Belmont Derby Invitational (Grade 1)

Belmont Oaks Invitational (Grade 1)

THERE were two turf Grade 1s for three-year-olds at Saratoga over last weekend. The only European interest was provided by the Charlie Fellows-trained Luther, who ran well for Kieren Shoemark to take third in the Belmont Derby Invitational.

Oisin Murphy travelled over to take the ride on the former British-trained New Century who went off favourite.

Tank set the pace with New Century, who was a nose behind Test Score when second and third in the Grade 1 American Turf to Zulu Kingdom at Churchill Downs, showing early speed this time in second with Test Score back in third.

Tank opened up a lead at the mile mark, but Manny Franco angled Test Score five wide in the stretch and powered to the front in the final furlong to win by a length and a quarter.

World Beater just nudged out Luther by a nose for second.

Jockey Franco said: “I had the trip I wanted. I knew he was there for me,” and his trainer Graham Motion added: “He’s such a cool horse. Distance doesn’t matter to him.”

The winner had won the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland in April. The win was a 30th Grade 1 win for owner/breeders the Amerman family and the Saratoga Derby is a likely next target for the son of Lookin At Lucky.

Zulu Kingdom had earlier won the Grade 3 Manila Stakes on Friday’s card.

Belmont Oaks

Nitrogen was a hot favourite for the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes and all looked to be going to plan as she raced in second place behind the Irish-bred Dubawi filly Opulent Restraint. But it was a hot pace, as the grey led by two lengths over Nitrogen to complete a half mile in 46.75 secs.

Nitrogen made her move from second approaching two out, but the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro still duelled with Opulent Restraint, who hung on for third, until the final furlong when she slowly got the better of that rival.

But Flavien Prat had moved Fionn up from fifth on the outside of the field of seven while in the stretch and the second choice closed strongly to collar Nitrogen by a nose.

Final time for the nine furlongs was a scintillating 1m44.84secs and broke the track record of 1m45.06sec set by In Italian in 2022.

Brad Cox reported Fionn, a daughter of Twirling Candy, will have her main target as the nine-furlong Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October, but the Saratoga Oaks is also a likely consideration.

Locked out

There was another beaten favourite in the Grade 2 Suburban Stakes when Todd Pletcher’s odds-on Locked could only manage third, over six lengths behind the winner, the Godolphin-bred Phileas Fogg, ridden by Kendrick Carmouche for Gustavo Rodriguez. The five-year-old gelding held off Antiquarian by a head.

One of the top turf sprinters in the US, a graded winner this year over five and a half furlongs, Think Big got back to winning ways in taking the Grade 3 Kelso Stakes. Godolphin’s four-year-old son of Twirling Candy, stepped up to a mile here and coped well with the distance. Trainer Michael Stidham indicated the Godolphin horse may try the Breeders’ Cup Mile this year.

The first group of quality two-year-olds usually emerge at Saratoga and there was certainly one to catch the eye in the Saturday action. The Steve Asmussen-trained Obliteration certainly obliterated his opposition, winning the Grade 3 Sandford Stakes by over 10 lengths. The son of Violence was adding to his June 12th debut at Churchill Downs, where he won by seven and a half lengths.

Magnitude on the march

THERE could still be time for another big player to emerge from the three-year-old ranks in the US. Remember Arrogate flashed on the scene at the end of August in 2016 to win the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and go on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The Steve Asmussen-trained, Winchell Thoroughbreds-owned Magnitude had won the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February, but was then sidelined by injury.

He beat five rivals in the Listed Iowa Derby on Saturday as Ben Curtis partnered the Not This Time colt to make all and come clear in the straight to win by nine and a quarter lengths.

Magnitude got a 105 Beyer Speed Figure in the Iowa Derby, which is impressive considering he was absent since the Risen Star Stakes.

His 108 in that race was the highest figure before the 109 by Sovereignty in Belmont.