Mandatory pick six at Belmont features Lady Shipman Stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – She’s My Type has been running well going two turns. Trainer Christophe Clement thinks she can run even better going one.
Sunday, Clement will shorten She’s My Type to six furlongs in the $80,000 Lady Shipman Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over Belmont Park’s inner turf course. The Lady Shipman is the featured eighth on a nine-race card that will have a mandatory payout in the Empire 6. That wager, which on non-mandatory payout days requires one unique winning ticket to take down the whole pool, had a $154,928 carryover heading into Friday’s card.
She’s My Type, a French-bred daughter of Dunkerque, raced four times at the Gulfstream Park winter meet, winning her maiden going a mile and the Ginger Brew Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs. In two subsequent starts, She’s My Type finished fourth in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant and third, beaten just three-quarters of a length, in the Sanibel Island. Both of those races were at one mile.
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“I’ve always liked her, but whenever she’s run lately I thought she was better at the quarter pole than at the wire and I just thought maybe I’m running her too far,” Clement said. “So, I guess we’ll find out on Sunday.”
Joel Rosario rides She’s My Type from post 6.
Clement noted that Tour to Paris, a half-brother to She’s My Type, won a Group 2 stakes going five furlongs on turf on May 31 at Deauville.
Chili Petin, a winner of an allowance race at Turfway Park in March, looks the primary speed of the race under Irad Ortiz Jr. for Wesley Ward. She’s won on dirt and synthetic. She finished 12th in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot a year ago.
Miss J McKay makes her 3-year-old debut in this spot for Maryland-based trainer Cal Lynch. She was disqualified from first in the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth but came back to win the Anne Arundel County Stakes at Laurel and run a good second in the Stewart Manor Stakes at Aqueduct in November. Three next-out stakes winners came out of the Stewart Manor.
Miss J McKay finished a well-beaten second in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies last December on dirt. This will be her first start since then.
Here’s a look at the other races in the Empire 6 sequence:
Race 4: More Than Striking was badly beaten in a pair of Florida-bred allowance races at Gulfstream – including running against Belmont Stakes starter Tap It to Win – but drops in for $25,000 claiming and ran a solid race at that level in February in Florida. He makes his first start for Mertkan Kantarmaci, who has decent numbers with horses he starts for the first time. Charge Ahead drops in class second time off the Rudy Rodriguez claim.
Race 5: Jake Rocks is only 1 for 12, but that win came the last time he raced going a mile in New York and for trainer David Donk, who has already won three races at this meet. Jake Rocks earned a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure for that race.
Morning Breez doesn’t like to win often but has run well on the Belmont turf. Quarky could be the one to catch under Luis Saez.
Race 6: Sengekontacket makes her turf debut for Brad Cox and has five siblings who have won on turf. Tilsa ran well on debut at Tampa Bay, and any ticket would have to include the Chad Brown firster Checksandbalances.
Race 7: Would want to use half of this field, including both Rudy Rodriguez entrants, Wedontbelieveher and Our Lady of Loreto, as well as Hot Little Honey and Stunning Munnings, who finished a neck apart at the $25,000 level on Feb. 29. Hot Little Honey gets a rider switch to Irad Ortiz Jr.
Race 9: Minimal turf form to go on in this $40,000 claimer. Bricco is a new gelding after having finished third in his debut last October in special weight company. Shared Success goes first time for Cox and tries turf after a couple of decent efforts at Finger Lakes on dirt. Zipalong had an eventful trip first time turf last November. He drops in for a tag for the first time for Nevin.