Imports intrigue in turf allowance route

ELMONT, N.Y. – With the jockeys having expressed concerns about the condition of the Belmont Park turf courses and with more rain having fallen here Monday, it is unlikely that all five carded turf races will be run on the grass Wednesday as scheduled. One that most likely will stay on is the second, a $90,000 first-level allowance scheduled for 1 1/4 miles over the inner turf.

Thus far, 56 scheduled turf races have been transferred to the dirt through the first 26 days of this 36-day meet.

Wednesday’s allowance feature drew a field of seven, including the French-bred Lady Paname who makes her first start in the United States, first in 13 months, and first for trainer Chad Brown.

In 2017, as a 3-year-old, Lady Paname won once in six starts. That victory came in her career debut at the distance of 1 5/16 miles. Though she lost her next five starts, she was third in a Group 3 and fourth, beaten only 1 3/4 lengths, in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay at Chantilly. Ice Breeze, winner of that race, came back to win the Group 1 Prix Royal Oak at Saint-Cloud. Call to Mind, the runner-up from the Prix Chaudenay, came to Belmont in June and won the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup for Queen Elizabeth II.

Lady Paname has been in the United States for a long time. She was training at Palm Meadows in Florida during the winter before a setback kept her off the work tab for three months. She began her comeback at the Fair Hill Training Center with Bruce Jackson before being shipped back to Brown, who has worked her 10 times since Aug. 6.

“She’s been ready to run for a while,” Brown said. “Nice prospect. Now that she is fit and ready to run, we’re excited to get her going.”

Based on her running lines in France, Lady Paname does her best running late. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides.

Pivotal Connection, a English-bred daughter of Pivotal, looks like she prefers to run up close. On Sept. 28, she made her first start in nine months by running in an off-the-turf allowance at 1 1/8 miles. After setting the early pace, she faded to third in the four-horse field, beaten 2 1/4 lengths.

“We just thought ‘First time, let’s go ahead and do it.’ She got a little tired with it being on the dirt,” trainer Bill Mott said. “It’s coming back a little quick, but if I don’t run where else am I going to run?”

War Cabinet makes her third start off a brief layoff for trainer Shug McGaughey. She won a maiden race at Saratoga and then finished third first time in this condition, also at Saratoga.

Vortex Road, a New York-bred taking on open company, is a six-time winner for trainer Bruce Levine. Though she has won at 1 1/8 miles, Vortex Road has yet to try a race at this distance in her first 18 career starts.

Semper Sententiae is coming off a maiden win going this distance Sept. 8 here in her first start for trainer Mark Hennig.