Litfin's preview: New era begins with fall meet
An era ended with the retirement of beloved track announcer Tom Durkin on the last day of August, and a new one begins when Belmont Park’s fall meet gets under way Friday.
Durkin’s replacement, Larry Collmus, does not embark on the New York chapter of his career until next spring, so New York Racing Association mainstay John Imbriale will be in the announcer’s booth for the 38-day fall meet that runs through Oct. 26.
In all, 42 stakes worth $11 million will be run, highlighted by a “Super Saturday” program Sept. 27 that features six graded stakes, including five Grade 1 races, topped by the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup. Also to be run that afternoon are a pair of $600,000 turf stakes, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and the Flower Bowl, and a trio of $400,000 races on the main track, the Beldame, Vosburgh, and Kelso.
Two previous fall fixtures for 3-year-old turf horses, the Garden City and the Jamaica, were repositioned to July as part of the newly created Stars & Stripes Festival and renamed the Belmont Oaks and Belmont Derby, respectively. In their place are the Sands Point and the Hill Prince, which had their purses bumped up to $500,000.
The latter race is a likely target for the Belmont Derby winner Mr Speaker following his respectable fifth in the Travers for Shug McGaughey, who also has the Ballston Spa winner Abaca pointing to the Flower Bowl.
Playing favorites
After a summer at the Spa where favorites were right at their longtime averages at 138 for 413 (33.4 percent), how will the public’s choice fare at Belmont?
It’s difficult to say, judging from the most recent meets.
At the 2013 fall meet, favorites struggled a bit at 108 for 361 (29.9 percent, including a mark of just 48 for 191 (25.1 percent) on turf.
At the 2014 spring-summer session, however, chalk players were shooting fish in a barrel at 196 for 509 (38.5 percent), including a record of 123 for 299 (41.1 percent) on the main track.
Travers rematch
Alpha and Golden Ticket, who dead-heated for the win in the 2012 Travers, break side by side from the two inside posts in the featured $100,000 Left Bank Stakes at a flat mile.
Neither will be favored over Pants On Fire, who is the one to beat shipping in from Monmouth Park and cutting back from a game placing in the Iselin second time back from a layoff.
First-time geldings
Deimos (race 2) and Sir Bond (race 5) make their first starts since being gelded and appear to have some other factors going for them as well.
Deimos has been on turf ever since his debut race on Belmont’s main track last September, when he was in against Grade 2 Jerome winner Noble Moon.
Sir Bond, who has not been out since June, previously has run well when fresh, including a 95 Beyer Speed Figure with nearly two months between starts earlier this year at Oaklawn Park.
Horse to watch
RIVER OF DREAMS
Trainer: Leah Gyarmati
Last race: Sept. 1, 7th
Finish: 5th by 13 1/2
Beyer: 46
This first-out juvenile was slammed at the start at a cost of a few lengths, trailed far behind for the opening half-mile, and finished with interest to wind up beating half the field at 5 1/2 furlongs behind the heavily bet winner Carpe Diem.