Top four from License Fee face western shipper Amy C
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Bubble Rock leads the top four finishers from the License Fee Stakes last month into a cross-continental stand against California-based Amy C while looking for her third straight win in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes for female turf sprinters at Belmont Park.
Bubble Rock, unbeaten in two starts on the Belmont turf, is a four-time stakes winner trained by Brad Cox. The first of her stakes wins came in the Grade 3 Matron sprinting as a juvenile at Belmont. Last year, she stretched her speed to win the Cincinnati Trophy at a mile on Tapeta at Turfway Park and the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs. She opened this season in a mile allowance at Keeneland and was caught late to finish second by a neck to graded winner Gam’s Mission.
In the License Fee, Bubble Rock cut back to six furlongs – the distance of the Intercontinental – and successfully rated off the early pace under Joel Rosario, who retains the mount Friday. Despite being bumped several times, she successfully rallied to the lead and won by a half-length over the closing Poppy Flower, from the Bill Mott barn, who had been bumped at the start. Goin’ Good, also trained by Cox, was third, while Messidor was fourth for Christophe Clement.
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Amy C is making her first start since January for Phil D’Amato, but runs well off a layoff. Returning from a break of more than three months, she won the Sen. Ken Maddy last October at Santa Anita with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 90. Bubble Rock’s top figure is her last-out 91.
Amy C then won the Grade 3 Las Cienegas in January at Santa Anita. She was entered in the Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland, but scratched after spiking a temperature. Rather than shipping back across the country, she has trained for the Intercontinental at Churchill, firing a bullet on June 3. The mare will be cutting back from 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course to six furlongs.
“I think it’ll be right up her alley,” D’Amato said. “She’s done great going 6 1/2 at Santa Anita, so I have to imagine six would be a nice trip for her as well.
“When I first ran her, I ran her going a mile and it looked like she lost some steam a little bit late. [Co-owner] Michael Dubb thought maybe going shorter down the hill would help, and it seemed like from then on, she’s been a newly anointed sprinter.”
Clitheroe won her U.S. debut in a seven-furlong Belmont allowance for Graham Motion. She has recently breezed in company with Grade 1-winning stablemate Spendarella, who goes in Friday’s Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont.
“She’s improved,” Motion said. “I’m worried a little about shortening her, but [jockey] Feargal Lynch, who rode her in the race and has been working her, said he thinks it will really suit her.”
Rounding out the field are Bay Storm and Sarah Harper, second and third, respectively, to divisional leader Caravel in the Unbridled Sidney at Churchill Downs. Caravel is slated to run against males in Saturday’s Grade 1 Jaipur. Bay Storm and Sarah Harper each earned a 95 Beyer, the top last-out figure in this field.
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