John Hettinger a replay of Yaddo

ELMONT, N.Y. – The field is basically the same, but the venue and distance of the race will have changed when the top New York-bred turf fillies and mares reunite for Sunday’s $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes at Belmont Park.

Eight of the 10 horses who ran in the Yaddo Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 26 are among the 10 entered for turf in the Hettinger. The group is led by Fourstar Crook, who won the Yaddo by three-quarters of a length for her fifth consecutive victory.

The Yaddo was run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns. The Hettinger is run at 1 1/8 miles, also around two turns, over Belmont’s inner turf course.

Four of Fourstar Crook’s wins have come at 1 1/16 miles, and it wouldn’t appear that an extra sixteenth would be an issue. She did have a pretty clean trip in the Yaddo, whereas others may have had more difficulty, including her Chad Brown-trained stablemate Neck of the Moon. She was stuck behind horses for a good portion of the stretch and was beaten only 1 3/4 lengths while finishing fourth.

Flipcup should not have any problem with the distance, as she has won stakes at 1 1/8 miles and 1 1/4 miles over synthetic surfaces at Arlington Park and Woodbine. The Yaddo was Flipcup’s turf debut, and she rallied widest of all and from last to finish second behind Fourstar Crook.

Trainer Bill Mott said he was “very pleased with Flipcup on the turf.”Mott said the nine furlongs of the Hettinger “shouldn’t hurt.”

Invading Humor and Old Harbor, the winners of this race in 2014 and 2015, are back for another try. They look like the speed of the field.

Key Contenders

Flipcup, by Milwaukee Brew

Last 3 Beyers: 89-92-92

◗ Closed well while six to seven wide in the stretch after saving ground when second to Fourstar Crook in the Yaddo.

◗ Got two pounds from Fourstar Crook in the Yaddo and gets seven pounds Sunday.

Fourstar Crook, by Freud

Last 3 Beyers: 91-95-91

◗ Hard to argue with a filly who has won five consecutive races, a streak that began at Belmont 11 months ago.

◗ Showed versatility in winning off a fast pace, as was the case two starts back at Saratoga, and a pedestrian pace, as was the case in a maiden win here last Oct. 8.

The Tea Cups, by Hard Spun

Last 3 Beyers: 89-75-88

◗ Scratched out of Saturday’s Grade 3 Noble Damsel to run in this spot.

◗ Missed a work after contracting an illness that affected many horses in trainer Jeremiah Englehart’s barn.

“I did miss a breeze, which wasn’t ideal,” Englehart said. “I schooled her in the paddock a few times to get her amped up. I’m curious to see how she runs.”

Old Harbor, by Raffie’s Majesty

Last 3 Beyers: 92-86-86

◗ After finishing seventh in the Yaddo, beaten only three lengths, she came back to win a $75,000 stakes at Delaware Park on Sept. 10.

◗ She won this race last year when part of a slow early pace.

“I’d rather see her relax a little,” trainer Russell Cash said. “That’s a long way to go planning to be on the front end.”