Bay of Plenty taking conservative path at Belmont

ELMONT, N.Y. – While trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s top 3-year-old, Cairo Prince, recovers from an injury that knocked him off the Triple Crown trail, another of his promising 3-year-olds, Bay of Plenty, hopes to take a step toward stakes competition when he runs in a first-level allowance race Wednesday at Belmont Park.

The $77,000 allowance race at a mile on dirt is the co-feature on Wednesday’s nine-race card, along with a $77,000 first-level allowance race for fillies and mares going 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Bay of Plenty, a son of Medaglia d’Oro, won a 1 1/16-mile maiden race by 7 1/4 lengths over Aqueduct’s inner track March 22 in his third career start. McLaughlin considered stepping him up to the $500,000 Illinois Derby on April 19 but decided to skip it when the more seasoned Midnight Hawk was a late addition to that field.

“When he popped up, we thought, ‘How are we going to have a nice, uncontested lead?’ ” McLaughlin said. “Race-shape-wise, we just said we didn’t want to run. We went the conservative route.”

Prior to his maiden win, Bay of Plenty had run second in his debut sprinting at Gulfstream and fourth, behind Ring Weekend, in a Feb. 8 maiden race gong 1 1/16 miles. Ring Weekend came back to win the Tampa Bay Derby.

“We have hopes he’s a graded-stakes horse,” McLaughlin said of Bay of Plenty.

Among his six rivals is Roman Approval, a Kentucky-bred son of Roman Ruler who has made all of his starts in Puerto Rico. He is owned by Guillermo Berrios, who has had success in the United States with another Puerto Rico-based runner, My Wandy’s Girl, the recent winner of the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park. Mike Hushion, who trains My Wandy’s Girl, also trains Roman Approval.

“He’s not shown the ability that My Wandy’s Girl has, but he’s been fine,” said Hushion, who has Rajiv Maragh to ride.

Los Borrachos, who ran last in the Wood Memorial after winning a maiden race over the inner track March 8, and Divine Energy, a maiden winner over Aqueduct’s main track April 12, are the other top contenders in the field.

Later on the card, the Irish-bred filly Auld Alliance makes her North American debut for trainer Graham Motion going 1 1/4 miles over Belmont’s inner turf course.

Auld Alliance, owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, has not run since last July, when she faced males in Britain, finishing last of three in a 1 3/4-mile handicap. The last time she faced her own gender was last June 14, when she won a 1 1/2-mile maiden race at Chepstow in Britain.

“She’s not a flashy filly in the morning, but she’s definitely a filly that needs distance,” Motion said. “She’s fit and ready to run.”

Motion has reached out to John Velazquez to ride Auld Alliance.

Satisfaction, beaten four lengths as the favorite in a similar spot at Keeneland in April, tops the competition. Trainer Shug McGaughey adds blinkers to the Awesome Again filly’s equipment and has Javier Castellano to ride. Castellano was aboard for the filly’s maiden win Dec. 8 at Gulfstream Park.