Fifty Five looms large in Mount Vernon

ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York-bred female turf division will have to deal with Fifty Five for at least one more race, as the defending statebred female turf champion makes her 6-year-old debut in Thursday’s $100,000 Mount Vernon Stakes at Belmont Park.

Fifty Five will seek her sixth consecutive New York-bred stakes victory, ninth stakes win overall, and second straight Mount Vernon in the one-mile race, which drew a field of seven. By comparison, the six other horses in the field have combined to win one stakes.

Owner Peter Brant brought Fifty Five back as a 6-year-old in part to face open company this year. She was scratched from the Grade 3 Beaugay here on June 3 due to a wrenched ankle. She has since come back with three workouts.

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“Coming back as a 6-year-old, there’s always a question mark with a mare – does she still want to do it?” trainer Chad Brown said. “She certainly trains in the morning like she does. We’ll see.”

Fifty Five does her best running from off the pace but there is a noticeable lack of pace in the Mount Vernon. That scenario has played out a couple of times in the past, but Fifty Five has always overcome. She is the 124-pound highweight and breaks from post 1 under Javier Castellano.

Brown also sends out War Canoe. Owner Michael Dubb claimed this mare last November for $62,500 with trainer Jason Servis. With Servis having lost his license due to a federal indictment on charges of allegedly administering illegal drugs to horses, Dubb transferred the horse to Brown. War Canoe has finished within two lengths of Fifty Five in three stakes.

“We’ll see where she fits. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a 7-year-old mare in our barn,” Brown said. “She seems like a cagey veteran, if you will. She has a ton of experience. She seems to be taking to our program pretty well. Solid race, so she’s going to have to step up here.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides War Canoe, who breaks from post 3 and will carry 120 pounds.

Trainer Christophe Clement has the uncoupled entry of Munchkin Money and Classic Lady. Munchkin Money is a 7-year-old daughter of Freud and might be making the final start of her career in this spot.

“She trained very well last year and she lost her form over the winter and I don’t know why,” Clement said. “She’s doing better, I just don’t think I’ve got her back to where she was last year.”

Classic Lady, a 5-year-old daughter of Jimmy Creed, makes her first start for Clement after having made her seven previous starts for trainer Jorge Abreu. Classic Lady hasn’t run since winning a second-level statebred allowance last Nov. 11. She has never faced Fifty Five.

Joel Rosario rides Classic Lady.

“She had a nice work the other day on the turf, she looks good, she’s sound, I got Joel to ride her, why not?” Clement said.

Kreesie won a division of the New York Stallion Stakes as a 3-year-old. Niko’s Dream won an open company allowance race at Gulfstream in March. Fetching wheels back two weeks after she won a second-level allowance by 1 1/2 lengths.