Hot Stones makes it five for Ortiz in Bed o' Roses

ELMONT, N.Y. - When Bruce Levine saw the nominations for the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses Handicap, he didn’t see anyone in the prospective field that really scared him. So, he convinced owner Roddy Valente to put up a $1,500 supplemental nomination to make their New York-bred filly Hot Stones eligible for the race.

It turned out to be a prudent investment.

Hot Stones, under a white-hot Irad Ortiz Jr., rallied three wide off the turn and was able to wear down a stubborn Merry Meadow at the wire to win Saturday’s $150,000 Bed o’ Roses by a nose on a gorgeous first day of summer at Belmont Park. It was the fifth win on the card for Ortiz, who also won the $100,000 Wild Applause Stakes aboard Walk Close in a photo finish.

Ortiz, who had won five races on a NYRA card on three previous occasions, had a chance for a sixth victory but finished fourth aboard Ultimate Empire in the 10th race.

“I’m very happy, very excited," Ortiz said. "I’m just going to keep doing the same thing. Thank God he let me win five on the day.”

Levine was singing the praises of NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes, who called Levine after the original nominations came out to let him know the Bed o’ Roses didn’t have a standout. La Verdad, arguably the top female sprinter on this circuit, was not nominated and was not going to be supplemented. Hot Stones had finished second to La Verdad in the Critical Eye Stakes for New York-breds going a mile on May 31.

Levine loved how his filly ran in that race, and jockey John Velazquez suggested to Levine afterward he put blinkers on Hot Stones for her next start. Levine did and they made a difference. Velazquez, unfortunately for him, had already committed to ride another filly in the race, Table Three Ten, who finished seventh. Under Ortiz, Hot Stones, sat fourth early and was about two lengths off the pace established by Ultimate Shopper, who maintained a length lead over Merry Meadow through a quarter in 22.79 seconds and a half-mile in 45.66.

Ortiz began asking Hot Stones around the turn and she was in third, within two lengths of the lead turning for home. Merry Meadow took over from Ultimate Shopper in midstretch and was extremely game but could not hold off Hot Stones, who was winning for the sixth time in 11 career starts. It was her first stakes victory.

“I was more worried about the race taking a little starch out of her last time,” Levine said, adding that Hot Stones had breezed well between races. “Johnny said to put blinkers on. She laid a lot closer today; she was a lot handier today. You could see going around the turn he had a lot of horse.”

Hot Stones, a daughter of Bustin Stones owned by her breeders Roddy Valente and Jerry Bilinski as well as Charles Casale, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.98 and returned $15.40 to win.

Levine said his next major objective would be the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina at Saratoga on Aug. 23 with likely one race beforehand.