Market Alert can brighten Ryerson's meet with victory in Saginaw Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – To say it’s been a frustrating meet for trainer Jim Ryerson would be an understatement.

“Oh, please,” said Ryerson, who entered the final weekend of the 44-day Belmont spring/summer meet with one win, eight seconds, and nine thirds from 45 starters. “We’ve been able to avoid that in the last few meets, but yes, it has been.”

There is potential for the meet to end on a high note, however, as Ryerson sends out Market Alert in a seemingly wide-open renewal of Sunday’s $100,000 Saginaw Stakes, the closing-day feature of the Belmont season.

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The Saginaw, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race restricted to New York-breds, was scheduled to be the co-feature along with the $150,000 River Memories, a 1 1/2-mile race for females on turf, but that race did not attract enough entries to be carded. First post for Sunday’s nine-race card is 12:30 p.m., a half-hour earlier than usual as the New York Racing Association prepares for the move upstate to Saratoga, which opens Thursday.

Market Alert, a 4-year-old gelding by D’ Funnybone, is back with restricted company for the first time since December 2021. This year, he is 1 for 5 with a first-level allowance win at Aqueduct on March 27, for which he earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. Market Alert matched that number when he ran third behind Southern District and The Reds in a second-level allowance on April 30.

Just prior to the start of a May 28 allowance, Market Alert broke through the starting gate. He was brought back, reloaded, and predictably ran a poor sixth, beaten 12 1/2 lengths.

Market Alert shows only one work since that race, but it was a half-mile in 47.60 seconds, fastest of 49 works at the distance on Thursday morning over the Belmont training track.

“That’s a little quicker than you probably would want three days out, but that’s kind of him,” Ryerson said.

The six horses entered in the Saginaw are a combined 0 for 14 at the 1 1/16-mile distance. Market Alert was third in his only try at the distance.

“He should be able to get it, but he hasn’t gotten it, so until he does the jury’s out on that,” Ryerson said. “Would I rather it be a mile? Yes, I’d rather it be a mile. But the way the race came up, you’re going to have to deal with it.”

Jose Ortiz rides Market Alert from post 5.

Listentoyourheart and Therisastormbrewin are coming off wins in the second-level New York-bred allowance condition. Listentoyourheart, trained by Christophe Clement, won here on May 14, his first start off a year layoff. That race was at seven furlongs, so now he must stretch out a little farther.

Joel Rosario rides from post 4.

Therisastormbrewin won his allowance condition going a mile here on May 28 in gate-to-wire fashion. Luis Saez replaces the five-pound apprentice Jose Gomez for the Saginaw as weight allowances are not permitted in stakes.

Brooklyn Strong won the Grade 2 Remsen in 2020, but is 0 for 6 since, including a third-place finish in a $35,000 claiming race at Gulfstream Park on June 2. He is making his second start for trainer Victor Barboza Jr. Flavien Prat rides from the rail.

Daddy Knows, who was disqualified from first in a New York-bred third-level allowance at Finger Lakes on June 21, and Jemography, claimed by Edward DeLauro for $20,000 on June 23, complete the field.