Belmont Park: Quantum Miss's speed gets a test in Prioress

ELMONT, N.Y. – A year ago, trainer Tony Dutrow trained a New York-bred filly who used her brilliant speed to become a Grade 1 winner in the Ballerina. This year, Dutrow trains a Pennsylvania-bred filly who will try to use a similar running style to win Monday’s Grade 1 Prioress at Belmont Park.

Quantum Miss will get a chance to be considered in the same light as last year’s Ballerina winner, Rightly So, when she seeks her fourth consecutive victory against five other 3-year-old fillies in the $250,000 Prioress, the featured event on a 10-race Fourth of July program. First post is 1 p.m.

Quantum Miss, a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Smoke Glacken, has won 5 of 7 starts, including the Grade 3 Cicada at Aqueduct. But the Prioress is certainly shaping up as her sternest test to date.

“Quantum Miss has got a lot to prove,” said Dutrow, who won the 2009 Prioress with Cat Moves. “Everyone can see that she’s fast – there’s no question about her being a fast horse – but I would think if you ran very good in the Prioress you would have to be among the best of your generation. Quantum Miss has that to prove. She’s doing great, but she has to prove that.”

Quantum Miss is coming off a 12-length victory against Pennsylvania-breds in the Wonders Delight Stakes at Penn National on May 27. She ran six furlongs in 1:08.63 and earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

Dutrow said if he knew Quantum Miss would have run that well, he would have trained her up to the Prioress. He added, “If she runs the way she ran at Penn National that will be a sad day for the rest of them.”

Quantum Miss, who breaks from post 4 under Jeremy Rose, will have to outsprint several fleet-footed fillies, including California invader Alienation, the New Jersey shipper Our Year, and the locally based Roman Treasure.

Alienation, second in last year’s Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga, made an impressive 3-year-old debut winning a first-level allowance race by 7 3/4 lengths at Hollywood Park in her first start since having a chip taken out of ankle.

“The whole thing is pace,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “She just goes as fast as she can go for as long as she can; there’s no rating for her.”
Roman Treasure has won two straight races on the front end after finishing fourth to Quantum Miss. She has displayed considerable speed in her last two races.

If there is a pace meltdown, Pomeroys Pistol could be the biggest beneficiary. An upset winner of the Grade 2 Forward Gal earlier in the year, Pomeroys Pistol comes off a win in the Just Smashing Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 11. Cornelio Velasquez rides from post 6.

Her Smile also figures to be running late under Javier Castellano.