ She is 2 for 2 sprinting on turf at Belmont, including a victory last October over a course labeled “good.”
◗ Also has plenty of early speed and figures to take this field as far as she can under Jose Ortiz. She may have to deal with pace pressure from Paradise Alley.
Hillhouse High (Last 3 Beyers: 76-88-74)
◗ Only 2 for 15, but both victories came on turf at Belmont, where she also has three second-place finishes. She has lost eight straight.