Ancient Goddess gets class relief in return from layoff
The race 8 filly-and-mare turf sprint at Belmont Park on Thursday will have only seven starters, but that doesn’t mean it’s a free square on your exotic-wagering bingo card.
The second-level optional race will be run over the Widener course at seven furlongs. The top contenders figure to be Fair Point, Sparkle Factor, Roca Rojo, and Ancient Goddess. There are positives and negatives to each.
Ancient Goddess, trained by John Terranova, has made nine consecutive stakes starts since being imported from France as a 2-year-old in the summer of 2014. She won the Star Shoot Stakes over Polytrack at Woodbine last year and was competitive while facing 3-year-old filly standouts such as Lady Shipman, Hot City Girl, and Include Betty.
Given the winter off, this will be the 4-year-old’s first start since November.
“I’ve always liked her,” Terranova said. “We were looking for a spot to get her started back and decided to drop her into this race. I’m hoping for a good season with her now that she’s an older filly.”
Last year, Ancient Goddess ran in a variety of races. She sprinted on turf, synthetic, and dirt and even tried two turns on the main track once.
“She was a little hard to figure out, and we tried a few different things,” Terranova said. “We’re going to keep her sprinting on the grass this year. I think she’s a one-turn turf filly.”
Key contenders
Fair Point, by Smart Strike
Last 3 Beyers: 84-71-67
◗ Trained by Shug McGaughey, she won her grass debut at this distance over the inner turf in May despite having to await racing room in the stretch.
◗ She steps up a level here, but the acceleration she showed in her last race was impressive.
Sparkle Factor, by Arch
Last 3 Beyers: 82-82-89
◗ She has finished third in her three U.S. starts for Christophe Clement since being imported from Ireland last summer.
◗ She will be turning back a bit in distance while returning from a 14-week break. This is a good opportunity for her to step up.
Ancient Goddess, by Iffraaj
Last 3 Beyers: 59-79-80
◗ This extended break is the first Ancient Goddess has had since her career debut at Maisons-Laffitte in May 2014.
“My guess is she may need one,” Terranova said. “She’s a bigger, heavier type of filly.”
Roca Rojo, by Strategic Prince
◗ She won at the smaller Ireland tracks of Killarney and Gowan Park to begin her career. She will be making her first start in more than 13 months and her debut for trainer Chad Brown.
◗ Owned by Sheep Pond Partners and others, she worked 11 times at Saratoga and Belmont between last July and October. Her work pattern resumed in May, and she has breezed six times.