U. S. S. Valor earns 95 BSF for G1 Champagne victory

• U. S. S. Valor earns 95 BSF for G1 Champagne victory
• Forever Young resumes serious preparations for G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic with open gallop on the Belmont Park main track
• Dotsy a once-in-a-lifetime horse for Finger Lakes conditioner John Grabowski
• G3 Matron winner Brickyard Belle likely for G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
• Scalene bound for Notebook following Bertram F. Bongard triumph
• Domestic Agenda registers nice 84 BSF for G2 Miss Grillo
• Let Em Know makes a statement with G2 Pilgrim score
• Good to Be King points to G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
• Rum Twist possible for G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
• Napoleon Solo “more focused” ahead of Breeders’ Cup try
• T Kraft posts career-best performance to win G3 Vosburgh
• Souper Forces notches career-best 98 BSF for Listed Artie Schiller

Team Valor International’s Kentucky homebred U. S. S. Valor once again flashed immense talent as he posted a 6 1/2-length score in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, a one-turn mile for juveniles, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and piloted by Manny Franco, U. S. S. Valor raced in a close fifth position through the half-mile in 46.08 seconds over the fast dirt, angling out near the quarter-pole while bumping with Earth Song, and then drawing well clear to a dominant score over Gaudreau in a final time of 1:34.84. The performance earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He came back fine, no problem,” McGaughey said. “He took a nice walk this morning, grazed for a good while. He’s back in the barn now. All good.”

U. S. S. Valor entered from a 13 1/4-length second-out maiden romp going seven furlongs on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course, which registered a career-best 105 Beyer. The War of Will bay was a three-quarter-length third on debut there sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on August 8, defeated by Gaudreau and Coach Pope, the latter the runner-up in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.

“I was very pleased with him, he overcame some things yesterday, he didn’t break that good,” said McGaughey. “I thought he ran well. I was impressed, when Manny pressed the button, the race was over with it.”

U. S. S. Valor showed no signs of stopping in Saturday’s one-mile test.

“Distance ain’t a problem,” McGaughey said. “I would think he’d run as far as you’d want him to run. I think he is a pretty smart horse. He’s taking learning the right way. First race he had trouble from the one post, the second race was perfect.”

The Champagne provided free entry into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as part of the “Win and You’re In” program, and 10 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings from the respective 10-5-3-2-1 points on offer to the top-five finishers.

McGaughey said he was leaving the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile decision up to Team Valor’s Barry Irwin, who has since issued a statement that U. S. S. Valor will skip the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, per Thoroughbred Daily News.

Stuart S. Janney, III’s Kentucky homebred Pass On By was third at odds of 16-1 in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 2-year-olds, which offered a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The Not This Time dark bay previously graduated second-out on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course.

“I was as pleased with his race as I was with Valor’s race,” McGaughey said. “I think he’s come along very well, too. I think he’s got a nice future ahead of him.”

McGaughey said he’d probably aim Pass On By at the Listed $175,000 Central Park on November 29 here or see if there’s a suitable allowance race.

Additional news, notes, advances and recaps are available at: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/news/.

For more information about the new Belmont Park, visit NewBelmont.com. 

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Forever Young resumes serious preparations for G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic with open gallop on the Belmont Park main track

Susumu Fujita’s Forever Young, the reigning Japanese Horse of the Year and Champion OIder Dirt Horse, returned to serious preparations for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31 at Keeneland with an open gallop Sunday over the Belmont Park main track.

Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, the 5-year-old Real Steel horse captured the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 18 here in his first start since a runner-up effort in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse.

Forever Young was piloted in his morning exercise by assistant trainer Yuki Araki, timed from the three-eighths by NYRA Clockers in 15 3/5, 31 1/5 and 45 4/5.

“I just wanted to feel the horse when he goes even pace. I’m happy with it,” Araki said.

Forever Young posted a sharper breeze ahead of his Jockey Club Gold Cup score here, covering five furlongs in 1:02.17. Araki noted that Forever Young will have two more local works before shipping to Keeneland on October 20.

“We have plenty of time for Breeders’ Cup, so we didn’t want a strong breeze this morning,” Araki said. “It was a new challenge [ahead of the Gold Cup], so we gave him a very strong breeze before the race. Obviously, it was five months after the Dubai World Cup, so we wanted him to breeze out. This time [today] was quite different because he ran one race already and fitness should be [good] enough. I’m happy with it.”

While Forever Young exercised on the main track, his stablemate Shin Emperor utilized the walking machine and enjoyed a pick of grass while attended to by his exercise rider Yuto Kumagai.

Araki said Forever Young has exited the Jockey Club Gold Cup in good order and had plenty of energy after the strong gallop.

“Oh yes, I’ve been holding hard,” Araki said, with a laugh. “Maybe his motion is slower than you guys expected, but the thing is, the gap is a very good thing. I felt the pace was even. More than that, I checked the video, and it looks like a normal gallop. I’m really satisfied.

“The strongest one will be before we move to Keeneland,” Araki added, regarding upcoming works. “We keep focusing on that. "

Forever Young cooled out in his customary fashion since arriving in New York with multiple laps along the treelined horse path adjacent to the main track before bath time and a pick of grass.

Forever Young, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, has made 16 starts across 10 racetracks in four countries, posting additional top-flight scores in back-to-back editions of the $20 million Saudi Cup in 2025-26 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, and the 2024 Tokyo Daishoten in his native country, where he is undefeated through six efforts.

Araki has utilized much of the expansive Belmont Park training facility, including the inner Tapeta track, dirt training track and the quarter-mile Tapeta pony track.

“We always want to change his mind in a better way, so we change the track and let him see a different view and atmosphere. I think it’s going well so far,” Araki said.

Forever Young has banked in excess of $32.3 million through a 16-12-1-3 record.

***
Dotsy a once-in-a-lifetime horse for Finger Lakes conditioner John Grabowski

Trainer John Grabowski surveyed a shedrow of nine trainees this week at his Finger Lakes Racetrack base, turning his attention to a juvenile gray filly by Tacitus. On Saturday, Grabowski would lead her through the Belmont Park paddock and onto the racetrack with a cautious optimism that his early assessment of her would come to fruition in the Grade 1, $500,000 Frizette.

Those dreams became a reality when the precocious Dotsy loomed large in the turn of the one-mile Frizette and kicked clear with large strides under Kendrick Carmouche to coast home first and provide her conditioner with his first stakes win, shedding light on a passionate and diligent barn that has flown under the radar in Farmington since 2012.

“She’s doing great and is on her way home to Finger Lakes – I am still on Cloud Nine,” Grabowski said by phone on Sunday. “My phone is absolutely blowing up and it’s unbelievable. What an incredible experience – once in a lifetime.”

In the Frizette, Dotsy was a close-up third through the first half-mile as Girls Wear Pearls marked splits of 22.98 seconds and 45.75 seconds over the fast footing. Patiently handled by Carmouche, Dotsy angled out to the five-path in the turn to loom large alongside the pacesetter and the favored Libby Lloyd before advancing to take a one-length lead at the stretch call. Her trainer stood watch near the finish line, imploring his beloved filly for more as she edged clear and gamely turned back the oncoming Rum Twist to score by 2 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:36.07.

“Kendrick looked like he had a ton of horse, and I just know her,” said Grabowski, a winner of 117 races from 620 starts. “When she made the lead, I really, truly felt that she was just playing with them. I know that sounds overconfident, but that’s what it looked it. Her ears were going forward and she was doing it easy. She seemed to really enjoy it and it was an unbelievable race for her.”

Owned by Thomas Paluck’s TSP Enterprises, Dotsy has been a standout to Grabowski – a former jockey with 3,401 wins in the saddle – since Day One. The filly made his shortlist at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, where he signed a $37,000 ticket for the 10th foal produced from the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Coqui - a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Voodoo. 

While even the most astute of horsemen cannot predict the future, Grabowski said every prospect that enters his barn does so with the grandest of hopes and aspirations.

“You always dream it. Every horse you buy, you always dream it,” he said. “I went down to Ocala to visit her and watch her train when she was being broke, and she had such a fluid gait to her, and such a long stride. Jesse Hoppel broke her for us and did such a fantastic job. We breezed her against some tough company, and she did it just like she did this race this weekend – she just toyed with everything she came up against. I was very confident going to Saratoga, especially having her in that restricted race. I knew and hoped she was far superior to those horses.”

That August 26 debut at Saratoga Race Course came in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden restricted to juvenile fillies that had sold or RNA’d for $65,000 or less in their most recent auction. She entered from a series of sharp works this summer, including a bullet five-furlong move in 1:00.10 on July 27 at Finger Lakes.

With Carmouche in the irons, she stalked in fifth after a slow start, but improved willingly throughout to take command with a four-wide move and tucked in down the lane for a four-length victory going away in a final time of 1:18.15, another first for Grabowski as he celebrated his initial victory at Saratoga.

Carmouche, a veteran rider with seven Grade 1 wins and 4,235 trips to the winner’s circle, has been atop some of the finest horses in the sport, and described Dotsy as “a monster” following the Frizette score.

“Kendrick told me that after he breezed her, too,” Grabowski said. “He called her a freak. That made me feel great, because you think you have a good one, but until you get a rider’s opinion like that, especially from someone like Kendrick… he’s such a good judge of what he’s on top of.”

For her Frizette score, Dotsy earned a $30,000 entry credit to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on October 30 at Keeneland and 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. She is Breeders’ Cup nominated, and the Juvenile Fillies requires both a pre-entry fee of $30,000 due on October 19 and an entry fee of the same amount on October 26.

Grabowski said having half of the related fees covered by the “Dirt Dozen” program is an enticing proposal.

“We’re definitely considering it,” Grabowski said. “We’ve got to get her home, really evaluate her and make sure we’re going forward to do this. But yes, definitely considering it. That would be another incredible experience, absolutely.”

For now, Grabowski will thoroughly enjoy the monumental accomplishment he and his team achieved yesterday to become racing’s newest Grade 1-winning stable.

“To even be around a horse like that is so incredible, let alone train her,” Grabowski said. “It’s so surreal. I’m so grateful to Mr. Paluck that he gave me a shot a few years ago. We’ve had quite a bit of success, but nothing like this. Having a horse like this, in my shedrow? Incredible.”

***
G3 Matron winner Brickyard Belle likely for G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Brickyard Belle Racing, Beggs and Flowers and Briles Family Stable’s Brickyard Belle rallied from seventh-of-8 with a six-wide rush to notch a half-length win over the talented pacesetter Harper’s Corner in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Matron, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Miguel Clement and piloted by Manny Franco, the Yaupon dark bay stopped the clock in 1:08.26 in the six-furlong inner turf sprint for juvenile fillies – nearly a full second faster than the 1:09.06 recorded by Good to Be King in the Grade 3 Futurity for 2-year-olds four races later on the program.

Assistant trainer Christophe Lorieul said Brickyard Belle showed courage to win so impressively at second asking, following up on a dominant 4 1/2-length debut score on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course.

“She was very gutsy. There was a little bit of traffic, stuck on the rail and she had a lot to do in the stretch,” Lorieul said. “Once he took her out, every stride she was making up ground. She ran really well yesterday, especially with it being just her second start. She’s talented, for sure.”

Clement indicated post-race that Brickyard Belle is likely to take on males next out in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

“Yesterday, the boys ran a second slower than the girls which is very encouraging. At the moment, we’ll try and run against the boys,” Lorieul said.

The Clement family notched their first Breeders’ Cup win when Pizza Bianca captured the 2021 Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar after a maiden score at the Spa and a runner-up try in the Grade 1 Natalma at Woodbine for the late Hall of Fame conditioner Christophe Clement.

“They don’t have to have much seasoning, just a lot of talent. Pizza Bianca won the Breeders’ Cup in her third start,” Lorieul said. “This filly [Brickyard Belle] is obviously very talented; we just have to keep her together. She’s good this morning and is on her way back to Saratoga.”

Brickyard Belle earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure for her Matron score.

LSU Stables’ Far Bridge returned from a more than six-month layoff to finish a strong second to Minaret Station in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Thursday at Belmont. There, the 6-year-old English Channel horse waited for racing room at the top of the lane and made a strong inside run, while impeded late when Minaret Station came over on El Cordobes, who was pinched back in the process.

“A very good effort off a long, long layoff. It was a roughly run race, especially in the stretch,” Loriuel said. “I don’t know if it would have changed anything, but it would have been better to have a cleaner trip. He ran very well.”

Far Bridge has notched three Grade 1 scores, taking the 2023 Belmont Derby Invitational and the following year’s Sword Dancer and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. He added the Grade 2 Bowling Green to his ledger last year and is undefeated in five starts on the Gulfstream Park turf, including back-to-back scores in the Grade 3 Pan American in 2025-26.

Lorieul noted there are a number of options for the talented bay, including the 10-furlong Grade 2, $500,000 Man o’ War on November 28 here as well as more exotic options overseas.

“The owners wanted to consider the Japan Cup and down the line maybe the Pegasus [World Cup Turf] at Gulfstream would be the long-term goal,” Lorieul said. “He loves Gulfstream and he’s unbeaten there, so why not? He had a long layoff all spring and summer and we have a fresh horse for the winter, so that’s not a bad thing.”

Far Bridge has banked in excess of $2.6 million through a 22-10-4-3 record.
Peachtree Stable’s Tawny Port finished a 3 3/4-length second to Godolphin’s European shipper Arabian Crown in Saturday’s Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine.

“Another one! We got beat last time with Deterministic by a Godolphin horse. It’s starting to get a little bit aggravating, but that’s OK,” said Lorieul, with a laugh, in reference to a runner-up try by Deterministic to Godolphin’s Notable Speech in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile last month. “Tawny Port ran very well yesterday because, on paper, the Euros were the ones to beat. He got a good trip, but he drifted out a little bit mid-stretch with the Juddmonte horse [Purview] coming out, so he had to jump back on the inside. I don’t think it would have changed anything as the winner was much the best and he had first run.

“He cooled out good yesterday and is back to Saratoga,” Lorieul added. “He has similar options to Far Bridge, but let’s see how he comes back.”

Cheyenne Stables’ Ozara ran sixth in Saturday’s Grade 2 Dance Smartly at Woodbine. The 5-year-old graded stakes-winning Lope de Vega mare won the Listed Miss Liberty in her seasonal debut in May at Monmouth Park but has been sixth in four starts since.

“She ran very well off the bat this year and we haven’t been able to get her back the way we’ve been expecting,” Lorieul said.

Bach Stables’ Chief of Peace impressed with a first-out maiden score in August at the Spa but landed 10th in Saturday’s Grade 2 Pilgrim here.

“The race was a bit against us. He was a touch keen on the backside, and they walked,” noted Lorieul of the moderate tempo. “We were hoping for a bit more pace. He’s a horse that doesn’t have a great turn-of-foot; he just lengthens, so the race was a bit against him.”

***
Scalene bound for Notebook following Bertram F. Bongard triumph

Owner Marc Keller and trainer Bobby Ribaudo have enjoyed a successful partnership for more than two decades, including top-level success with multiple graded stakes-winners Bribon and Grand Couturier. The dynamic duo added to their list of collaborative stakes accomplishments on Friday when Scalene led gate-to-wire to capture Belmont Park’s $175,000 Bertram F. Bongard.

The son of Bolt d’Oro won the 6 1/2-furlong Widener turf sprint for New York-bred juveniles in his second outing, building upon an off-the-pace win on debut on August 21 sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs against state-bred maiden company at Saratoga Race Course. In the Bongard, he improved his Beyer Speed Figure from a 48 on debut to a 64 for the 3 1/4-length romp over Road Show in a final time of 1:15.99.

Ribaudo said the talented bay emerged well from the effort and will be pointed to a stretch-out in distance in the one-mile $175,000 Notebook for state-bred juveniles on November 1 here.

“So far, so good,” Ribaudo said. “He hasn’t been back to the track yet, but the game plan is the Notebook."

Scalene figures to be one that will relish added ground, being out of the winning Arch mare Equilateral, who produced Rhombique – second in Aqueduct Racetrack’s 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Long Island in 2023 – for these same connections.

“The stretch-out will be interesting because the family is supposed to stretch out, so we’ll see,” Ribaudo said. “The mile next time will be a nice progression.”
Scalene earned $96,250 for his Bongard victory, boosting his total purse earnings to $159,500 through his perfect 2-for-2 record. He returned $7.48 on a $2 win ticket.

***
Domestic Agenda registers nice 84 BSF for G2 Miss Grillo

Klaravich Stables’ Domestic Agenda rallied from last-of-6 to an impressive 4 1/2-length score in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Miss Grillo for 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on Belmont Park’s Widener turf course.

Domestic Agenda’s dominant effort secured a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on October 30 at Keeneland.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the American Pharoah chestnut entered from a stalking half-length debut graduation over the same distance on September 4 at Saratoga Race Course. On Saturday, she improved to a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure from a 69 in the maiden.

“She came out of the race great,” said Lee Vickers, assistant to Brown. “Full of herself, looking good, she looks excellent. I loved that performance. She really stepped up. I felt like when she got warmed to the task through the turn, she finished real strong in the lane. She finished with a real good effect.”

In local Grade 1 contests for Brown on Saturday, Gaudreau was second to U. S. S. Valor in the Champagne and Libby Lloyd was fourth to Dotsy in the Frizette.

“Gaudreau looked great,” Vickers said of Gaudreau's status Sunday. “He ran a blinding race. Any normal race, he probably would’ve won it, but the winner was something else, wasn’t he? He came out of the race good, no problems at all there, and same with Libby Lloyd.”

***
Let Em Know makes a statement with G2 Pilgrim score

A dry spell in stakes efforts for trainer Whit Beckman dating to a May 16 score in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint by Bring the Smoke at Laurel Park came to a swift conclusion Saturday with Let Em Know and Regaled scoring minutes apart – the former in the Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim at Belmont Park and the latter in the Grade 3 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park.

“There was a 10-minute span there where everything turned around real quick,” Beckman said, with a laugh.

Anthony Tate, Joe Pickerrell, Robert Ogilvie and Diamond T Racing’s Let Em Know entered the Pilgrim, a 1 1/16-mile Widener turf test for 2-year-olds, from a difficult inside trip in the Grade 1 Summer on September 12 at Woodbine. The Jackie’s Warrior bay was a second-out maiden winner in August at Saratoga, besting familiar foe Roscoe Goose by a head with another 1 1/2-lengths back to Permanent Record, who graduated impressively here on Saturday.

Beckman said the outermost post 11 may have worked to Let Em Know’s advantage in the Pilgrim as he stayed on strong down the lane to score by a half-length over Roscoe Goose.

“It was a fairly similar race to his maiden score at Saratoga, a nice outside trip, unimpeded,” Beckman said. “That’s how he prefers to run rather than bottled up and inside horses.

“Obviously the horses coming out of the maiden win are all running very well,” Beckman added. “After that maiden win, we thought he was a nice one. He was a little unlucky at Woodbine, but he put it together yesterday.”

In victory, Let Em Know earned a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on October 30 at Keeneland.

Beckman confirmed Let Em Know is Breeders’ Cup bound and will prepare for the Juvenile Turf from his Churchill Downs base.

“He’s good this morning. He’ll ship to Churchill tomorrow,” Beckman said.
Ribble Farms, Hoolie Racing Stable and Kamp Racing Stables’ Regaled successfully defended her title in the Delaware Handicap – a Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen event – with a rallying three-length score in the nine-furlong route over muddy and sealed footing.

“That’s her style. They had a pretty solid pace up front and when you see those kind of fractions working with a closer in the slop, you’re hoping that the track will play fair and it certainly did,” Beckman said. “She closed and it was probably as good a race as I’ve seen her run in her career. I thought it was tremendous.”

The 5-year-old Mohaymen mare earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the win – her first in seven starts since last year’s Delaware Handicap. The dark bay has banked in excess of $1.3 million through a 24-5-4-4 record.
Her Saturday score came from a more than three-month layoff since a three-quarter length second to Immersive in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis over sloppy and sealed going on June 27 at Churchill.

Beckman said Regaled is also Breeders’ Cup bound and will hope to improve on her closing third-place effort in last year’s Grade1 Distaff at odds of 30-1.

“She had a pretty solid spring and early summer. We gave her a little freshening, and it paid off,” Beckman said. “She’s heading back to Churchill today and as long as she looks good and ready to do it again, I see no reason not to. Hopefully, there will be enough pace and maybe there will be an outsider that will push a little faster.”

Ribble Farms, Three Brand Racing and Walmac Farm’s Club Reign romped to a six-length frontrunning victory in his August 29 debut at the Spa in a six-furlong maiden sprint. The 2-year-old Core Beliefs colt stepped up significantly in company Saturday with a pace-pressing third-place finish in the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, a one-turn mile won by U.S.S. Valor by 6 1/2-lengths over Gaudreau, who was two lengths better than Club Reign.

Beckman said he was pleased with the performance as Club Reign stretched out for the first time.

“Coming out of a maiden win, I think you’d be taking too much away to try and change tactics completely,” Beckman said. “He ran a good race and I’m happy with his overall performance. I think he got a little tired inside the final 100 yards, but overall, I think those are the two best 2-year-olds in the country so far.”

Beckman said he hasn’t quite decided yet if Club Reign will be better at one-or-two turns.

“You have to let things develop a little more before you make any assertions on these horses. He’s got the pedigree to go two turns. Physically, he’s an inbetweener, so we’ll see where he lands,” Beckman said.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile field could come up lighter than expected with U.S.S. Valor to skip that race and focus on the Kentucky Derby next May. Beckman said he will leave the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile under consideration for the time being.

“Right now, we’ll keep it as an option and see how he comes out of the race. We’re not definite about doing anything at this point. We’ll see how everything falls together,” Beckman said.

Icon Racing’s Runaway Bride was a deep-closing maiden winner at first asking while sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over firm turf on July 24 at the Spa. The 2-year-old Charlatan filly stretched out to one-mile and landed a closing two-length fifth in the Grade 1 Natalma on September 12 at Woodbine.

On Saturday, in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Miss Grillo here, Runaway Bride exited post 1-of-6 and was close to the pace en route to a distant sixth-place finish.

“It might just be a little bit outside her distance capabilities,” Beckman said. “She was inside and never really got any clear running lanes. It wasn’t really her trip and the first time she was rushed up into things. I think she’s more of a closer. It just didn’t work out for her yesterday.”

***
Good to Be King points to G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Trainer Rusty Arnold confirmed that Cherry Valley Farm’s Kentucky homebred Good to Be King will look to make the most of his “Win and You’re In” berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint from winning Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Futurity at Belmont Park.

“That’s the plan as long as he ships home good and he’s in good shape,” Arnold said. “They [assistants at Belmont] said he’s all good this morning. All systems go. He gets on a van tomorrow to come back to Keeneland.”

In the six-furlong Futurity, Good to Be King was sixth-of-7 as My Kid’s Said No jumped to a near 10-length advantage over her next rival through the opening quarter-mile in 21.71 seconds on the firm inner turf. Jockey Manny Franco remained patient aboard Good to Be King, launching a wide move in the lane and edging Regent’s Park by one-length in a final time of 1:09.06. The performance earned a career-best 80 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I loved the performance,” Arnold said. “It was a different kind of race to watch because of that one horse being that far in front, and the rest of the field together. You don’t know how that thing is going to set up. He closed well and finished up good. I was very happy with the race.”

Good to Be King is 5-2-1-1 with $318,166 in earnings, including two additional stakes placings in Kentucky.

***
Rum Twist possible for G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

Rum Twist matched a career-best 78 Beyer Speed Figure with her 2 3/4-length runner-up effort to Dotsy in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile for 2-year-old fillies, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Mark Hennig for Lee Lewis and Lexi Lewis, the Mandaloun bay graduated at third asking sprinting seven furlongs on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course. On Saturday, she rated in fourth position under Paco Lopez and advanced willingly as Dotsy made the lead down the lane, but could not reel in her foe, who stopped the clock in a final time of 1:36.07

The Frizette is a part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen series for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. A nominated winner of the Frizette receives a credit of $30,000 toward entry fees, with second and third place finishers receiving credits of $15,000 and $7,500, respectively. The Frizette also offered qualifying points to the top-five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs.

Hennig said he would be interested in testing Rum Twist around two turns in the Juvenile Fillies.

“She came out of it well. We’ll see how things go,” Hennig said. “I think, ultimately, she wants to go two turns. I just didn’t want to do it right away. I like horses first time around two turns – especially when they really want to do it – it sets up, hopefully, for her best race of the year there [in the Juvenile Fillies], if we did that. We’re not going to decide yet, we’ll get back to the track and see how things are going.”

Hennig said he was pleased with the Frizette effort, noting his filly did drift in during the later stages.

“She was a little green down the stretch. She was straying around the track a little bit,” Hennig said. “It’s her first time running here and she’s shown that in all of her races. She’s still a work in progress. She definitely got hung wide. Even when she had the momentum, she got pushed out one last time, which maybe offset the momentum she had when it looked like she was going to go to the lead. I think she got a little tired, too. She was a little keen down the backside, which may have taken a little of her finish away.”

Hennig tipped his cap to the John Grabowski-trained Dotsy.

“The winner was the best horse yesterday,” Hennig said.

A local option for Rum Twist would be the nine-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, a one-turn event on December 5 here offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks points.

“The nice thing about running in the Breeders’ Cup is you get to give the horse a little breather earlier rather than if you wait for the Demoiselle, you don’t,” Hennig said.

The Kentucky-bred Rum Twist has banked $193,150 through a 4-1-2-0 ledger.

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Napoleon Solo “more focused” ahead of Breeders’ Cup try

Espoir USA’s Napoleon Solo worked a bullet five-eighths in 58 seconds flat October 1 over the Belmont Park main track as he continues preparations for a start at the Breeders’ Cup in October at Keeneland.

Napoleon Solo, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez up, worked in company with the leading Spherical, closing past his workmate with ease.

“We just wanted Johnny to see that he could relax off another horse, which was mission accomplished,” Summers said. “He’ll work by himself next week and maybe we’ll do one more in company if we can find someone to go with. He did it the right way.

“To breeze in 58 and gallop out in 1:10 and 1:22 and 1 was impressive. He double-galloped out faster than they ran the Vosburgh later that afternoon,” Summers added, noting T Kraft’s Vosburgh score in a final time of 1:22.78. “He’s starting to mature at the right time. He’s a lot more focused.”

Napoleon Solo announced his presence with a frontrunning 6 1/2-length score in last year’s Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont at the Big A to close out his juvenile campaign. He returned to action with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February at Gulfstream Park and followed with a 2 3/4-length fifth in the Big A’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino.

Summers pointed Napoleon Solo to the Grade 1 Preakness and saw the Liam’s Map grey utilize a pace-pressing trip to score by 1 1/4-lengths over Iron Honor. In his two subsequent outings, he was the target as the pacesetter when second, by a half-length, in both the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell to Baby Vino in July at Monmouth Park and to Leading Change, with Velazquez aboard Napoleon Solo for the first time in the afternoon, in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers on August 29 last out at Saratoga Race Course.

“He’s a brilliantly fast horse that doesn’t need the lead. Unfortunately, when nobody else is fast enough, you find yourself on the lead,” Summers said. “In the Breeders’ Cup, Magnitude is brilliantly fast, Knightsbridge is brilliantly fast.”

While it seems likely that Napoleon Solo will test his mettle in the Classic rather than the Dirt Mile, Summers said lining up Velazquez, who guided Authentic to victory in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, was paramount.

“I wanted Johnny to get on him at least one time to get a little feedback,” Summers said. “He’s won the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland before. Johnny was raving about him after the work and said he wished he could breeze him every week.”

Summers said he is keen to get Napoleon Solo back to the winner’s circle.

“Unfortunately, we were just on the wrong side of a couple finishes, beaten a half-length in both races, but he showed up,” Summers said. “This next race is the most important race to date.

“We feel there’s still a Championship on the line for both 3-Year-Old and, possibly, Horse of the Year,” Summers added. “If you were to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a Classic win [Preakness] under you belt already, plus seconds in the Haskell and the Travers, I think there’s a conversation to be had for Horse of the Year.”

Summers said Napoleon Solo will return to the work tab here on Friday.

“He’ll work six furlongs by himself,” Summers said. “This one is more of a stamina builder than a speed builder, he’ll still work faster than everyone else.”

Napoleon Solo has banked in excess of $2 million through a 7-3-2-0 record.

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T Kraft posts career-best performance to win G3 Vosburgh

LRE Racing’s T Kraft earned both his first graded stakes win and a spot in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint with a “Win and You’re In” berth provided by his nose triumph in Thursday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Vosburgh, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up at Belmont Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, T Kraft took advantage of a slow break from expected speed presence Contrary Thinking, and set a pressured pace under Junior Alvarado through splits of 23.26 seconds, 46.16 and 1:10.24 over the fast footing, digging in gamely in the final furlong to repel the challenge of the deep closing Crazy Mason by a nose in a final time of 1:22.78. T Kraft earned a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He looks good and he came out of his race great,” said Leana Willaford, Mott’s Belmont Park assistant. “He’s a very cool horse and Lee [Einsidler, owner] is such a wonderful guy.”

T Kraft graduated at sixth asking last January at Aqueduct Racetrack, the start of a three-race win streak that was capped by a neck score in the six-furlong Jimmy Winkfield last March. This year, his 6-2-1-0 record includes a dead-heat second with Senior Officer in the Grade 1 Forego in August at Saratoga Race Course ahead of his Vosburgh score.

“He was our winter star here one year and then stepped up with more difficult company and he’s a very honest horse,” Willaford said. “He gives you everything.”

Einsidler commented after the race that he would enjoy taking T Kraft to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on October 31 at Keeneland provided the 4-year-old son of Connect is 100 percent in his training in the interim.

T Kraft improved his lifetime record to 16-5-2-0 with $518,554 in total purse earnings. He was a $110,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Johannesburg mare Margarita Friday, making him a half-brother to 2024 Breeders’ Cup Sprint-winner and that year’s Champion Male Sprinter Straight No Chaser.

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Souper Forces notches career-best 98 BSF for Listed Artie Schiller

Live Oak Plantation’s Florida homebred Souper Forces earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure for a neck score over Intellect in Friday’s Listed $175,000 Artie Schiller, a one-mile Widener turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont Park.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, the 4-year-old Laoban gelding improved his record to 7-5-1-0, adding a third stakes win to go along with his prior start in the Red Bank in September at Monmouth Park and last year’s Showing Up at Gulfstream Park.

“He looks like he came out of the race in good order,” Trombetta said on Saturday. “I was very happy that he did what he did. They told me that he ran a 98 Beyer in the race. That’s his best Beyer by quite a bit, so I’m very happy with him.”

Souper Forces topped a wide open field of nine at odds of 6-1, rallying from eighth-of-9 under jockey Antonio Fresu to complete the course in 1:33.02. His next closest Beyer was a 91 for the Red Bank.

“To go up there and run with those kinds of horses and show up like he did, that made for a good afternoon,” Trombetta said. “I know Belmont has the Knickerbocker [on October 31], I have one of his stablemates, Uncle’s Gold, pointed to the Knickerbocker going 1 3/16 miles, so I guess [finding a race for Souper Forces] is something I’ve got to start working on this weekend and see what’s out there for us.”