Juveniles in spotlight closing day

ELMONT, N.Y. - When the Breeders' Cup announced the creation of the new $1million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, the New York Racing Association moved its two juvenile turf stakes from Sunday to late September so they could be used as preps.

The move left a void in Belmont Park's schedule for closing day. It was a void the racing office filled with four overnight stakes for juveniles on Sunday's 10-race closing-day program. The four stakes are worth $75,000 each.

The Grand Slam, for juveniles, and the Open Mind, for juvenile fillies, are carded for six furlongs on the dirt. The King Cugat, for males, and the Swinging Mood, for fillies, are scheduled to be run at one mile on the turf.

The Grand Slam, which goes as race 3, drew a field of only five but it marks the return to the races of the good-looking debut winner Sargent Seattle for trainer Stan Hough. A son of Vindication, Sargent Seattle won his debut at Saratoga by 6 1/2 lengths, running 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.47 and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 93.

Sargent Seattle was the morning-line favorite for the Saratoga Special on Aug. 16, but was scratched out of that race after developing a temperature the day before the race.

"It was the kind of virus that set him back pretty good," Hough said. "It took him a while to get over it. He's doing fine now."

Hough though about running in next Sunday's Grade 3 Nashua at Aqueduct, but didn't think Sargent Seattle would be ready to run a mile off a three-month layoff. Sargent Seattle will break from post 2 under Cornelio Velasquez.

Rollers, a New York-bred son of Stormy Atlantic trained by Barclay Tagg, won his debut against statebreds by 6 1/4 lengths at Saratoga on Sept. 2. He was sent off the 5-2 favorite in the NATC Stakes at the Meadowlands on Sept. 29, but he finished a disappointing fifth after breaking slowly.

"I just didn't think he liked that track," trainer Barclay Tagg said.

Rollers blew out four furlongs in 46.60 seconds on Tuesday. Smoke n Coal, Hi Steppin Kat, and High Appeal complete the field.

In the $75,000 Open Mind, Yogi'ssplashofgold returns from a five-month layoff. She won her debut by 1 1/4 lengths over Keeneland's Polytrack before finishing second behind Rated Fiesty in the Grade 3 Kentucky Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs on May 3.

Freakstein and Porte Bonheur look to be her major competition.