Belmont Park: Clement has three good-lookers on Wednesday card

ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s supposed to get steamy here on Wednesday with temperatures soaring into the 90s for the nine-race program at Belmont Park, which begins with a pick six carryover of $26,657.

Perhaps the only thing hotter than the temperature is trainer Christophe Clement’s barn, which has won 5 of the last 8 races it has participated in at Belmont. Clement has moved into a second-place tie with Rudy Rodriguez in the Belmont standings with 14 victories, five behind Richard Dutrow Jr.

Clement sends out three more live runners on Wednesday’s card, which is highlighted by a trio of open-company allowance races.

In the opener, a second-level allowance gong seven furlongs on the Widener Turf, Clement sends out Limonar for her fourth attempt to clear the second-level allowance condition hurdle. In her last race, Limonar finished second to Silver Screamer while finishing 3 1/4 lengths clear of the rest of the field. Limonar didn’t have much of an excuse, though Silver Screamer did get the jump on her through a modest opening half-mile and was winning for the fifth time in her last seven starts.

Limonar would benefit if Button Girl and Celtic Chant were to hook up early.

“Last time out she ran a good race. She’s training well; she should be running with a bit of pace,” Clement said.

Notassharpasuthink has finished second in 7 of her 14 career starts. She makes her first start for Rick Violette after having run previously for Tom Amoss.

In the third, Clement brings Erin’s Rose back to the races in a third-level allowance on dirt at 6 1/2 furlongs. Erin Rose has not been out since June 4, 2011 when she finished last in the Grade 2 Vagrancy Handicap. She suffered a bone-related injury that required plenty of time off.

“Everything is fine I just hope she’s tight enough after the long layoff,” Clement said.

Midnight Visit is a New York-bred filly who could play out as the primary speed for trainer Todd Pletcher. She defeated open company in February in front-running fashion over Aqueduct’s inner track.

Barocci, who Clement scratched out of a 1 1/16-mile allowance race last Friday when the race was moved to the dirt, will run in a 1 1/4-mile first-level allowance over the inner turf that goes as Wednesday’s eighth.

Barocci, a Japanese-bred, finished second in a Group 3 in France last September at 1 1/4 miles, a race from which Desert Blanc emerged to win the Grade 1 Manhattan here on June 9.

“I think he’ll stay the mile and a quarter,” Clement said. “He’s training forwardly. I’m excited to see him run. He’s got a wide draw, but I’ll let Julien [Leparoux] deal with that.”

Change of Command, Presumptive, Soul of Borrego and Crafty Unicorn are others in here that look intriguing.