Distorted Beauty offers value in Intercontinental Stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association is conducting 17 stakes races over three days at Belmont Park, perhaps none more competitive than Thursday’s $150,000 Intercontinental Stakes for older fillies and mares at seven furlongs over the Widener turf course.
A full field of 14 was entered, and NYRA oddsmaker Eric Donovan has six priced between 7-2 and 8-1 odds. Marbre Rose and Shrinking Violet are the top two choices at 7-2 and 4-1 but are parked out in posts 11 and 12.
The Intercontinental, which goes as race 7, is one of two stakes on an eight-race card that begins at 12:50 p.m. Eastern. Also on the card is the $250,000 Astoria Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs. That goes as race 3 and kicks off a pick six for which NYRA has guaranteed a pool of $75,000. The pool should be well above that since there is a $44,438 carryover after the wager was not hit on Sunday.
Players likely will have to spread in the Intercontinental, and one horse who should offer value is Distorted Beauty, a New York-bred daughter of Invasor who is 3 for 4 over Belmont’s turf and is coming off an open-company, second-level optional-claiming victory here May 15.
“It was a good comeback race. She did it easy; the field scratched down and fell apart,” said trainer Bruce Levine, who entered Thursday’s card two wins shy of 2,000 for his career.
Distorted Beauty is drawn in post 9, just inside of the Christophe Clement-trained duo of Zindaya and Marbre Rose. Zindaya, the potential speed of the race, is coming off a victory in the License Fee Stakes on May 1, while Marbre Rose had an allowance win and a listed stakes victory at Gulfstream before running sixth in the Grade 2 Honey Fox.
KEY CONTENDERS
Distorted Beauty (Last 3 Beyers: 88-49-89)
◗ She has four wins and two seconds in seven turf starts. Her lone bad effort came in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill.
“She didn’t take to the track; it was sand,” Levine said. “She didn’t run two jumps. She came back, ran great, ran to her training.”
Marbre Rose (Last 3 Beyers: 91-91-86)
◗ She overcame the far-outside post 11 to win a seven-furlong allowance race over this course with a six-wide move last October at the Intercontinental distance of seven furlongs.
◗ She ran sixth in the Honey Fox, finishing behind the horses who ran 2-3-4 in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill. While that trio runs in Saturday’s Grade 1 Just a Game, Marbre Rose takes a detour into softer company.
“Distance, trip, and it was her first race back,” Clement said. “She’s tight now, and she has run well at Belmont Park.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Marbre Rose. Trainer Christophe Clement is 15-3-1-2 with a $0.95 ROI over the past two years going route to sprint on turf following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Zindaya (Last 3 Beyers: 92-75-86)
◗ She is 2 for 2 at Belmont, with both wins coming in front-running fashion.
◗ She tries seven furlongs for the first time. She ran third in a Grade 3 stakes going a mile at Santa Anita last Oct. 25.
“Seven might be as far as she wants to go,” Clement said.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 10 Zindaya. Trainer Christophe Clement is 12-5-2-1 with a $3.30 ROI over the past two years in turf sprints on the NYRA circuit with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Radiator (Beyers: 86-88)
◗ She cuts back to seven furlongs after a disappointing sixth-place finish in Grade 3 Beaugay going 1 1/16 miles here May 9.
“She might not want to go that far,” trainer Bill Mott said. “Should she have fired from where she was at? Yes. Was it ideal? No. Good horses weren’t created under perfect conditions.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Believe in Charlie. Trainer Tom Bush is 46-1-8-4 with a $0.52 ROI over the past two years in turf sprints on the NYRA circuit. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Devilish Love. Trainer Tony Dutrow is 20-1-4-3 with a $0.46 ROI over the past two years in turf sprints on the NYRA circuit. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Token of Love. Trainer Graham Motion is 11-0-2-1 over the past five years going route to sprint on the NYRA circuit.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan