Caen Na Coille can improve off U.S. debut
ELMONT, N.Y. – Caen Na Coille finished fourth in her U.S. debut last month at Aqueduct, but the race didn’t come with the easiest of trips. Perhaps with that start under her belt and running at a distance at which she has proven successful will enable her to turn things around in Friday’s $92,000 first-level allowance feature going 1 1/4 miles on turf at Belmont Park.
Caen Na Coille, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, made 15 starts in Great Britain before coming to the U.S. late last year. Though all three of her wins came over a synthetic surface, two were at 1 1/4 miles. On April 3, in her first start for trainer Graham Motion and going 1 1/16 miles on turf, Caen Na Coille was bumped leaving the gate and was then a bit headstrong and hard to handle for Trevor McCarthy. She was second turning for home, but weakened in the lane to be beaten four lengths by Flighty Lady.
“She was a little keen early,” Motion said. “I don’t think it was anybody’s fault, she was just sharp, fresh and I didn’t know her very well. I thought her last race was a pretty solid effort. If she settles a little bit this time, with a race under her belt, it’ll help. She came over with a decent reputation, albeit on the all-weather.”
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Junior Alvarado rides Caen Na Coille from post 5.
She Throws Heat should go off favored in this spot. A daughter of Honor Code trained by Shug McGaughey, She Throws Heat is coming off a tough beat when second to Valletta, beaten a head, in a 1 1/2-mile allowance at Gulfstream Park on March 3. She Throws Heat made an early sustained bid to get to the lead turning for home and was just nailed in the final stride.
She Throws Heat did win her lone start over the Belmont turf, that being a maiden $75,000 claiming race going 1 1/8 miles here last October.
Jose Ortiz rides She Throws Heat.
Whatdoesasharksay was fourth, beaten just a length, in the same race that She Throws Heat exits. Whatdoesasharksay, trained by Jimmy Toner, did record her only win going 1 1/4 miles here in September 2019.
La Dragontea makes her U.S. debut for trainer Christophe Clement. She, like Caen Na Coille, showed more on synthetic than turf overseas but has performed well at the 1 1/4-mile distance.
“I’m running her probably one or two works shorter than what I like, but the next race is five or six weeks from now,” Clement said. “I think she’s fit enough to run. She might improve from the race. She’s been pretty steady in her works. She’s very one-paced, that’s the reason she’ll go a mile and a quarter.”
Joel Rosario rides from what should be the rail following the scratch of main-track-only entrant Halo City.
Wicked Amber, who finished third the day Caen Na Coille was fourth, completes the field.
First post at Belmont Friday is 1 p.m.