ELMONT, N.Y. – In each of the last seven years, trainer Chad Brown has started at least two horses in the New York Stakes. Twice his runners have finished one-two and in 2016 he sent out the first three finishers in the turf stakes for fillies and mares at Belmont Park. Friday, with the $750,000 New York now a Grade 1, Brown sends out four the of the seven runners in the 1 1/4-mile turf race. The New York goes as the 10th of 11 races on a card that includes five stakes and begins at 12:50 p.m. The New York also is the first leg of a two-day, $2 pick four wager that includes Friday’s Intercontinental and Saturday’s Manhattan and Belmont Stakes. Rougir, a Group 1 winner in France last year when with Cedric Rossi, was purchased for the equivalent of $3.375 million last December at Deauville’s Arqana breeding stock sale. She was purchased by a partnership that included Peter Brant, M.V. Magnier, and Michael Tabor. In her first start for those connections, Rougir won the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes by three lengths. While naturally pleased with that performance, Brown is looking forward to getting her out a little further in distance. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “She wants to go a little further for sure,” Brown said. “I think she’s going to be very effective from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter.” Brown said when Rougir first came to him over the winter “she looked tired. We knew the talent’s there; she’s really blossomed now.” Flavien Prat rides Rougir from post 2 under high weight of 124 pounds. Bleecker Street, a daughter of Quality Road, has gone 6 for 6 to begin her career for Brown and Brant. She’s won at Monmouth Park, The Meadowlands, three times at Tampa Bay Downs, and then beat stablemate Fluffy Socks a half-length in the Grade 3 Modesty on May 6 at Churchill Downs. Brown admitted the 1 1/4 miles is “a question mark,” but Bleecker Street has answered all the questions directed at her so far. “Look, all you can do is put nice quality, well-bred, good-training horses on a path to succeed,” Brown said. “Some of them cooperate and develop step by step like she has. It’s rewarding to see, she deserves a lot of credit. To start off 6 for 6 on turf, I don’t care what tracks you’re running at – to deal with weather, trips, different courses – a lot that’s hard to do.” Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Bleecker Street from post 5. :: Want the best bonus in racing? Get a $250 deposit match, $10 free bet, and free Formulator with DRF Bets. Code: WINNING Virginia Joy was the only one of four horses to handle a soft turf course in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay, which she won by 14 1/4 lengths. On a course that was yielding due to rain, Virginia Joy went to the front and led all the way. Friday, it would seem like the early pace might be set by Flighty Lady, the fourth horse entered by Brown. Flighty Lady has only made three starts since winning an allowance at Aqueduct in April 2021. Trevor McCarthy is named on Virginia Joy, while Eric Cancel has the call on Flighty Lady. If a non-Chad Brown trainee is to win the New York, Family Way is likely the one to do it. Family Way won the Grade 3 Orchid on April 2 at Gulfstream Park and then came back to run second to Eclipse Award finalist War Like Goddess in the Grade 3 Bewitch on April 25 at Keeneland. “I thought she ran a good race, War Like Goddess is very, very good and we were second best to her,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “Our filly hasn’t done too much wrong.” Tyler Gaffalione rides Family Way from post 7. Core Values was third behind War Like Goddess and Family Way in the Bewitch. She is winless in five starts since beating males in the Kentucky Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby in August at Ellis Park. Lovely Lucky, winless in seven graded stakes attempts, completes the field.