NY-breds take center stage on New York Showcase Day to begin Belmont Stakes Racing Festival
The Opening Day program of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Wednesday, June 3, at Saratoga Race Course will offer six New York-bred stakes to celebrate the best of racing in the Empire State for New York Showcase Day.
Highlighted by the 158th edition of Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 6, 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/.
Wednesday’s card kicks off with the Grade 1, $150,000 Beverly R. Steinman for open older horses at 2 3/8-miles over hurdles before the New York-bred program begins with six state-bred stakes worth $200,000 each. First post on Wednesday’s 10-race card is 12:35 p.m. Eastern with admission gates open to the public at 11 a.m. Wednesday’s card will be bolstered by a $1 Pick 6 carryover of $23,616 which kicks off in Race 5 at 2:53 p.m.
“New York Showcase Day has become one of the premier stages to highlight the strength and quality of the New York-bred program,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. “Featuring six New York-bred stakes races as part of the kickoff to the final Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, the day places New York-breds in the national spotlight during one of racing’s biggest weeks. It is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the owners, breeders, horsemen, and equine athletes who continue to elevate New York as one of the leading breeding and racing programs in North America.”
The seven-furlong Mike Lee [Race 8] for sophomores is an intriguing affair led by Grade 3-placed Bravaro [post 9, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Owned by Albert Ciuffetelli, Stephanie Brennan, Shining Stables, BAG Racing Stables and Paul Braverman, Bravaro won his first two career starts, including the one-turn mile Sleepy Hollow against fellow state-breds in October at Belmont at the Big A. The Upstart bay, bred by Stephanie Baltzan, has competed around two turns in graded company since, landing second to Nearly in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and fourth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth when 11 lengths back of the victorious Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets hopeful Commandment.
Last out, Bravaro added blinkers and endured a troubled trip in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack. There, Bravaro bumped with rivals exiting the gate and was squeezed back before racing in 6th-of-12. He advanced with an inside move to the far turn where he was again steadied before cutting the corner and rallying to finish a game fourth, 1 1/4-lengths back of third-place Ocelli, who exited to finish third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby; and a neck in front of fifth-place Napoleon Solo, who recently captured the Grade 1 Preakness.
“The cutback is going to help him,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He ran credible in the Wood and was fourth with a troubled trip. If he could have got out, he would have run closer. The form has worked out good from that race. I feel like one turn will be much better for him. It’s coming up quite tough, but I feel he’s one of the leading contenders.”
Michael Dubb’s Sculcos Folly [post 1, Jaime Rodriguez] has won his last three outings by a combined 24 lengths, including prominent scores at the Big A in the state-bred one-mile Gander in March and the 6 1/2-furlong Mind Your Biscuits for eligible New York-sired stock on April 11. The Redesdale colt, bred by Lannister Holdings, graduated at third asking while racing for a $20,000 tag but has swiftly climbed the ranks this year for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.
Trainer Mike Maker sends out a strong trio in three-time stakes-winner Arctic Beast [post 7, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], the reigning NYTB Champion 2-Year-Old Male, and the stakes-placed duo of Max Money [post 4, Dylan Davis] and Wamo [post 6, Flavien Prat].
Also entered are B Thedonald [post 2, Manny Franco], Party in the Army [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], Stickupwithoutagun [post 5, Chris Elliott], and Time to Roll [post 8, Jose Ortiz].
The state-bred stakes action kicks off in Race 2 with the seven-furlong Bouwerie for sophomore fillies as Waterville Lake Stables’ Galinda [post 5, Jaime Rodriguez] will look to notch her second stakes score for trainer Miguel Clement.
The Good Magic bay, bred by Daniel J. Burke and Kathleen Burke Schweizer, was purchased for $120,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale. Galinda has already banked $188,150 via a 4-3-1-0 ledger topped by a 9 1/4-length victory in the seven-furlong state-bred East View on Valentine’s Day at the Big A.
Galinda is undefeated in three starts at seven-furlongs or less, including a last-out score versus open company on April 19 at Aqueduct, with her lone defeat coming in the one-turn mile state-bred Maddie May to returning rival Victory Hall [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr].
Also entered are Venetta [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche], Pinky Brier [post 2, Ruben Silvera], Irish Lullaby [post 4, Flavien Prat], Celestial Body [post 6, Edgard Zayas] and Hot Currency [post 7, Manny Franco].
Gatsas Stables’ homebred Five G [post 4, John Velazquez], a Grade 2-winner on dirt, returns to turf for the first time since a close second in the 2024 one-mile Tepin as she takes on the Mount Vernon [Race 3], a 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf route fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
Trained by George Weaver, the 4-year-old Vekoma bay graduated at this distance over Aqueduct Racetrack’s turf course in November 2024, and followed with her half-length defeat to Laurelin in the Tepin just two weeks later. She switched to dirt for a nine-length win in Gulfstream Park’s one-mile Cash Run ahead of a second in Oaklawn Park’s Grade 3 Honeybee and a win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. She won her seasonal debut going one-mile in February at Gulfstream, and enters from a distant eighth in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 11 at Oaklawn Park.
The competitive field will also feature Trail of Gold [post 1, Jose Ortiz], Spinning Colors [post 2, Manny Franco], 2025 NYTB Champion Turf Female Awesome Czech [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], Being Betty [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], National Archive [post 6, Flavien Prat], Midnight Concerto [post 7, Chris Elliott] and Dividend Recap [post 8, Jaime Rodriguez]. Bam’s Bliss Kiss and Bernieandtherose are entered for the main track only.
Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb and Richard Schermerhorn’s dual Grade 1-winner Spirit of St Louis [post 7, Manny Franco] looms large in the Kingston [Race 4], a 1 1/16-mile inner turf route for 3-year-olds and up.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the 7-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro returned to state-bred company for the first time in 19 months last out when a half-length second in a 1 1/16-mile outer turf optional claimer on April 24 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Last year, Spirit of St Louis won two Grade 1 events when capturing the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park and the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic in May at Churchill Downs. Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, he seeks his second Kingston win after taking the 2024 edition as part of a five-race all-stakes win streak.
The talented field also includes Leon Blue [post 1, Chris Elliott], George Briggs [post 2, Flavien Prat], Smooth Breeze [post 3, John Velazquez], Bettrluckythangood [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Funny Factor [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] and Mi Bago [post 6, Jose Ortiz, blinkers OFF]. Shipsational, Shadow Dragon, Buttah, Annexperience and Dear Chairman are entered for the main track only.
Lael Stables’ Landed [post 3, John Velazquez] is 2-for-2 at Saratoga and will look to keep that perfect record intact in the Critical Eye [Race 5], a nine-furlong test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. Trained by Wesley Ward, the 5-year-old Omaha Beach mare captured the state-bred Bouwerie and Fleet Indian in 2024 here, the latter over course and distance. She has made one start this year, a pacesetting second in an open optional claimer on April 12 at Keeneland.
Landed, bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable, boasts an overall record of 12-5-2-4 with $414,954 in earnings, including an additional stakes score in the state-bred Broadway last February at Aqueduct. She was a $500,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold, making her a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed millionaire Venti Valentine and multiple stakes-winner Espresso Shot.
Also entered are Walk With Me [post 1, Flavien Prat], Boxed Wine [post 2, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], Valtellina [post 4, Dylan Davis], Hello Beauty [post 5, Junior Alvarado], Lika Rolling Stone [post 6, Ruben Silvera] and Bernietakescharge [post 7, Manny Franco].
LSU Stables’ Bank Frenzy [post 6, Manny Franco], the reigning NYTB Champion Older Dirt Male and NYTB's New York-sired Horse of the Year, will look for back-to-back scores in the Commentator [Race 9], a nine-furlong route for 3-year-olds and up. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the 6-year-old Central Banker gelding captured this event by 1 1/4 lengths last year under returning rider Manny Franco, who earned honors as the 2025 NYTB Jockey of the Year.
Bank Frenzy, bred by Chester and Mary Broman, commands respect having banked $869,420 through a 22-10-5-2 record, despite his last start being a 6 1/4-length third in the state-bred Alex M. Robb in December at Aqueduct Racetrack. He won the Alex M. Robb there and the state-bred Evan Shipman at Saratoga in 2024, as well as last year’s Listed Stymie, state-bred Haynesfield and Empire Classic at the Big A.
Also entered are Dr. Kraft [post 1, Silvestre Gonzalez], Quick to Accuse [post 2, Dylan Davis], Alan Turing [post 3, Junior Alvarado], Wynstock [post 4, John Velazquez], Russian Realm [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Iron Dome [post 7, Jose Ortiz], Drake’s Passage [post 8, Flavien Prat] and Donegal Surges [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche].
America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and the best way to bet every race of the five-day meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
