Noisette among live ones in Sabin

ELMONT, N.Y. - Handicappers will find it difficult to narrow the field down to horses who can get the 1 1/4-mile distance in Wednesday's $60,000-added Sabin Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park.

The majority of the nine fillies and mares in the field have won at that distance or longer.

To be eligible to run in the Sabin, a horse cannot have won a graded stakes.

, trained by Bill Mott, set a soft pace here last June to win a first-level allowance at 1 1/4 miles after being headed in the stretch. In her last start, at Keeneland on April 10, Noisette came from off the pace to win a third-level allowance race against 10 rivals while racing with first-time Lasix. The second-place finisher, Two Dot Slew, came back to win her next start.

"[Noisette] has run some good numbers and should be able step it up," said Leana Willaford, Mott's assistant.

Jerry Bailey rides Noisette from post 8.

, who previously raced in Ireland, makes her first start in this country. She is trained by Christophe Clement, who wins with a high percentage of runners that fall into that category. Jarkata Jade, who receives first-time Lasix, hasn't run since September, but has won off a similar layoff.

"She's an exciting filly - let's see if she can run as good as she has trained," said Clement, who began training Jakarta Jade in December.

If regains the form she had in 2003, she will be a top contender in this field. Last year, Primetimevalentine won the 1 1/4-mile Possible Mate Stakes at Belmont and also ran well in a couple of other stakes.

Lady Liberty won a 1 1/2-mile turf race at Keeneland in April, before finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes at odds of 52-1.

Our Tune, whose best finish in two starts on the grass was a second, is the likely pacesetter in a race lacking speed horses. In her last start, Our Tune won the Numbered Account Stakes at Aqueduct in the mud.

New York-bred Board Elligible has been in good form this year, winning two of six dirt starts and finishing second in three other races. Last fall, Board Elligible was second on the grass in a division of the New York Stallion Stakes, Jimmy Ferraro, Board Elligible's trainer, likes the idea of his filly going long on the turf.

"I think the key for her is the mile and a quarter because she's a closer," Ferraro said.

Nevermore was entered for the main track only.