Maiden win points out Nevisian Sunrise in allowance

ELMONT, N.Y. – Only once through the first 20 days of the Belmont Park spring/summer meet have races been forced off the turf by rain. Friday might be the second card affected by weather as six of the nine races are scheduled for the turf, including a competitive first-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for one mile on the Widener turf course.

Some rain would actually be welcome by horsemen to take the sting out of both turf courses, which are extremely firm and have seemingly favored forwardly placed runners.

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Nevisian Sunrise would be a contender regardless on which surface this race is run. Nevisian Sunrise, trained by Chad Brown, is coming off a maiden victory on turf at Keeneland. She was a bit headstrong racing on the inside behind a slow pace before finding room in upper stretch and outfinishing Commanders Palace by a half-length. Commanders Palace came back to win her maiden at Churchill in her next start.

Nevisian Sunrise is by War Front out of the Unbridled’s Song mare My Miss Sophia. My Miss Sophia was a stakes winner on dirt and an allowance winner on turf, and was also Grade 1-placed on both surfaces.

Nevisian Sunrise breaks from post 10 under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Brown also sends out Amortization, who won a maiden race on turf last December at Aqueduct and is making her 3-year-old debut.

Earth Strike, who won her debut on soft turf in Ireland last August when in the barn of Joseph O’Brien, has two seconds and a third in three starts in the U.S., all for Mark Casse. Most recently, she finished second to Technical Analysis in this same condition here on April 29. It was the second straight win for Technical Analysis.

Casse said of Earth Strike, “She’s definitely improved with each start.”

Casse will have to find a new rider for Earth Strike. John Velazquez is named, but Velazquez has to leave earlier in the day to ride at Penn National Friday night.

Trainer Christophe Clement sends out the uncoupled duo of Magisterium and Classic Colors.

Magisterium, an Irish-bred daughter of Elzaam who made her first four starts in England, was third in the Grade 3 Matron in her first start for Clement and first in the U.S. last October. She then finished fifth as the favorite in the Stewart Manor Stakes at Aqueduct in November, her last start.

“I think the filly has done well over the winter,” said Christophe Lorieul, assistant to Clement.

Joel Rosario has the call from post 5.

Classic Colors is a daughter of Street Sense who won her maiden versus statebreds last September here, then came off the bench with a first-level allowance win at Belmont, also against New York-breds. In her one try in open company, she finished third at Saratoga behind the highly regarded Seasons.

“Her first start this year was quite impressive,” Lorieul said. “I don’t know how much she beat, but she ran very well. She was at the back, circled the field, and won going away. She was much the best.”

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Jose Ortiz has the call from the outside post in this 11-horse field.

Miss Tourista and Caldee, third and fourth in the same race in which Earth Strike was second, are contenders on turf.

If the race is run on dirt, Dollar Mountain and Moonsafe would move up.