Ratajkowski returns as first-time Motion

ELMONT, N.Y. – Ratajkowski has a new trainer, but will be seeking the same result when she returns to Belmont Park on Thursday to face New York-bred fillies and mares in the $100,000 Critical Eye Stakes at one mile.

The last time Ratajkowski was in New York, last October, she defeated 10 fellow statebred females in the one-mile Empire Distaff. Trained by Brian Lynch then, Ratajkowski will make her 6-year-old debut for Graham Motion in the Critical Eye.

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Ratajkowski, a daughter of 2010 Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer, has not run since finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap last Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. After some time off, Ratajkowski began working in March at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky., before being sent by Scott Hansen, who oversees owner Gary Broad’s horses, to Motion at Fair Hill, where she had three stamina-building breezes.

“She seems to have a lot of class, and between Scott and myself I think we have enough miles in her,” Motion said. “She’s very classy, very straight forward, a nice filly to be around.”

Jose Ortiz, who was aboard Ratajkowski for all of her victories against statebreds in 2019, will be back aboard Thursday from post 2.

More Mischief kicked off her 4-year-old campaign with convincing victories in allowance company and then the Biogio’s Rose Stakes, both one-turn mile races versus New York-breds at Aqueduct during the winter.

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The shutdown of racing on this circuit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to miss opportunities at Aqueduct, but she has been training right along.

“She’s really improved,” trainer Chad Brown said. “The crew here has really done a good job with her all winter. She’s not an easy horse to train, she tends to be very aggressive. She’s a very high-strung horse; they’ve done a really good job developing her. She seems like she’s sitting on a good race.”

Manny Franco rides More Mischief from post 5.

English Soul was a statebred stakes winner at ages 2 and 3 for trainer Ray Handal, but has lost her last eight races, several against open company in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Arkansas for new trainer Jack Sisterson. English Soul will be back with New York-breds for the first time since October 2019, when she finished second in a turf allowance.

No Hayne No Gayne was third to More Mischief in the Biogio’s Rose and was just beaten a head for second in the Heavenly Prize Stakes against open company in March.

Mrs. Orb, trained by Mike Miceli, put together a four-race winning streak in 2019 that included a victory in the Bay Ridge Stakes at Aqueduct last December. In her most recent start, Mrs. Orb finished sixth behind More Mischief in the Biogio’s Rose.

The Great Johanna, a second-level statebred allowance winner in February for trainer Jimmy Ferraro, completes the field.