Five turf races on Belmont's opening-day card
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Five turf races and the first 2-year-old race of the year in New York highlight the nine-race opening-day card at Belmont Park.
First post is 1 p.m.
Among the turf events is a $100,000 second-level allowance going six furlongs on the inner turf. Nine horses are entered to run on the grass including Fluid Situation, who returns to New York after spending the winter at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer John Terranova II.
Fluid Situation won a second-level allowance at Tampa in January but remains eligible for the allowance condition Thursday because he only earned $16,950 for that win, just below the $18,000 threshold that would have made him ineligible for this spot.
Fluid Situation is coming out of a third-place finish in the Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa, where Chess Master went gate to wire, running five furlongs in a sharp 54.78 seconds.
“We ran into a wicked-fast horse we had to chase,” Terranova said. “Six furlongs is probably better for a horse like him.”
Fluid Situation won his lone start at six furlongs on turf, taking a first-level allowance at Aqueduct last October.
Jorge Vargas Jr. rides Fluid Situation from post 6.
Big Package, a 6-year-old gelding by Big Brown, makes his 6-year-old debut in this spot and is one of five horses being offered for a $62,500 claiming price. Big Package has done his best work at Belmont, winning three races from eight starts and running second, beaten a head by stablemate Yes and Yes in a similar spot as this last June.
Jose Ortiz rides Big Package from post 7 for trainer David Donk.
Turn of Events, trained by Robert Falcone Jr., is 4 for 9 at Belmont Park, winning three times here in 2021 and running third to Big Package in an allowance that year. Turn of Events makes his first start since December and second for Falcone, who is coming off an Aqueduct meet where he won seven races from 14 starters.
Doctor Jeff won the Atlantic Beach in 2021, when trained by Rudy Rodriguez. He makes his third start for trainer Brittany Russell in this spot.
Momos, Seven Scents, Runningwscissors, Marvalous Mike, and Grooms All Bizness complete the field on turf.
The first race on Thursday’s card is a five-furlong dirt race for 2-year-old fillies. Trainer Wesley Ward ships in two of the five starters from Kentucky, including Princesa Celina, a daughter of Quality Road and a half-sister to debut winners Happy Like a Fool and Conquest Panthera. Ward also sends out Slainte Mhath, a daughter of Uncle Mo.
Ward, who won five 2-year-old races at the recent Keeneland meet, said he always had a start at Belmont in mind for Princesa Celina “because she’s a big filly.” Ward wasn’t expecting that start to happen this early in the meet, when 2-year-old races typically don’t fill.
Ward said jockey Joel Rosario has worked Princesa Celina several times, but is committed to ride Thursday at Churchill Downs. Jose Ortiz will ride on Thursday.
Ward said that when he popped Princesa Celina out of the gate one morning in Florida, “I couldn’t believe for as big a filly as she is to be so precocious.”
James Chapman has two horses in Just the Oaks and Leslie’s Loot while John Servis ships in Round the Town from Parx.
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