Belmont Oaks toughest test yet for Lady Eli
ELMONT, N.Y. – For nearly 12 months, Lady Eli has proven to be the best turf filly of her generation, winning all five of her starts, including last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. On Saturday in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, Lady Eli will have to be every bit as good as she’s been – and perhaps a touch better – to keep her unblemished record intact.
Lady Eli will face 13 challengers, including two from her own barn, in the 1 1/4-mile Oaks, which, in addition to its lavish $1 million purse, offers an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland in October. The Oaks is a Win and You’re In race, part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge.
The Oaks also is the highlight of an 11-race program at Belmont (12:30 p.m. Eastern first post) that includes five other graded stakes. Four of them – the Grade 1, $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds on turf; the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap for older males on dirt; the Oaks; and the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship – comprise an all-stakes pick four with a guaranteed pool of $500,000. The Suburban and Belmont Oaks will be televised live on NBC in a one-hour telecast beginning at 5 p.m.
Lady Eli was surrounded by horses for most of the trip when she won the Wonder Again Stakes here May 31. It wasn’t until upper stretch when Irad Ortiz Jr. was able to bull his way outside and Lady Eli kicked home with her electric turn of foot to beat Heath by a half-length. It wasn’t a hard race because Lady Eli ran for only three-sixteenths of a mile.
“She didn’t win by much, but it was impressive that she was able to work her way out of trouble and win geared down off a very slow pace,” trainer Chad Brown said. “She’s a very versatile horse. I hope she gets a clean trip and shows her stuff.”
Brown also will run Consumer Credit, who won the Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct before finishing a troubled third to Spanish Queen in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita, and Strict Compliance, who won the Penn Oaks but will break from post 14 on Saturday.
Spanish Queen, trained in California by Richard Baltas, is only a neck away from being undefeated. She had a perfect trip under Brice Blanc while winning the American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles.
“She won fairly easy,” Baltas said. “The thing I liked is [Blanc] wasn’t all in on her. I think she had something left. She can get the mile and a quarter. I know that now.”
The European-based fillies Olorda and Outstanding are wild cards in this field. Olorda, trained by Michael Figge, won a Group 3 race at Longchamp in May and was third in a Group 1 there three weeks later. That was her third race in five weeks. On Thursday, Olorda blew out three furlongs in 36.60 seconds over the Belmont turf course under jockey John Velazquez, who will ride her Saturday.
“Very nice, very good, beautiful action,” Velazquez said.
Outstanding, trained by Aidan O’Brien, is a full sister to Magician, the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner. She has won her last two starts, including a listed stakes at 1 1/4 miles on June 24.
KEY CONTENDERS
Lady Eli (Last 3 Beyers: 85-94-94)
◗ She has won all five of her starts, ranging in distance from a mile to 1 1/8 miles. This will be her first start at 1 1/4 miles.
“As she’s gotten older, she’s relaxed quite a bit,” Brown said. “I just don’t see anything in her races or in the way she trains that would prevent her from getting a mile and a quarter effectively.”
Spanish Queen (Last 3 Beyers: 96-97-87)
◗ Baltas believes his filly has learned to rate better. “She was a little keen,” he said. “She keeps getting better.”
◗ Spanish Queen has not run outside of Santa Anita, but Baltas pointed out that the course was different toward the end of the meet than at the beginning.
“They let the grass grow a little longer; it was different,” Baltas said. “I don’t think it’s going to make a difference.”
Olorda
◗ Figge said Lady Eli is the horse to beat, but he is hopeful that his filly can finish in the top three.
“She’s very hard to beat,” Figge said of Lady Eli. “If we are third, we did a great job – that’s my opinion. There are some very good fillies, but it’s a tough race. Of course we want to win, but winning is difficult.”
Strict Compliance (Last 3 Beyers: 86-83-76)
◗ Surged late to win the Penn Oaks going a mile and before that won an allowance race at 1 3/16 miles at Keeneland.
“She did win at a mile and three-sixteenths at Keeneland closing and with trouble,” Brown said. “This is a class test for her, but I think she deserves a chance, and she does go a mile and a quarter.”
◗ She must overcome post 14.