Statebreds look to cash in Empire Showcase
ELMONT, N.Y. – There’s no substitute for the original.
The New York Racing Association has expanded on the concept of a single card devoted to New York-breds by adding one in the spring at Belmont Park and one during the summer at Saratoga. But the original showcase for statebred runners is in the fall, and Saturday’s card is by far the strongest of the three restricted cards run throughout the year on this circuit.
A total of 124 horses were entered (including eight also-eligibles) for the 11 races that make up Saturday’s Empire Showcase Day program at Belmont. Total purses for the 11 races (first post 12:25 p.m. Eastern) are nearly $2 million, including eight stakes worth a total of $1.75 million.
Most of the races drew big fields, and handicappers will be waiting for trainer Linda Rice to decide what she is doing with Palace, entered in the $150,000 Hudson Handicap, and La Verdad, entered in the $150,000 Iroquois. Both were pre-entered for next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup.
Effinex won last year’s Empire Classic, but he is running in the Breeders’ Cup this year and eschewing the Empire Showcase program. His absence opens up this year’s Empire Classic, at $300,000 the richest race on the card.
Saratoga Snacks, who won the 2013 Empire Classic, and the Rudy Rodriguez-trained uncoupled entry of Good Luck Gus and Royal Posse head the field of nine entered in the Empire Classic, for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on dirt.
Saratoga Snacks, owned and trained by Gary Sciacca, runs in the Empire Classic off a 50-day layoff.
“He loves it that way, and he’s doing tremendous,” Sciacca said. “I don’t know how the other guys are doing; we’re doing great.”
The Empire Classic is carded as the fifth race and is not part of the pick six or the late pick four.
The $250,000 Empire Distaff, for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles, is carded as race 10. Hot Stones, who romped in the Saratoga Dew Stakes at Saratoga before finishing last in the Grade 1 Beldame on Sept. 26, tops the field.
Hot Stones is the 123-pound highweight and gives five to 12 pounds to the rest of the field.
“When you’re the highweight, you earn your stripes,” trainer Bruce Levine said. “They got to earn theirs. I’ve already earned mine.”
Her major threats in the 10-horse field would appear to be a trio of 3-year-olds – Temper Mint Patty, Wonder Gal, and Jc’s Shooting Star – as well as the 5-year-old Carameaway.
KEY CONTENDERS
EMPIRE CLASSIC (Race 5)
Saratoga Snacks (Last 3 Beyers: 91-96-93)
◗ In a race seemingly loaded with speed, the key to success is if John Velazquez can get Saratoga Snacks to relax early. Sciacca sees Warrioroftheroses and Royal Posse going to the lead.
“If they go, we can sit off them,” Sciacca said. “I’ll leave it up to Johnny.”
Royal Posse (Last 3 Beyers: 91-88-88)
◗ Claimed for $20,000 on May 31, Royal Posse has two wins and a second in three starts for Rodriguez.
◗ After riding him to a second-place finish in the meet-opening race at Saratoga, Javier Castellano told Rodriguez that the horse needs to be put into the race early on.
“We’re going to put him close to the pace,” Rodriguez said.
Good Luck Gus (Last 3 Beyers: 80-76-75)
◗ Though not coupled with stablemate Royal Posse, Good Luck Gus hails from the same connections. If Royal Posse is going to the lead, this one likely will sit back and make a run, similar to what he did in winning the Albany Stakes at Saratoga.
“Luis Saez said he was very comfortable behind he speed and didn’t mind the dirt,” Rodriguez said. “We were always concerned about the dirt hitting him in the face.”
◗ As a 3-year-old, he gets in with 115 pounds, seven fewer than Saratoga Snacks.
EMPIRE DISTAFF (RACE 10)
Hot Stones (Last 3 Beyers: 81-93-93)
◗ Dominant winner of the Saratoga Dew in her last appearance against New York-breds, she is coming off a last-place finish behind Wedding Toast in Grade 1 Beldame. Hot Stones pressed the pace in the Beldame and tired.
“If she had gone 45 [seconds] and stopped, I would have been happy, but they weren’t going that fast, and she just emptied out early on,” Levine said. “Any time you run a bad one, you always got question marks.”
◗ She came back with a bullet half-mile breeze in 48.20 seconds at Aqueduct.
Temper Mint Patty (Last 3 Beyers: 83-69-77)
◗ Dominant winner of the New York Oaks at Finger Lakes in July, she finished a nonthreatening third as the 4-5 favorite in the Fleet Indian Stakes at Saratoga.
◗ She ran a solid second behind fellow New York-bred Hot City Girl in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks, with blinkers removed.
“She was a little rank in the race at Saratoga,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of the Fleet Indian. “She didn’t break very well, then she kind of ran up and was a little headstrong. She doesn’t train like a horse that really needs blinkers. We decided to take them off, and I thought she ran an improved race.”
Wonder Gal (Last 3 Beyers: 65-79-90)
◗ Returns to New York-bred competition for the first time since winning the Lynbrook Stakes by 14 1/2 lengths as a first-time starter in July 2014.
◗ At Belmont, she has finished second or third in a trio of Grade 1 stakes around one turn.
◗ Bled when finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Test in August, according to trainer Leah Gyarmati.