Anne Marie Duff

A STAR-STUDDED card at Belmont tonight features six Grade 1 races concluding with the Belmont Stakes at 11.37pm. Also on the card is the Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational over six furlongs featuring Wesley Ward’s Royal Ascot winner Undrafted.

6.11 Acorn Stakes (Grade 1) 3yo 1m

Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman takes on Todd Pletcher’s Sweet Loretta in the three-year-old Grade 1 contest. Abel Tasman has Mike Smith on board again but this will be a different set up from Churchill Downs where she benefitted from a pace collapse and she also drops back a furlong. Sweet Loretta was among the top two-year-old fillies, winning the Grade 1 Spinaway and met her only defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Fillies Juvenile. She comes of a Grade 3 win at Keeneland on her three-year-old debut.

Selection: Sweet Loretta Next best: Abel Tasman

6.52 Ogden Phipps Stakes (Grade 1) Fillies & Mares, 4yo+ 1m ½f

An early evening treat with last year’s champion three-year-old filly Songbird, who met her only defeat to Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, making her belated four-year-old debut in this mile and half a furlong contest. She suffered a minor hold up with some filling in her leg after kicking a wall in her stall in March. Even short of peak fitnees, she should take this.

Carina Mia looks her biggest danger. She won the Acorn at this meeting last season but could not live with Songbird on their two meetings, finishing over five lengths behind each time, in the Cotillion and the CCA Oaks.

This is over a one turn track which gives her a slightly better chance if Songbird is not fully firing. She finished third to Paulasilverlining in a Churchill Downs Grade 1 this season.

Paid Up Subscriber moved to Chad Brown this season after some good graded placing last season and could be a threat for second. Highway Star is perfect in four career starts at Belmont and steps up to Grade 1 company.

Selection: Songbird

Next best: Highway Star

8.58 Longines Just a Game Stakes (Grade 1) Fillies & Mares, 4yo+ 1m (Turf)

A high-class field and Irish-bred Roca Rojo, formerly trained by Ado McGuinness, has stepped into the big time in the US and won a Grade 2 last time out at Churchill Downs. She takes on last year’s winner, the Moyglare Stud-owned Celestine in this mile contest. Celestine has won her last two at Gulfstream, following the same path as last year and the daughter of Scat Daddy will be difficult to beat.

Godolphin’s Dickinson comes on a run of three success including beating Lady Eli in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley last time. Bill Mott’s Harmonize won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks last season.

Selection: Celestine

Next best: Dickinson

9.41 Metropolitan Handicap (Grade 1) 3yo+ 1m

A strong field for the feature mile and Mor Spirit is favourite off two wins. Mike Smith will once again be in the saddle, and he will have to decide how close he should be to the lead.

Sharp Azteca beat many of these in the Gulfstream Handicap before finishing third in Dubai and could be hard to catch. Mohaymen was once a Derby contender but seems to have lost his form but impressed in recent workouts.

Selection: Sharp Azteca

Next best: Mohaymen

10.37 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Stakes (Grade 1) 4yo+ 1m 2f (Turf)

The grey World Approval is staking a bid for top US turf horse with wins on his last two outings and is bound to go close. Divisidero took a Gade 1 at Churchill Downs last time to add one last season.

It looked as if Time Test could be the next Flintshire for Juddmonte with his turn of foot a potent weapon in US racing but he was disappointing in a Grade 3 on this track. He is worth another chance.

Selection: Time Test

Next best: Divisidero

11.37 Belmont Stakes (Grade 1) 3yo 1m 4f

No Kentucky Derby or Preakness Stakes winner and two-year-old champion Classic Empire was a last minute defection. It is still an intriguing race. Japan went close with Lani, beaten a length and a half last year and the intended Japanese runner here, Epicharis, suffered a late setback but for which he would have been the choice.

Looking At Lee is the only colt to have lined up in each Triple Crown race (second and fourth), but apart from the winners, the beaten horses from earlier legs have a poor record in the Belmont.

Gormley, Tapwrit, J Boys Echo and Irish War Cry all won Kentucky Derby trials but were down the field at Churchill Downs and Irish War Cry, a son of Belmont second Curlin, might be the one to bounce back. He was sent forward to dispute the lead on the sloppy surface at Churchill Downs but faded from two out.

Gormley was one of the top west coast two-year-olds last year and comes of a ninth place in the Derby. Senior Investment has been put forward as an outsider as he is a solid stayer, finished third in the Preakness and comes here a relatively fresh horse. It would be fitting if his trainer Kenny McPeek were to win after his bad luck at Epsom with Daddy’s Lil Darling before the Oaks.

Selection: Irish War Cry

Next best: Senior Investment