Doubting Thomas looks to double up on stakes scores in $175K Carle Place

 

The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s Virginia homebred Doubting Thomas brings winning form to Saturday’s $175,000 Carle Place, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for sophomores, at Belmont Park. 

 

The Carle Place is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which is headlined by the Grade 2, $300,000 Mother Goose in Race 9. The stakes-laden program also features the Listed $200,000 Dwyer in Race 8 and the Listed $175,000 Pumpkin Pie in Race 6. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern

 

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Doubting Thomas [post 4, Jorge Ruiz] enters from a convincing one-length score last out on October 10 here in the seven-furlong Bricks and Mortar. There, with returning jockey Jorge Ruiz up, Doubting Thomas closed six-wide down the lane and staved off the onrushing Iron Palace for the smart score in a final time of 1:20.17. The winning effort earned Doubting Thomas a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

 

The Caravaggio colt entered the Bricks and Mortar from a non-threatening sixth in the one-mile Gio Ponti in September at Saratoga Race Course.

 

“The only flaw on his form is the two-turn race. We thought he'd be able to go further,” Trombetta said. “I had my reservations about running him back seven-eighths, but it was a one-turn race, and he handled it real well.

 

“It was a nice group of horses, and he showed up in a big way,” Trombetta continued, regarding the Bricks and Mortar score. “Ruiz has ridden him a bunch and he was pretty confident in and familiar with the horse, so it certainly didn't hurt.”

 

Doubting Thomas made two starts in restricted company as a juvenile sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs at Colonial Downs, winning his debut in rallying fashion and following with a frontrunning score in the Jamestown.

 

The talented bay launched his current campaign in June on the Presque Isle Downs synthetic, finishing second in the six-furlong Tom Ridge. He returned to the Colonial turf for his next two outings and utilized rallying tactics while landing a head second in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance in July ahead of a win in the six-furlong Colonial Turf Dash in August. 

 

“He's always been one of those horses that does things the way they're supposed to and for me to be able to transition from state-bred and restricted to win in New York in open company was a nice surprise,” Trombetta said.

 

Trombetta has enjoyed a solid start to the Belmont fall meet, posting a 19-4-4-1 record that includes an additional stakes win with Souper Forces in the Listed Artie Schiller on October 2.

 

The veteran conditioner said he’s hopeful Doubting Thomas will help pad those stats on Saturday.

 

“It's nice to have a place to run some of these horses, it's been a good start to the meet,” Trombetta said. “He's [Doubting Thomas] training nicely. If we get an honest trip, I would hope that he runs well.”

 

Doubting Thomas, out of the dual stakes-placed Songandaprayer mare Allwewantforxmas, is a half-brother to Grade 3-winner Spun Glass. His second dam is stakes-winner Grecian Wings. He has banked $357,450 through a 7-4-2-0 record.

 

Michael McLoughlin’s Oscar’s Hope [post 3, Junior Alvarado] boasts a consistent 13-4-4-2 ledger for purse earnings of $548,397 that includes dirt stakes wins in the Jean Lafitte in November at Delta Downs and the Ozark in February at Oaklawn Park while in the care of Tom Amoss.

 

The Twirling Candy bay was transferred to trainer Kinnon LaRose upon Amoss’ retirement and made two additional dirt starts before trying turf for the first time in the Spa’s 5 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Mahony in August. There, Oscar’s Hope closed from last-of-7 and seven lengths off-the-pace to finish a neck second to Stradale, who exited that effort to win the Grade 2 Gallant Bob on dirt at Parx and was fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Saturday at Keeneland.

 

Oscar’s Hope has stayed on turf since, closing from deep to finish a 2 1/2-length fourth in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson in September at Kentucky Downs and a 1 3/4-length third in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance last out on October 8 at Keeneland won by dual stakes-winner Outfielder.

 

Oscar's Hope, bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, is out of the winning Not This Time mare Hopeful Princess, a full-sister to stakes-placed turfer Johanny. His third dam, Magical Meadow, produced Past as Prelude, the dam of multiple graded stakes-winning turf sprinter Future Is Now.

 

Gold Square’s Two Out Hero [post 7, Kendrick Carmouche] will look to make amends for a seventh-place finish as the favorite last out in the Bricks and Mortar.

 

Trained by Kevin Attard, the War Front colt enjoyed a solid juvenile campaign, winning the Listed Soaring Free and finishing third in the Grade 1 Summer over the Woodbine turf.

 

Two Out Hero returned to the winner’s circle in an optional-claiming turf sprint versus elders in June at Woodbine while making his fifth start of a campaign that has included a pair of off-the-board attempts at routing in stakes company on the Turfway Park synthetic.

 

The $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase closed, at odds of 26-1, to finish a 1 3/4-length second to European shipper Take Charge Star in the Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson ahead of his recent Bricks and Mortar effort.

 

Bred in Ontario by Corser Thoroughbreds, Two Out Hero is out of the dual stakes-placed Liam’s Map mare Song River, and his second dam is stakes-winner Harlan’s Honor. He has amassed $479,959 through a 10-3-2-1 record.

 

Also raiding from north of the border is the versatile Highwaytothemoon [post 5, Dylan Davis], who has won at distances ranging from 5-to-9 furlongs on the Woodbine synthetic.

 

Trained by Dale Desruisseaux for Centennial Farms (Niagara), the Ransom the Moon gelding graduated at first asking last August with a frontrunning score in a five-furlong restricted maiden sprint ahead of a third-place try in the 6 1/2-furlong Simcoe versus fellow Canadian-breds. He switched to turf to close out his 2-year-old campaign, landing a prominent fourth in the Listed Algonquin won by subsequent Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Cy Fair.

 

Highwaytothemoon stretched out incrementally in his sophomore season at Woodbine with an eye towards a start in the 10-furlong King’s Plate in August, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. He won his 5 1/2-furlong seasonal debut in April and followed with a runner-up try in open company in the seven-furlong King Corrie ahead of a pair of wins versus Canadian-breds in the seven-furlong Queenston in June and the nine-furlong Plate Trial in July. He went to post at odds of 12-1 in the King’s Plate and landed ninth-of-12 in an event won by the popular Luster.

 

Highwaytothemoon routed once more when seventh in the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales, second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on dirt in September at Fort Erie, before turning to turf sprinting last out when a one-length second to the speedy My Covenant in the 6 1/2-furlong Sophomore on October 10 at Woodbine.

 

Bred in Ontario by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, Highwaytothemoon, out of the Society’s Chairman mare High Society Gal, has accumulated $277,376 via a 10-4-2-1 record.

 

Trainer Miguel Clement has entered four contenders in Grade 3-winner Intricate Spirit [post 9, Samuel Marin], the dual stakes-placed pair of Illmatic [post 8, Flavien Prat] and Big Destroyer [post 1, Antonio Fresu] as well as maiden winner Blazing Tiger [post 10, Manny Franco].

 

The West Point Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, Kenneth Beitz and Gail Beitz-campaigned Intricate Spirit won the Grade 3 Futurity last year at Belmont at the Big A en route to a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar.

 

The Complexity gelding has won 1-of-6 starts this season, taking the six-furlong Paradise Creek in May over good going at Belmont at the Big A. He enters from a trio of off-the-board efforts, including a fifth last out in the Bricks and Mortar.

 

Adelphi Racing Club and LJSS Thoroughbreds’ New York-bred Illmatic, by Honest Mischief, has made his last three starts on turf, beginning with a nose second to Nessuna Pagina in the NYSSS Spectacular Bid in June at Belmont at the Big A. He followed with a pair of state-bred allowance tries versus elders at the Spa when a head third on August 1 and a smart half-length score last out on August 28. Illmatic was bred in the Empire State by Sequel Stallions New York.

 

LJSS Thoroughbreds is also represented by Big Destroyer, a Midshipman gelding, who arrives from a third in the Bricks and Mortar. The late-running type was second in the My Frenchman in July at Monmouth Park ahead of a sixth in the Spa’s Grade 3 Mahony – the lone blemish on a consistent 5-1-2-1 record.

 

Blazing Tiger is campaigned by Adelphi Racing Club, High Five Racing, Corms Racing Stable, Ausable Dream Racing, Shelly Hume and Russell Hume. The Twirling Candy colt graduated at seventh asking last out in a 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint on September 24 here. He boasts a 7-1-4-1 record.

 

A talented group includes Grade 3-placed Attfield [post 6, John Velazquez] for trainer Tom Morley and stakes-placed Capanaparo [post 2, Paco Lopez] for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.

 

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