Fan favorite Nitrogen returns to action in G2 Beldame

The path to this year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff will continue through New York for D.J. Stable’s reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Nitrogen in Friday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame, a one-turn nine-furlong dirt route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont Park.

The Beldame is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Dirt Dozen” series in which the nominated winner will receive a credit of $30,000 toward entry fees into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in October at Keeneland. Second place will receive a $15,000 credit and third place will receive a $7,500 credit.

Nitrogen’s dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, a consistent presence on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit, said he is thrilled to bring a fan favorite horse to compete at the new Belmont Park.

“It makes me proud of horse racing,” Casse said. “We should focus on positives, and we only need to look at the recently-concluded Saratoga meet and what they’ve been able to do with the new Belmont – it’s a game changer. It’s changed how I buy horses, how I separate them, and we’re going to stay all winter and have a strong contingent.”

The 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro makes her return to the races for the first time since a hard-trying runner-up finish to reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty when setting the pace in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course.

The effort, which was her second against male rivals, awarded her a 105 Beyer Speed Figure after marking splits of 23.43 seconds, 46.27 and 1:09.65 before being overtaken in upper stretch and finishing 4 3/4 lengths back. The horses that followed her home were Grade 1 winners Antiquarian and Baeza, Grade 2-winner Tiztastic, Group 1 Dubai World Cup-winner and Whitney favorite Magnitude and multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire White Abarrio.

Following the Whitney, Nitrogen posted two works over the Spa main track, and shipped down to Belmont Park earlier this month. She got a feel for the main track with a solo half-mile breeze in 49.62 seconds on September 12.

“She’s doing great and she’s adapted to Belmont well, so we’re ready to go,” Casse said. “I was extremely proud of her last time – I was a proud papa. I haven’t trained her extraordinarily hard for this race. Obviously we want to win the Beldame, but our major focus is the Breeders’ Cup. I think she’s in a good place and she’s ready.”

For as talented as Nitrogen is on the dirt, she began her career on turf, collecting three graded wins as a sophomore in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland and Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs ahead of a superb dirt debut when romping by 17 lengths in an off-the-turf edition of the Grade 3 Wonder Again at Saratoga. She followed with her last turf effort when a nose second to Fionn in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

Nitrogen has made her last eight outings on dirt, including her first top-level score in last year’s Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales at the Spa. She completed her sophomore season with game runner-up efforts against top company in Keeneland’s Spinster and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar to propel her to Championship honors.

The filly’s 4-year-old campaign has only lengthened her list of accolades, including a successful seasonal bow in the Grade 3 Bayakoa in February at Oaklawn Park and a career-best performance in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford in June at Saratoga where her 12 3/4-length tour de force earned a lifetime-best 113 Beyer ahead of her Whitney effort.

“She has gotten better with age,” Casse said. “She’s an amazing filly when you think about her success on the turf and on the dirt, and beating some of the best colts in the country. She’s done it all. We just need it to continue.”

Nitrogen, a winner of nearly $3 million in total purses, is a Kentucky homebred for D.J. Stable and has compiled a 17-8-6-3 record. She is out of the stakes-placed Uncle Mo mare Tiffany Case and is a half-sister to three-time graded stakes-placed Love to Shop.

Jose Ortiz, who has ridden Nitrogen in 14-of-17 starts, has the call from post 4.

A pair of classy contenders will look to pull off the upset for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown in Peter Brant’s Kentucky homebred Lost Horizon [post 2, Flavien Prat] and Klaravich Stables’ Donor Advised [post 1, Manny Franco].

The regally-bred Lost Horizon is by Into Mischief and out of the Lookin At Lucky mare Wow Cat, who won this race as a Grade 1 for these connections in 2018. The 4-year-old bay was last seen finishing a 5 1/2-length second to Splendora in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Molly Pitcher on July 18 at Monmouth Park, where she stalked and pounced from fifth with a willing bid under Tyler Gaffalione to keep three-quarter-lengths in front of Nerazurri for the minor awards.

Lost Horizon earned a 92 Beyer in her last two efforts, including a dominant 8 1/2-length score in a one-mile and 70-yard Serena’s Song in May at Monmouth. She has hit the board in each of her five starts this season.

Donor Advised makes her stakes debut off a successful optional claiming victory following a more than one-year layoff on August 30 at Saratoga. There, the 4-year-old Gun Runner chestnut stormed from just off the pace with a six-wide move under returning rider Manny Franco to draw off strongly to the 4 3/4-length victory, earning a career-best 92 Beyer.

The $325,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Malibu Moon mare Toy Moon, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Pomeroys Pistol, dam of dual graded stakes-winner Thousand Words.

Cory Moelis Racing and Jeremy Sussman’s Boutwell Time [post 3, Antonio Fresu] has won her last four starts, including back-to-back stakes, for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero and makes her second start of this campaign off a more than five-month respite.

The 4-year-old Not This Time chestnut was a four-length winner of the one-turn mile Heavenly Cause in April at Laurel Park with prominent tactics, a switch-up from her usual closing style that carried her to a neck win in Parx Racing’s Mrs. Claus in December. Prior to her stakes wins, she was a much-the-best winner of a pair of optional-claiming level events at Parx and Laurel, and makes her graded bow in the Beldame.

Completing the field is trainer Antonio Arriaga’s Lika Rolling Stone [post 5, Chris Elliott], a six-time winner from 41 starts with more than $340,000 in total purse earnings.

The Beldame is slated as Race 2 on Friday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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