On Leave faces Brown trio in Athenia

ELMONT, N.Y. – For a Grade 3 stakes, Sunday’s $200,000 Athenia at Belmont Park came up a terrifically strong race with nine fillies and mares who have combined to win 20 stakes – 12 graded – and earn more than $5.4 million.

Trainer Chad Brown has won the last two runnings of the Athenia and three of the last five. On Sunday, he sends out the uncoupled trio of New Money Honey, Rymska, and Inflexibility.

But the competition is stiff, led by On Leave, a six-time stakes winner; Hawksmoor, a two-time stakes winner at Belmont; and the English-bred Indian Blessing, who has finished third in two graded stakes in North America.

On Leave enters off a half-length victory in the $239,000 One Dreamer Stakes on Sept. 1 at Kentucky Downs. That was On Leave’s 19th career start and her first in blinkers. Trainer Shug McGaughey said he equipped On Leave with blinkers for a workout following her fourth-place finish in the De La Rose at Saratoga.

“A couple of times, she got lost in her races a little bit,” McGaughey said. “We tried them just to see. I liked what I saw in Saratoga; she seemed to focus a lot better. We tried them, and she ran good with them.”

On Leave will break from the outside post, which McGaughey feels will work in his mare’s favor.

“All the speed is down inside of us. I’d like to be off of it,” McGaughey said. “Hopefully, this ground keeps drying out, which I think it will, and I expect a big effort from her.”

New Money Honey was a Grade 1 winner at 2 and 3 but has just one allowance win from three starts this year. She enters off a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Canadian on Sept. 15 at Woodbine.

“I thought her last race was encouraging,” Brown said. “I feel like she’s coming into this race the right way. She’s a top-class filly when she runs her ‘A’ race.”

Rymska has three wins and a nose loss in her only four starts since she finished fifth to New Money Honey in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita in 2016.

KEY CONTENDERS

On Leave, by War Front
Last 3 Beyers: 93-89-96

◗ She is a four-time winner over Belmont’s turf, including the Grade 2 Sands Point as a 3-year-old and the Perfect Sting in 2017.

◗ Had a solid turf work here Oct. 7.

New Money Honey, by Medaglia d’Oro
Last 3 Beyers: 97-97-91

◗ Is 4 for 4 over Belmont’s turf, including three graded stakes wins topped by the $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational in 2017.

◗ In the Canadian last out, she finished second to Starship Jubilee, who came back to run fourth in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine.

Indian Blessing, by Sepoy
Last 2 Beyers: 97-97

◗ Rallied from last to be third to A Raving Beauty in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland last out. Assistant trainer Charles Guet said Indian Blessing got away poorly “and stayed in the back all the way and was still last entering the stretch and finished very strongly to be third. If she can run that way again, we’re hopeful she can make it.”