Kharafa, King Kreesa, Lubash meet yet again in Kingston Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Perhaps age has caught up with them, but it still is pretty cool to see the triumvirate of Kharafa, King Kreesa, and Lubash teeing it up one more time in Monday’s $125,000 Kingston Stakes at Belmont Park.

Combined, the trio has won 41 races from 129 starts and banked nearly $4 million. Each has won a running of the Kingston, and for the 10-year-old Lubash, this will be the seventh consecutive year he’s run in this race. He won it in 2015. Kharafa, 8, is running in his fifth Kingston, having won it in 2014. King Kreesa, also 8, will be making his fourth start in the Kingston, a race he won in 2013.

Tim Hills, the trainer of Kharafa, said he admires the trio and that whenever anyone comes to his barn, he takes them over to Kharafa’s stall.

“I just want to show them what a really good horse looks like,” Hills said.

Kharafa and Lubash are both coming off decent seasonal debuts, while King Kreesa has not started since last November. Kharafa finished second behind fellow New York-bred Disco Partner in the Elusive Quality Stakes here on April 29.

“That ended up being the perfect prep for him,” Hills said. “He’s had two good works since then. He couldn’t be doing any better.”

Lubash finished third in the four-horse, Grade 3 Miami Mile at Gulfstream on April 29. He was beaten a length by stablemate War Correspondent.

“I thought the Florida race was a very good race; slow pace, too much to do, finished very well, very willingly,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “He ran the fastest last quarter of the race.”

King Kreesa, second to Tapitation in last year’s Kingston, makes his first start for new trainer Linda Rice after having done extremely well for David Donk over the last three years.

Macagone and Get Jets may be in the best form overall. Macagone won the Danger’s Hour Stakes on April 9 at Aqueduct, where he’s excelled. He finished sixth in last year’s Kingston.

Get Jets has a win and a second in two turf tries and showed an explosive turn of foot when beaten a neck by Tombelaine last out in allowance company.

◗ In the $125,000 Mount Vernon, for fillies and mares, trainer Chad Brown sends out the likely top two choices in Ancient Secret and Fourstar Crook. Ancient Secret won the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga last year. Fourstar Crook went 4 for 4 last year and has won six consecutive races.

KINGSTON (Race 9)

KEY CONTENDERS

Kharafa, by Kitalpha

Last 3 Beyers: 97-97-100

◗ Has finished first in 15 of 21 starts over the Belmont turf course, though a mile could be short of his best distance.

“I don’t think it’s a big issue,” Hills said. “As he’s gotten older, he settles a little bit better and has a better turn of foot.”

Macagone, by Artie Schiller

Last 3 Beyers: 102-83-85

◗ Has won his last three turf starts in restricted or listed company, including a 1 1/2-length victory over Catapult in the Danger’s Hour last month at Aqueduct. Looks to be a pace player.

Get Jets, by Scat Daddy

Last 3 Beyers: 100-88-78

A New York-bred stakes winner on dirt, he seems to have found a home on turf, with a win and a good second in two grass starts.

MOUNT VERNON (Race 4)

KEY CONTENDERS

Fourstar Crook, by Freud

Last 3 Beyers: 96-94-95

◗ Looks to pick up where she left off last year, having won all four of her starts, including the Yaddo and John Hettinger stakes. She is 3 for 4 over Belmont’s turf, her lone loss coming in her career debut three years ago.

“She looks like she has her tank full for a real good campaign,” Brown said. “She was one of those horses as she got older, she really developed physically. As a young horse, she was kind of an immature-looking, weak-moving horse, and once she finally filled out and strengthened up, she was like night and day.”

Ancient Secret, by Kantharos

Last 3 Beyers: 90-63-93

◗ Won her first four starts, including the Lake George.

◗ Didn’t ship well and was quiet in the paddock before she finished seventh in a Grade 3 stakes at Woodbine.

◗ Ran a lackluster third in the Pebbles here last October in her last start.

Freudie Anne, by Freud

Last 3 Beyers: 83-88-88

◗ Was no match for this kind in the Yaddo last summer at Saratoga, but she reeled off three consecutive open-company allowance wins, two at Fair Grounds and one at Laurel, to begin her 4-year-old campaign.