Filimbi ready after difficult U.S. debut

ELMONT, N.Y. – Four of the seven horses entered to run one mile on turf in Wednesday’s $85,000 third-level allowance feature at Belmont Park come out of the same race, one made more significant when the winner of that race came back to capture a Grade 3 stakes last Saturday at Pimlico.

Filimbi, Scampering, Gathering, and Unbelievable Dream ran second, third, seventh, and ninth behind Somali Lemonade in a similar race as this April 13 at Keeneland. Somali Lemonade came back to win Saturday’s Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico.

Filimbi, making her first start in North America, her first for Bill Mott, and her first in six months, might have had the worst trip of the four who ran behind Somali Lemonade, but she still did enough running late to finish second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths.

Filimbi steadied early in the race and was shuffled back to 10th position. She steadied between horses on the far turn and was then stuck on the inside of horses entering the stretch. When she got running room, she did close with a nice kick to edge Scampering by a half-length for second.

“She got shuffled back, stopped, came on, closed well, showed a good turn of foot,” Mott said. “It just wasn’t real smooth. Take nothing away from the winner, but the fact she got so far back was probably an inconvenience.”

Mott said Filimbi has worked well since returning to New York following the Keeneland race. Joel Rosario rides from post 8.

Scampering came out of that allowance race to finish fourth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 3.

Unbelievable Dream won three of her first four starts but has lost eight in a row since. Gathering was six wide in that Keeneland race but did win two starts back at Gulfstream.

Maximova, a New York-bred daughter of Danehill Dancer, makes her 4-year-old debut for trainer Christophe Clement in this spot. She won her first three starts – all against open company – including two wins at Belmont last spring. She finished last in the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga before ending her 3-year-old season with a narrow loss to Watsdachances, who finished second to Somali Lemonade in the Gallorette.

“Her last race was a good race,” Clement said of Maximova. “We gave her the winter off. It took her a little bit longer to come back than expected. We did not have a three-other-than until the third week of May. She’s doing well, training forwardly.”

Mariel N Kathy is a three-time winner over Belmont’s turf course. She came within a head of Maximova in the Bit of Whimsy Stakes here last June.

Miss Mischief completes the horses to run if the race stays on turf. Natalie Victoria and Crazy About Me are entered but would run only if the race is transferred to the main track.