The Foxes comes to Belmont Derby with top-class Euro form

ELMONT, N.Y. -- The Foxes, a multiple Group 2 winner in Great Britain, drew the outside post in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered Monday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational scheduled for 1 1/4 miles over Belmont Park’s inner turf course.

The Foxes, a son of Churchill trained by Andrew Balding, won the Group 2 Dante going 1 5/16 miles at York on May 18 before finishing fifth in the Group 1 Epsom Derby on June 3. Auguste Rodin, winner of the Epsom Derby, came back to win the Irish Derby on Sunday with Adelaide River, eighth in the Epsom Derby, finishing second in the Irish Derby.

King of Steel, second in the Epsom Derby, won the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot.

The Foxes, who arrived in New York on Friday, will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.

The only other horse in the field with international form is Silver Knott, who has made six of his eight starts in Great Britain for trainer Charlie Appleby. Silver Knott has raced twice in the U.S., getting beat a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last November at Keeneland and third, beaten a length by Kalik in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge here last month.

:: Get Belmont Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.

Kalik and Far Bridge are both in the Belmont Derby. Kalik, trained by Chad Brown, is 3 for 3 this year with improving figures each race. Brown also entered debut winner Redistricting in the Derby.

Trainer Mark Casse entered the duo of Webslinger, a three-time stakes winner, and Boppy O, a two-time stakes winner including an upset of Talk the Nation in the Jersey Derby.

The field for the Belmont Derby, which goes as race 10 on a 12-race card, from the rail out is: Mendelssohns March, Boppy O, Cyber Ninja, Webslinger, Far Bridge, Silver Knott, Wizard of Westwood, Kalik, Mondego, Redistricting, and The Foxes.

Mission of Joy tops Belmont Oaks

Mission of Joy, recent winner of the Grade 3 Regret Stakes, heads a field of nine entered in the Grade 1, $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for 1 1/4 miles over the Belmont inner turf.

Mission of Joy, who also won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay this spring, drew the rail and will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.

Motion also entered Speirling Beag, an Irish-bred who won the Grade 3 Eyefield Stakes at Leopardstown when in the barn of James Bolger.

Trainer Chad Brown sends out the pair of Aspray, undefeated winner of the Hilltop Stakes, and Prerequisite, front-running winner of the Grade 2 Wonder Again. Be Your Best, second in the Wonder Again, is also in the Belmont Oaks.

The Oaks field, from the rail out, is: Mission of Joy, Strikingly Spun, Speirling Beag, Papilio, Prerequisite, Be Your Best, Aspray, Freydis the Red, and Aspen Grove.

Charge It, Clapton top Suburban

Charge It, who has been facing the upper level of the older male dirt division lately, may have found a softer spot in the Grade 2, $350,000 Suburban Stakes.

Charge It, fourth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap last out, drew post 4 in a field of five older males trying to get the 1 1/4 miles of the Suburban.

John Velazquez will ride Charge It from post 4.

Clapton, who drew post 3, is the only other graded winner in the field. He captured the Grade 3 Ghostzapper on April 1 at Gulfstream Park. He is coming out of a third-place finish in the Pimlico Special.

Tonal Impact, a former claimer who is in career-best form for trainer Linda Rice, Red Run, third in the Grade 2 Brooklyn and Unbridled Bomber complete the field.

The Suburban goes as race 5.

Solid field in Victory Ride

Unbeaten New York-bred Maple Leaf Mel and three-time stakes winner Red Carpet Ready head a field of eight 3-year-old fillies entered to run 6 1/2 furlongs in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Victory Ride Stakes.

Maple Leaf Mel, who won the Grade 3 Miss Preakness in her first start against open company, will go out for the first time for trainer Melanie Giddings. Giddings worked closely with Maple Leaf Mel when she was in the barn of Jeremiah Englehart.

Red Carpet Ready won the Grade 2 Eight Belles by a head over Munnys Gold, her fourth win from five starts. She was entered in the Jersey Girl Stakes when it was scheduled for June 8, but did not enter back when race was rescheduled for June 11. The June 8 card was scrapped due to poor air quality.

Maple Leaf Mel drew post 5. Red Carpet Ready drew post 8.

Others entered in the Victory Ride, which goes as race 11 on the 12-race card, were Interpolate, Dazzling Blue, Vahva, Adeliese’s Smile, Downtown Mischief, and Topsy.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.