Sea Calisi, Suffused clash in Sheepshead Bay

In addition to the Westchester, which offers a prime-time matchup between Connect and Mohaymen, the two grass stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday, the Sheepshead Bay and the Fort Marcy, have their own star power.

The Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay, a 1 3/8-mile race over the Widener course for fillies and mares, will feature two of the better turf females in the country, the comebacking Sea Calisi and Suffused, who is only a nose and a head away from having won her last six starts – all stakes.

The Grade 3, $150,000 Fort Marcy, a 1 1/8-mile inner-turf race for 4-year-olds and up, will be the starting point for the 5-year-old campaign of Time Test, a four-time winner in group-level stakes in Britain for his owner and breeder, Juddmonte Farms. Trained by Roger Charlton during his first three seasons, Time Test is now in the stable of Chad Brown.

The Belmont turf likely will have plenty of give to it since more than an inch of rain was expected Friday.

Sea Calisi, who also is trained by Brown, won the Sheepshead Bay beautifully a year ago in her first North American start. She validated that effort two races later by defeating 13 rivals in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park.

The Chicago journey may have taken a little out of her, though, as Sea Calisi concluded her season by finishing third to stablemate Lady Eli in the Flower Bowl and weakening to seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

A French-bred 5-year-old owned by Martin Schwartz, Sea Calisi has worked nine times on turf since Feb. 25.

“She tailed off a bit at the end of last year and probably needed a little breather,” Brown said. “She’s doing very well, and we have a nice sequence of works in her. I think she’ll put in a big effort first time back.”

Suffused, who races for Juddmonte and is trained by Bill Mott, was imported to the U.S. for 2016 after racing in Britain for Charlton. It took her a few races before she showed her best, but she has performed at a very high level since winning the 1 15/16-mile Belmont Coronation Invitational in June.

Since then, she has won three Grade 3 races: the Glens Falls at Saratoga and the La Prevoyante and The Very One at Gulfstream Park. Her two losses since the Belmont Coronation came by a head in the Grade 3 Waya at Saratoga and by a nose in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine.

The seven-horse field also has attracted Zipessa, who came into her own for Mike Stidham last year. In her final three starts, she was third in the Beverly D., second in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drove, and fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. This will be her first outing of the year.

Time Test, a winner of six of 11 career races, has kept good company in Europe the past two years. He was 2 for 3 last season as a 4-year-old, including a three-quarter-length victory over Mondialiste in the Group 2 York Stakes. Mondialiste came back in his next start to win the Arlington Million.

Time Test wintered with Brown at Palm Meadows.

“He’s a very promising horse with an excellent turn of foot,” Brown said. “We took our time getting him ready. He trains like he has unlimited potential.”

Jay Gatsby, who races for Jimmy Jerkens, is the probable second choice. He is coming off a high-level optional-claiming score at Gulfstream Park.

If the race is transferred to the main track, Ocean Knight and Doyouknowsomething, the main-track-only entrants in the 10-horse field, could be favored.