Chalon always dangerous in first start of the year

ELMONT, N.Y. – Chalon won her debut at age 2, 4, and 5. Her connections hope that trend continues Friday at Belmont Park when Chalon makes her 6-year-old debut in the $80,000 Harmony Lodge Stakes at six furlongs.

Chalon, a daughter of Dialed In, has been quite consistent throughout her 18-race career. She has seven wins – including five listed stakes – and seven seconds, all in graded stakes. She has not run since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes last October at Keeneland.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour said Chalon developed bone bruising after the TCA Stakes and was given plenty of time to heal. While Chalon has typically returned to the races in April or May, Delacour said the extra time this year was beneficial.

“A month ago, she was not there in her coat,” Delacour said. “She wasn’t as ready as she was the previous years, so really I was not worrying about the delay and the fact we couldn’t run. I’m just happy with the timing. She’s coming well now, I think.”

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Chalon has run well at Belmont, winning the listed Jersey Girl Stakes in 2017 and running second in both the Grade 3 Vagrancy in 2018 and Bed o’ Roses in 2019.

Chalon will break from post 8 under Jose Ortiz.

Mother Mother is similar to Chalon in that she has yet to win a graded stakes but is 2 for 2 in listed events. Mother Mother won the Kalookan Queen in January at Santa Anita before finishing second to Hard Not to Love in the Grade 2 Santa Monica and third in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer.

Mother Mother actually crossed the finish line fourth in the Desert Stormer but was elevated to third when the stewards disqualified her stablemate, Fighting Mad, who finished third, for interference out of the gate. That interference caused Mother Mother to clip heels soon after the start and drop farther back early in the race.

The Desert Stormer has proven to be a key race, with Fighting Mad coming back to upset last weekend’s Grade 2 Santa Maria at Santa Anita. Tomlin, who finished sixth in the Desert Stormer, came back to win a turf stakes at Golden Gate.

Royal Charlotte, who won the Grade 3 Victory Ride here last summer and the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga, makes her 4-year-old return for trainer Chad Brown. Royal Charlotte is 4 for 4 at six furlongs and shows a solid work tab for her first start since a fifth-place finish in last October’s Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland.

Gypsy Janie won a pair of allowance races for Mike Tannuzzo during the Aqueduct winter meet. She makes her first start for Tom Morley in this spot. Piedi Bianchi and Slimey, the one-two finishers in the March 14 Correction Stakes at Aqueduct, are back in this spot.

Last True Love, Honey I’m Good, Nisha, and Pacific Gale complete the field.

* Friday's card features a $327,647 carryover in the late pick five after the bet went unhit Thursday. The sequence includes the Harmony Lodge Stakes.