My Sister Nat looks ready for first North American win

ELMONT, N.Y. – Though she has yet to live up to her lofty pedigree, My Sister Nat looks well spotted to gain her first victory in North America when she runs in a second-level optional-claiming race scheduled for 1 1/8 miles over the inner turf course Thursday at Belmont Park.

My Sister Nat is a half-sister to champion Sistercharlie, a winner of six consecutive Grade 1 stakes, and Sottsass, winner of the French Derby and third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. My Sister Nat won a Group 3 stakes at Longchamp a year ago.

In two starts since owner Peter Brant brought her over here and gave her to Chad Brown, My Sister Nat has finished third in an allowance at Belmont in June and fifth on Aug. 1, beaten just three-quarters of a length while rallying widest of all, in a 1 3/16-mile allowance. In the second race, she was shut off at the break and perhaps fell further off the pace than jockey Javier Castellano would have preferred.

Thursday, My Sister Nat will be ridden by John Velazquez, who happens to be the regular rider of Sistercharlie.

Brown also sends out Mighty Scarlett, who has finished fourth in three straight starts in this condition. She finished a neck in front of My Sister Nat at Saratoga on Aug. 1. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Mighty Scarlett.

There was rain in the forecast Wednesday, but a less-than-firm turf course shouldn’t be a hindrance to either of Brown’s entrants.

Alasaayil drops in class after finishing fourth in the Pebbles Stakes last out. Alasaayil bobbled slightly out of the gate in that race, but she had a relatively clean trip and just wasn’t good enough, finishing three lengths behind Blowout. Feel Glorious, who finished third in the Pebbles, came back to run a solid second in last Saturday’s Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont.

The last time Alasaayil went from a stakes to an allowance, she won a first-level condition here on July 5.

“This is where she belongs,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “She’s already got black type, now we got to try and win a race.”

Diamond Play has won two straight races at Monmouth for trainer Anthony Margotta. Diamond Play is cross-entered in a race at Laurel on Thursday, but Margotta, via text, indicated Diamond Play would run at Belmont. She is in for the optional claiming price of $62,500.

Dream Passage is coming off a 6 1/4-length starter-allowance victory on Sept. 26. She led gate to wire that day and Out of Trouble, her stablemate who ran second, came back to win her next start, a New York-bred second-level allowance here on Oct. 4.

Jaylan, who has finished behind Diamond Play in each of her last two starts, completes the field on turf.

Beyond Discreet is entered to run only if the race is moved to the dirt.