BELDAME STAKES

(Grade 1)

GODOLPHIN’s Wedding Toast made all the way to win the $400,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park last Saturday.

The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained five-year-old mare sailed along on an easy lead in the nine furlong contest and drew away for her fifth win at Belmont.

Sent off favourite, Wedding Toast under jockey Jose Lezcano, she was tracked closely by Hot Stones and Curalina. Wedding Toast led by three lengths as the field turned for home and found more to easily hold three-year-old Curalina who finished two and three-quarter lengths back.

McLaughlin said: “She just had a little foot issue and we had to skip the Personal Ensign and then, thinking about it, we thought this was a better spot anyway because she loves the one turn.”

“She broke good and I let her go at her own pace,” Lezcano said. “When I asked her in the stretch, she went on and did it easy. I never touched her with the whip or anything.”

“As good form as she’s in, she’ll be able to handle two turns (in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff),” McLaughlin said. “But this race was here and it’s a Grade I, so it worked out well. I don’t say it very often, but I asked him (Jose Lezcano) not to give her a hard race if he didn’t have to because she looked that good on paper. Couldn’t have asked for better, it really went perfect.”

It was her third win in a row and second consecutive Grade I after taking the Ogden Phipps Stakes by five lengths over champion Untapable last time out in June. The Beldame was her eight win from 12 starts.

La Verdad, trained by Linda Rice, won her fifth race in a row this year when taking the Gallant Bloom Handicap (Grade 2) for fillies over six and a half furlongs from Wavell Avenue and Dame Dorothy, in an all the way success as the odds-on favourite.

Trainer Linda Rice said: “I’ve had to work hard to get her here and we lost some time, but I think this race will do her a lot of good. She’ll move forward and will be harder to beat next time.”