Belmont Park Fall Races
by Patricia Woo | Oct 5 2009
Another exciting weekend of wagering on
horse racing awaits you Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct 11 at
Belmont Park. The Champagne Stakes, the Frizette Stakes, the Jamaica Handicap and the Jerome Handicap mark some of the final prep races for many horses gearing up for the
Breeders' Cup in November.
The Champagne Stakes is a Gr. 1 race for 2-year-olds going 1 mile over Belmont Park's main track. Offering a purse of $400,000, the Champagne Stakes offers horse bettors the opportunity to take another look at some of racing's top 2-year-olds. D'Funnybone is one of those juveniles making waves. Trained by Richard Dutrow, Jr. and owned by Paul Pompa, D'Funnybone romped in the $250,000 Gr. 2 Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept 19 and expectations are high for this son of D'wildcat with his race record of 4-3-1-0. Other nominees of note include Discreetly Mine and Dublin.
One of the last chances for 2-year-old fillies to win a spot into the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies event is the Frizette Stakes, also on Oct. 10, a Gr. 1 race over 1 mile and offering a purse of $400,000. Peaking at the right time is Awesome Maria, a 2-year-old trainee of Stanley Hough. This filly won the $250,000 Gr. 2 Matron Stakes on Sept. 19 and should be among the favorites. Among the challengers is Kid Kate (daughter of Lemon Drop Kid and trained by Chad Brown); she is looking for her first graded stakes score and is coming into the Frizette off a win in the Junior Champion Stakes on Aug. 29.
Rounding out Saturday's races at Belmont is the Jamaica Handicap, a $300,000 Gr. 1 race for 3-year-olds over Belmont Park's turf course. Nominated for the event is Courageous Cat, a Bill Mott trainee with a 5-3-1-0 record and three consecutive wins, two at Belmont Park. His last outing was a win in the $150,000 Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga, which was his first graded stakes victory. Todd Pletcher's Take the Points could also show up in the Jamaica Handicap, following up on his breakthrough win in the $400,000 Gr. 1 Secretariat Stakes at
Arlington Park in August.
On Sunday, Oct. 11, the Jerome Handicap will turn the spotlight on 3-year-olds willing to run 1 mile. A $150,000 Gr. 2 event, the Jerome Handicap could feature Steve Asmussen's charge Kensei, who last finished sixth in the $1M Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August. Godolphin's Girolamo is also probable; he earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure in his latest outing, an allowance race at Belmont Park on Sept. 13. And this could be Vineyard Haven's next race as well - this son of Lido Palace bounced back from a terrible spring debut with a runner-up finish (by disqualification) $300,000 Gr. 1 King's Bishop Stakes in August and seems well on his way to regaining his winning form.
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