Stimulate has two turns in his future, Mott suggests

ELMONT, N.Y. - As brilliant as Stimulate was winning Saturday’s one-turn Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park, trainer Bill Mott still believes the son of Tapit is made to succeed around two turns.

Where and when Stimulate will get that opportunity has not been decided. Races such as the Grade 3, $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday on Dec. 26 at Gulfstream and/or the Pegasus Stakes on Jan. 30, also at Gulfstream, will be considered, the latter more than the former, Mott indicated Sunday morning. The Pegasus, previously worth $3 million, does not yet have a purse assigned to it for 2027, though expect it to be significantly less than $3 million.

“Would he be possible for the Pegasus? Maybe,” Mott said.

What has been decided is that Stimulate will ship to Mott’s winter base at Payson Park in Florida this coming week, meaning a start in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile here on Dec. 5 is not in the offing.

Stimulate, who is out of the Grade 1 Alabama winner Elate - trained by Mott - won the Dwyer by 7 1/2 lengths, ran a mile in 1:33.64 and earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure. The win was Stimulate’s third from five career starts. Prior to the Dwyer, Stimulate finished third in the Bourbon Flight at Churchill Downs, a 1 1/16-mile race run around two turns.

“It was a big race, I’m very proud of him,” Mott said of the Dwyer performance. “I’m not surprised that he had one like that in him. I was surprised about the race at Churchill, when he didn’t finish up. The race yesterday was pretty convincing. There were a couple of well-thought-of horses in there.”

Sea Strike, the 6-5 favorite, was one of those horses and he finished second. Ted Noffey, the champion 2-year-old of 2025, finished fifth in his first start in 53 weeks. A determination on his future is expected early in the week.

Stimulate will have company on his trip to Payson Park this week. Beauty Reigns, who won Saturday’s Pumpkin Pie Stakes at Belmont, and Answered Prayers, who finished second in the Grade 2 Mother Goose, will also head to Florida and be pointed to campaigns in 2027.

Beauty Reigns, a daughter of Into Mischief, won her first stakes in the Pumpkin Pie. She had previously been Grade 1 placed in the 2025 Test and the 2026 Ballerina. The Pumpkin Pie was Beauty Reigns’ eighth start of the year.

“I think I’m going to pull the plug for now,” Mott said. “If we gave her a decent vacation, she wouldn’t be back to April.”

Beauty Reigns won the Pumpkin Pie by two lengths and earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

Answered Prayers, a full sister to the Grade 1 winner Olympiad, rallied from last to finish second, 3 1/4 lengths behind Tap to Open in the Grade 2 Mother Goose. Mott didn’t have any plans for Answered Prayers in 2027.

Mott said Capitol Hill, who won the Casa Creed Stakes at Belmont on Nov. 1, is already in Florida getting a freshening for a 2027 campaign.

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