Not your ordinary N.Y.-bred fillies
ELMONT, N.Y. - A pair of streaking New York-bred 3-year-old fillies step into open allowance company in Wednesday's feature race at Belmont Park. Wednesday kicks off a six-day race week as Belmont will be open Monday, Columbus Day.
Spectaculaireontap and Star Creek enter the second-level, nine-furlong turf race having each won their last three decisions. The race, one of four scheduled for the grass, is the final leg of a pick six that features a $40,849 carryover.
Although her last three victories have come against New York-bred company, Spectaculaireontap has shown vast improvement since she changed running styles. A front-runner in her first seven starts, she has come from off the pace in her last three races under Shaun Bridgmohan.
"We had to change her around,'' trainer Phil Johnson said. "She was difficult to rate; when she came out of the gate and daylight opened up she wanted to go. [Jean-Luc] Samyn had been riding her well, but he was having trouble getting her back. I wanted her way back and Bridgmohan was able to get it done.''
Johnson said he is using the allowance race as a prep for the $150,000 Ticonderoga Handicap on Oct. 21.
Maryland-based trainer Vinnie Blengs probably has the same idea with Star Creek, who won two races against open company at Colonial Downs in Virginia before defeating statebreds at Belmont on Sept. 19. Like Spectaculaireontap, Star Creek prefers to do her running from off the pace.
There should be a solid pace for both fillies to close into as Poetic, a three-time beaten favorite, and You'll Be Happy, another New York-bred, prefer to do their running up front.
Chez Cherie has been off nearly two months since winning a preliminary allowance race at Saratoga. Trainer Christophe Clement does his best work with such layoff types and his filly should get a ground-saving trip from the hedge under Jose Santos.
Unbridled Vice has put in two decent efforts since being moved to the turf by trainer Shug McGaughey. She figures to be close to the pace under Edgar Prado and may prove the one to beat should the race be moved to the main track.