Yes and Yes gets shot on his favored course

ELMONT, N.Y. – Yes and Yes has enjoyed his most success over Belmont Park’s turf and with just two weeks of racing remaining in the meet, Friday’s multi-conditioned feature allows him one last opportunity to run over it for about 10 months.

His David Donk-trained stablemate Thin White Duke has done some of his better work at Saratoga and this same seven-furlong race on Friday allows him one more prep for that meet, which gets underway on July 14. Yes and Yes and Thin White Duke are a coupled entry in Friday’s feature for which six of the seven runners are eligible via the “have not won a race in 2023” condition. Only Lucky Curlin, entered for the $80,000 optional claiming price, has a win this year won among the seven entrants.

Yes and Yes has a 5-4-3 record from 15 starts over Belmont’s turf, including three victories over it in the summer of 2022. In two starts here this year, Yes and Yes was beaten a nose by Anaconda in the Elusive Quality Stakes on May 5 before running ninth, beaten just 4 1/4 lengths by Caravel, in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 10.

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In the Jaipur, Donk said, “Yes and Yes was pretty far back early for him. He’s somewhat tactical. I think he can get a good trip in here.”

In June 2022, Yes and Yes won three consecutive allowance races over the Belmont turf and nearly picked up where he left off when narrowly beaten in the Elusive Quality.

“Lights out,” Donk said of the way Yes and Yes ran that day. “Little unlucky to lose. It just showed his affinity for the grass course.”

Jose Ortiz rides Yes and Yes from post 2.

Thin White Duke, who is 0 for 6 at Belmont, will be coupled in the wagering Friday with Yes and Yes. Last summer, Thin White Duke won the Lucky Coin Stakes at Saratoga after getting beat a neck in the Grade 3 Troy.

“Duke is doing well,” Donk said. “We’ll get a good race into him, whatever that is.”

Manny Franco rides Thin White Duke from post 3.

Trainer Christophe Clement has the uncoupled pair of Voodoo Zip and Slipstream in this spot. Voodoo Zip won this condition in May 2022 but is winless in three starts this year. He finished seventh, with trouble, in the Elusive Quality. He is coming back 26 days after finishing third in a Woodbine allowance.

Slipstream was fourth in this condition on June 1. He won the Grade 3 Futurity over the inner turf course here in October 2021. Friday’s race is on the Widener turf course.

Heaven Street set the pace in the Elusive Quality before finishing third behind Anaconda and Yes and Yes. He is coming out of a runner-up finish in this condition on June 1, a race from which the third-place finisher, Gun It, came back to win his next start.

Flavien Prat rides Heaven Street from post 5.

Cazadero, a graded stakes winner on dirt and turf earlier in his career was purchased by David Jacobson for $60,000 at the Keeneland April Selected Horse of Racing Age Sale. He finished last of seven in a Laurel allowance race on June 16.

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