Pocket Square leads one-two Chad Brown finish in Athenia Stakes
Pocket Square delivered as the 2-5 favorite Saturday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia at Belmont Park, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths over stablemate Miss Teheran.
The horses are trained by Chad Brown, who celebrated his 100th graded stakes victory at Belmont Park in the Athenia, the track announced.
Pocket Square ($2.90) had one horse beat early in the field of five fillies and mares. Stand for the Flag set fractions of 25.30 seconds for the opening quarter, 51.41 for the half-mile and 1:16.71 for six furlongs going 1 1/8 miles over the inner turf course, which was rated good. Pocket Square began her wind-up into the final turn, advanced three wide around the bend, and accelerated through the stretch to win in 1:51.19.
Pocket Square was given a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
The victory gave Irad Ortiz Jr. a sweep of the card’s two stakes. Earlier on the program, he won the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso aboard Life Is Good.
Brown has now won the Athenia six times over the last nine years.
Pocket Square is a 4-year-old daughter of Night of Thunder who races for her breeder, Juddmonte Farms. She has now won 5 of 9 starts, and the first-place check of $110,000 on Saturday pushed her earnings to $294,005.