Host of Belmont Stakes hopefuls work across NYRA racetracks

• Host of Belmont Stakes hopefuls work across NYRA racetracks
• Point Dume to return to New York for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival
• Celtic Dawn under consideration for Bouwerie, NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy

The trio of Emerging Market, Ottinho and Growth Equity trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and the Grade 1-placed Chief Wallabee for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott worked Saturday across Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park in preparation for the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 6 at the Spa.

Highlighted by the 158th edition of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will include 10 Grade 1 races among 18 graded stakes across five days of world class competition. For more information and to buy tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont-stakes/.

The pair of Ottinho and Growth Equity worked in company over the Belmont Park dirt training track, covering a half-mile in 49.95 seconds. Meanwhile, 200 miles north, Emerging Market breezed the same distance in 49 4/5 over the Oklahoma dirt training track in company with sophomore maiden Hadrian’s Wall.

Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Ottinho, last seen finishing second in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 4 at Keeneland, posted his fifth work since that effort. Klaravich Stables' Growth Equity, propelled himself onto the list of Belmont Stakes probables with a two-length win in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 9 at Belmont at the Big A, where he made his first start against winners.

“They worked great at about 7:40 – they worked together, and they worked super,” Brown said.

Ottinho had a foot issue following the Blue Grass, but Brown said a special shoe has helped him in his training since.

“He had a crack in the sole of his foot, in a weird spot, and he’s been training with a bar shoe,” Brown said. “He’s likely not to run in it [the bar shoe], and I think I can get him out of it by race day. He’s doing great in it, and he’s really picked it up between the last two weeks.”

Brown was non-committal about the Belmont Stakes for Growth Equity following his Peter Pan score, but said he has warmed up to the idea after reviewing the son of Nyquist’s figures. He debuted with a second sprinting six-furlongs in July at Saratoga, and has stretched out by one furlong in each of his three starts since.

“My initial thought after his last race was, he handled the mile and an eighth well, and I might just sort of quit while I’m ahead with the horse,” Brown explained. “He’s in great form; he handled it and had a bit of a wide mile and an eighth trip and handled it against horses that aren’t really on par with what he has to run with at the top echelon of this crop. Then I looked at his figures and I saw the pattern he’s on, which is he’s got a beautiful sheet line going, and he really ran fast in that race on the sheets.

“At the end of the day, he’s by a Derby-winner, he’s handled the mile and an eighth the right way, his figures keep getting faster every race the further I run him,” Brown added. “He’s fresh, he’s in good form, and if he drew a cozy post towards the inside and got a ground-saving trip in there, he’s very handy. I’m leaning towards running the horse.”

At Saratoga, Brown looked on as Klaravich Stables' Grade 2 Louisiana Derby-winner Emerging Market breezed for the second time since an even off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 2. He returned to the tab last week with a half-mile in 50.12 seconds, and quickened things up a touch on Saturday for his 49 and 4/5 effort.

“He worked great, and I did a little more with him this week,” Brown said. “I really liked what I saw. He galloped out really well. The horse is doing good.”

Brown said his three colts have each built a strong case for the Belmont Stakes, where they would face a field that is likely to include Kentucky Derby-winner Golden Tempo, among others.

“I’m looking at it like I always do – do these horses belong in this particular race given how they are doing training right now, where they are in their form cycles, taking out of account what else I might have running, and [looking at] what their styles are,” Brown concluded. “[We’re] talking about them individually.”

Brown’s Saratoga work tab was a busy one and included another solo move from Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks-winner Always a Runner, who covered a half-mile in 49 and 4/5 as she points to the Grade 1, $500,000 DraftKings Acorn on June 5 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

“She breezed super today and I’m very happy with her,” Brown said. “She’s on target for the Acorn. She breezed good last week, but her second breeze since the Oaks was really something today. She’s graduated into that [working on her own], and I breezed her in company before the Oaks, but she’s so fit now, and I was happy to give her a couple of solo works.”

Brown sent out dual Grade 1-winner Zulu Kingdom for his second work since winning the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile on April 10 at Keeneland. He covered a half-mile in 50 and 1/5, with Brown noting he is possible for the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker on June 7 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

“He’s good. He’s 50/50 for that race,” he said. “He had a quarter crack and had a gap between his works. I kept him in light training, but it was just big enough where I needed some time to really put a full patch over it. He worked today and worked pretty good. I’m going to give him a chance to advance to next week and see what we’re going to do.”

Brown added that Grade 1-winner Salamis, away from the races since his win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on November 29 at Del Mar, is also possible for the Poker. He worked Saturday over the Oklahoma in 49 and 4/5.

In the barn of Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Belmont Stakes hopeful Chief Wallabee worked in company with Gilded Bandit, who broke behind him and was a few lengths back as Chief Wallabee completed five-eighths in 1:00 and 4/5, according to NYRA clockers. Gilded Bandit was clocked a half-mile in 48 flat.

“I thought he went very well – he was smooth, and they went off fast enough, 12 and change and came home well enough,” Mott said of Chief Wallabee. “We worked him out to the seven-eighths pole. That was fast enough for him.”

Mike and Katherine Ball's Kentucky homebred Chief Wallabee will look to give Mott a Belmont Stakes double after taking last year’s edition with subsequent Horse of the Year Sovereignty, who took to the Oklahoma under exercise rider Jimmy Quispe shortly after the conclusion of the 9 a.m. renovation break. He breezed a solo half-mile in 48 and 4/5 in front of a small crowd of media and fans, sharpening up a touch from his 50.05-second half-mile last week.

“I told Jimmy to let him pick it up a little in the last eighth and he did. He was 50 last week and 48 and four [today]. It’s good,” Mott said.

Sovereignty is pointing to the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 27 at Churchill Downs.

***

Point Dume to return to New York for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

Bush Racing Stable’s Point Dume will look to make amends for an off-the-board effort last out in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard with a likely start in the Grade 3, $400,000 True North, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older horses on Belmont Stakes Day June 6, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trainer Tim Kreiser indicated the 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding will be nominated to both the True North and the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes Day program.

"We're going to be in one of them. We might enter both spots and decide. The Met Mile is $1 million - that could come up a little salty," said Kreiser, with a laugh. "He'll work the end of next week and then we're coming north.”

Point Dume has risen from claim to fame, posting a 10-5-2-0 record since being haltered for $40,000 out of a second in July at Penn National, topped by a neck score over the reigning Champion Male Sprinter Book’em Danno in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Point Dume dueled on the lead through splits of 23.01 seconds and 45.70 in the Carter and had enough in the tank to fend off the late charge of a ground-saving Book’em Danno, who tipped off the rail and just missed in his seasonal debut. Point Dume stopped the clock in 1:22.53 with the winning effort registering a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He does what he does - he fights,” Kreiser said of the grade-making score. “I put a smaller blinker on him so he can see a horse, and he loves that fight. When he's out there, he's a fighting son of a gun. He don't back down too quick.”

Last out, Point Dume was difficult to load in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs and was off slow while racing wide from the outermost post 11.

“I'm not sure what happened - they had to push him in [to the gate],” Kreiser said. “You could see they had a hold of his head, and they were moving him back to the one side and bringing him back. I don't think he was ready to break. It was a bummer but at least I saw the Derby for the first time in person.”

Point Dume worked back a half-mile in 47.40 seconds on May 20 at his Penn National base.

“When he got back here it was like nothing ever happened,” Kreiser said. “He's training good and looks good. He's just a tough horse.”

Point Dume made his first six starts for Kreiser at one mile or beyond, cutting back to 6 1/2 furlongs to win a $100,000 handicap in January at Laurel Park ahead of a win in the seven-furlong Listed General George on Valentine’s Day at the Maryland oval that garnered a career-best 104 Beyer.

Whether it’s the True North or Met Mile, Point Dume’s next outing will mark the first start at the Spa for Kreiser, who saddled his first winner in 1993.

“I go to Saratoga every year for the Whitney and never thought I'd run a horse there,” Kreiser said. “I've been at least 11-or-12 years in a row now.”

Kreiser seemed skeptical when asked about the possibility of finding a router of his own for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 8, which offers a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in October at Keeneland.

“You don't get lucky in the claiming game that often,” Kreiser said, with a laugh.

Point Dume boasts a 32-11-7-3 record with $726,300 in earnings. He is out of the dual Grade 1-placed Malibu Moon mare Maya Malibu and was originally a $450,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He was initially trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and has also been conditioned by Brittany Russell, Kieron Magee, Horacio De Paz and Jamie Ness.

***

Celtic Dawn under consideration for Bouwerie, NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy

Blue Devil Racing Stable’s New York homebred Celtic Dawn improved to 2-for-2 while successfully returning from an over eight-month layoff with a 1 1/4-length allowance score versus elders on May 14 at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the sophomore Honest Mischief filly is now under consideration for upcoming stakes engagements on both dirt and turf.

Celtic Dawn is possible for the state-bred $200,000 Bouwerie going seven furlongs on the main track on June 3 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, as well as the six-furlong turf $150,000 NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy versus eligible-sired sophomore fillies on June 13 at Belmont at the Big A.

“She came out of the race great. We will keep our options open. She is nominated to the Bouwerie and we will consider the Cupecoy’s Joy on the turf on the 13th, if we need a little bit more time,” Martin said. “That was a good performance. The way they write the races is 3-and-up, so she had a couple of older fillies in there. It wasn’t the toughest non-winners of one in the world, but you have to respect facing older because they are seasoned veterans.”

Celtic Dawn is out of the Paddy O’Prado mare Tapa Liath, a winner on turf for Marc Holliday’s Blue Devil Racing Stable. Paddy O’Prado himself was a Grade 1-winner on turf, in addition to strong dirt efforts that included a third in the 2010 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she liked turf,” Martin said. “The Paddy O’Prado mare ran on it, and Honest Mischief is a pretty versatile sire. He gets you horses that can run on anything it seems like, similar to Into Mischief. For $150,000, if we need a little bit more time, it’s a stallion race and you have to consider it because she is a talented filly. She gives the indication that she can run on anything.”

Celtic Dawn won her off-the-turf debut by three lengths in August at Saratoga, but was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured pastern in the left front. She received surgery at the nearby Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and returned to the races victoriously last out.

“Marc Holliday was patient, and the whole Blue Devil team has always been that way. We’ve been together a long time. We’ve had some nice horses together and he’s always been the best owner to work for as far as patience and doing right by the horse,” Martin said. “It was an emotional, rocky 24 hours until the surgery the next day, but the people at Rood and Riddle, and the surgeon, did an unbelievable job.”