Concrete Rose proves best in Belmont Oaks

ELMONT, N.Y. – As he watched Concrete Rose stalk the pacesetting Japanese filly Jodie for the opening mile of Saturday’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, trainer Rusty Arnold was feeling pretty good. There was only one question on his mind.

“It was just strictly a matter of whether she was going to get the mile and a quarter,” Arnold said.

Concrete Rose left no doubt that she could go that distance as she overtook Jodie outside the eighth pole and galloped home a convincing 2 3/4-length victory in the $750,000 Oaks at Belmont Park. Just Wonderful, who was well back early, rallied strongly in the lane to nose out Cambier Parc for second.

Jodie finished fourth, followed by Dyna Passer, Cafe Americano, Coral Beach, Olendon, and Newspaperofrecord, the 8-5 favorite who resented being rated early on by Irad Ortiz Jr.

The win was the fifth in six career starts for Concrete Rose and her fourth in a graded stakes, her first in a Grade 1. Concrete Rose, a daughter of Twirling Candy, is owned by Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing.

Arnold purposely spaced out the races for Concrete Rose, who won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa in March and the Grade 3 Edgewood at Churchill where she easily blew by Newspaperofrecord. He wanted a fresh filly for the summer races, especially if she showed she would be viable to run the new Triple Tiara Turf series created by the New York Racing Association consisting of the Saratoga Oaks on Aug. 2 and the Jockey Club Oaks back here on Sept. 7.

“She’s a slight filly there isn’t a whole lot to her, I don’t need to train her down to nothing,” Arnold said. “Two months between Tampa and Churchill and two months between Churchill and here and it worked out good. She’s not going to get two months now.”

Arnold and jockey Julien Leparoux thought Concrete Rose would be laying second, but sitting off Newspaperofrecord. However, the connections of that filly had said they didn’t want to be on the lead and experimented with trying to cover her up.

Jodie, the Japanese-based filly, wound up setting the pace under Miyabi Muto. Concrete Rose was always within 1 1/2 lengths through a quarter in 24.29 seconds, a half-mile in 49.16, six furlongs in 1:14.14 and a mile in 1:37.19.

Turning for home, Leparoux set sail after Jodie, collared her outside the eighth pole and came home a fairly easy winner. Concrete Rose covered the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.97 and returned $7.80 as the second choice in the field of nine.

“The Japanese horse wanted to go, I was happy to lay second, my filly relaxed beautifully for me the whole race,” Leparoux said. “I knew at the quarter pole I had a lot left. She made a big run at the end, it was nice.”

Arnold said Concrete Rose would ship to Saratoga on Sunday to prepare for the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks at 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 2.

Newspaperofrecord was the dominant 2-year-old turf filly of 2018, winning all three of her starts emphatically. She twice finished second this year, getting passed after racing on the lead. Brown felt she could be more effective at a longer distance if Irad Ortiz Jr. could get her covered up early on. Newspaperofrecord totally resented it and though she was third, 1 1/2 lengths back at the quarter pole, she faded in the stretch.

“She didn’t cooperate at all, she was just all over the place no fault of Irad’s,” Brown said. “We tried it and it didn’t work, and that’s that.”

Brown’s Cambier Parc did run a respectable third, just being nosed out by Just Wonderful at the wire.

“The winner was obviously tons the best today, she really performed well,” Brown said. “Unfortunate we just lost second by a bob there. I was proud of her effort.”