Belmont over, California horses depart East - but they'll be back

ELMONT, N.Y. - The five California-based horses who shipped cross-country and captured many of Belmont Park’s biggest prizes Saturday left town early Sunday morning, but many - if not all - are expected back in this part of the country later this summer.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had one of his biggest days in racing, going 4 for 4 in stakes with Mor Spirit (Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap), Abel Tasman (Grade 1 Acorn), American Anthem (Grade 2 Woody Stephens) and West Coast (Easy Goer). Meanwhile, the incomparable Songbird made a triumphant 4-year-old debut with a one-length victory in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps for fellow Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

The horses left New York early Sunday morning and were expected back in their Santa Anita Park barns by mid-afternoon West Coast time, their connections trailing not too far behind them.

With Baffert having the mighty Arrogate to run in races such as the San Diego and Pacific Classic at Del Mar this summer, Mor Spirit is likely to hit the road again. He has already been to Oaklawn, Lone Star, and Belmont and will likely get a freshening before his next venture.

“He ran pretty hard yesterday; I'll give him time between races, there are plenty of options,” Baffert said Sunday before boarding a plane back to southern California. “Main thing now is to have him ready for the Breeders’ Cup, whether it’s the [Dirt] Mile or Classic, he’ll tell us.”

Mor Spirit won the Met Mile by 6 1/4 lengths, ran a mile in 1:33.71 and was assigned a career-best 117 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance.

Abel Tasman put herself squarely at the top of the 3-year-old filly division, adding the Acorn to her victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks five weeks earlier.

Baffert said the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga on Aug. 19 is definitely on her agenda, but he hasn’t decided if she will run before then.

“She’s really just getting better,” Baffert said. “She’s a really top filly. She’s shown me so much in her training. I’m glad she won yesterday. The Kentucky Oaks, that was a serious race she ran; she’s that kind of filly.”

Abel Tasman, who beat Salty by a length in the Acorn, covered the mile in 1:35.37 and earned a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

The lack of a strong 3-year-old stakes program in southern California in the summer means American Anthem, who earned a 102 Beyer for his Woody Stephens win, and West Coast, a 99 for his Easy Goer score, will likely be traveling. Baffert said both would be considered for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on July 30, but the Grade 1 King’s Bishop going seven furlongs on Aug. 26 at Saratoga is a likely target for American Anthem.

Baffert said he would like to stretch West Coast out in distance, so races at 1 1/8 miles, such as the Haskell or Jim Dandy at Saratoga, could be on the docket. There is also the $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 5 at Mountaineer.

“They’re just now learning how to run,” Baffert said. ‘They’re getting into their groove.”

Songbird has been in a groove since Day One. The two-time champion repelled the challenge of Paid Up Subscriber - who actually got in front of Songbird in the stretch - to win the Phipps by one length; it was her first start since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff nose loss to Beholder. Songbird, now 12 for 13 in her career, received a 97 Beyer after running 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.24.

Songbird has the option of staying in southern California for the Clement Hirsch at Del Mar on July 30, or coming east for the Delaware Handicap on July 15. Rick Porter, who owns Songbird and who is undergoing experimental treatment for cancer, is from Delaware and would like to win the biggest race at his home track.

“Mr. Porter has a couple of races he’d like to run if we could do them and we’ll do our best to try and please him,” Hollendorfer said after he arrived Sunday morning in southern California.

Hollendorfer said Songbird “looked good” early Sunday morning before leaving Belmont Park for her flight.

Maryland shipper Ascend pulled off a 27-1 upset in the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan, earning a 104 Beyer. Trainer Graham Motion said he would like to keep Ascend at 1 1/4 miles for the time being and mentioned the Arlington Million on Aug. 12 as a summer goal. There, he could meet Time Test, the 6-5 Manhattan favorite, who ran second to Ascend. Trainer Chad Brown said he was disappointed that Time Test lost given the trip he had, and said he may make a few minor changes for his next start.

“I feel like there’s more there,” Brown said.

War Story, winner of the Grade 2 Brooklyn, came out of the race in good order, according to owner Ron Paolucci. War Story will have the Jockey Club Gold Cup here later this fall as his major target with a start in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes at Mountaineer on Aug. 5 beforehand.

Antonoe (Grade 1 Just a Game) and Disco Partner (Grade 3 Jaipur) joined Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit as the locally based runners to win stakes here on Saturday.

Antonoe used a powerful late kick to rally from last and win the Just a Game by three-quarters of a length over Sassy Little Lila, adding to an already mighty arsenal of filly and mare turf horses for Brown.

On Sunday, Brown called it “remarkable” Antonoe was able to get up and win from the position she was in early in the race. He said he would get with Garrett O’Rourke, the U.S. racing manager for Juddmonte Farms, in due time to map out a campaign.

“A mile is as short as she wants to run, that’s for sure,” Brown said. “I don’t think she’ll have any trouble getting a mile and an eighth, and maybe farther.”

If the teletimer is correct, Disco Partner set a North American record for six furlongs on turf when he won the Jaipur in 1:05.67. Disco Partner, second in the Jaipur a year ago to stablemate Pure Sensation, seemed fine Sunday morning as he ate grass outside of trainer Christophe Clement’s barn. Clement said he had no plans for Disco Partner, but said he wouldn’t be afraid to run him longer than six furlongs. Disco Partner is 2 for 3 at seven furlongs.

However, he did win the Troy at 5 1/2 furlongs last summer at Saratoga. This summer, the Troy has a purse bump to $250,000 and will be run Aug. 6.