Favorites in New York Stallion Stakes unproven on turf
The New York Stallion Stakes series for 3-year-olds switches to turf Sunday at Belmont Park, and the result is a pair of confusing races.
Sudden Surprise won the last leg of the Stallion Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt in April. Bust Another won the Mike Lee Stakes for New York-breds at seven furlongs on dirt in May. They will be among the favorites in the Spectacular Bid division of the Stallion Stakes even though neither has raced on turf before.
Similarly, Libreta, a winner of the filly division of the Stallion Stakes series in April, will make her grass debut as the possible favorite in the Cupecoy’s Joy division of the Stallion Stakes.
Both races are at seven furlongs.
Sunday’s card also features a first-level optional race in which the Keith Desormeux-trained Swipe will prep for the July 9 Dwyer Stakes.
Bust Another has been an excellent claim for trainer Michael Pino, who took him for $32,000 in January at Aqueduct. Bust Another has since won a pair of optional races – one for statebreds and the other for open company – in addition to the $125,000 Mike Lee. In all, he is 3 for 5 for Pino with earnings of $170,800.
In the Mike Lee, he ran by the front-running Championofthenile in upper stretch to score by 3 1/4 lengths.
“We got lucky with him,” Pino said. “But we have made some nice claims over the years.”
Among Pino’s best are Wallyanna, who won the Grade 2 Hall of Fame at Saratoga and the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico after being claimed for $35,000 at Gulfstream Park in 2014; Mr. Online, who won seven races, including the El Prado Stakes, after he was claimed for $30,000 at Gulfstream in 2013; and Perfect Officer, a $50,000 claim at Gulfstream in 2011 who went on to finish third in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs.
Pino cross-entered Bust Another in the $50,000 Ontario County Stakes at Finger Lakes on Monday but said he planned to run at Belmont.
“Honestly, the turf is going to be an experiment,” Pino said. “I didn’t want to change anything, but this race is here. His sire Bustin Stones is by City Zip, and they usually turf. The sire of City Zip’s dam is Relaunch, who was a very good turf runner and sire.”
Sudden Surprise, a six-time winner from 10 starts for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole, has won three New York-bred stakes and two Stallion Stakes. In the Mike Lee, he hooked up on the lead with Championofthenile and then tired to finish seventh.
Sudden Surprise has bounced back from a similar outcome before and should make the lead as long as he handles the footing and isn’t bothered by his stablemate Spooked Out, who also has speed.
Favoritism could go to Mid-Atlantic shipper Silent Waters, who is 2 for 4 on grass and comes into this off a fourth-place finish in the $500,000 Penn Mile. Owned by the Phoenix Stable, he was trained by John Pimental for the Penn Mile but will race for Kevin McCarthy on Sunday.
In the Cupecoy’s Joy, Libreta enters having won both on the lead and from just off the pace. Trained by Tom Albertrani, she was 13-1 when she won her Stallion Stakes but will be a shorter price Sunday.
Her main challengers look to be Frosty Margarita, Wonderment, and the David Donk-trained pair of Ametrine and Naked Empress.
Although Frosty Margarita hasn’t raced on turf, trainer Rudy Rodriguez worked her five furlongs over the Belmont grass last Sunday.
Wonderment, trained by Ken McPeek, won the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks over Polytrack at Turfway Park in April. She also has a turf race under her belt.
Ametrine and Naked Empress will both be facing tougher rivals but are winners on turf.
Swipe prepping for Dwyer
Swipe will make his first start since having tieback throat surgery to help his breathing at Belmont Park on Sunday. A good performance could earn him a start in the Grade 3, $500,000 Dwyer, a one-mile race for 3-year-olds on July 9, according to Julie Clark, assistant trainer to Keith Desormeaux.
Swipe finished second to Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist in four consecutive stakes last year. In his lone start at 3, he raced in good early position in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland before tiring to finish sixth. He had surgery following that race.
“It’s always a little tough to tell exactly where they are when they’re coming off a layoff,” Clark said, “but he always tries hard.”
Swipe will face six older rivals in the first-level race at six furlongs. Although Swipe did win the 5 1/2-furlong Summer Juvenile Championship at Los Alamitos last July, the distance of this race could be a little short for him.
His chief rival figures to be Mawthooq, who was beaten a half-length in a similar race May 18 while returning from a 16-month layoff for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.