Latest news with #BelmontOaks


West Australian
11-07-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Fancy Red anything but expensive for favourite followers as in-form filly takes on Belmont Oaks field
Fancy Red has been anything but expensive for punters in the lead-up to Saturday's Listed $125,000 Belmont Oaks (2019m) at Bunbury where she will again start favourite. The daughter of Sessions has started the market elect in four of her last six runs and emerged successful each time, with her most recent win just seven days prior to this clash. From gate one, Fancy Red sat midfield before William Pike squeezed her home along the fence to win by a length and a half going away from her graduation-class rivals. But despite her winning form and followers' confidence, trainer Adam Durrant says her even-money price is way too short. 'We're under no illusions; $2 is ridiculous,' Durrant told TABradio. 'She's got the Pike tax because she won her last start but when you start breaking down the field… they're never generally that strong. 'I've won them before with horses that aren't genuine stayers and never see that distance again. 'We've got to plan how we can hopefully just ride her quiet, which is how she seems to race best. 'Hopefully she can just get away with it but we're under no illusions and it should be $5 the field; she shouldn't be $2. 'If it was 1400m or 1600m, perhaps, but it is what it is, and we'll take our chance to get some black type.' Durrant has a rich history with the Oaks going back almost two decades when he prepared Kia Ora Miss to win in 2006. He had to wait until 2013 before Summah's Touch provided him with a second but collected the trophy the following year with the Pike-ridden Tick Tick Bloom. He again shared the spoils with Pike in 2023 with Ihts Closing Inn, the fifth of the champion hoop's six wins in the event after scoring with the Grant and Alana Williams-trained Petrouchka last year. Fancy Red steps into unknown territory having her first start beyond a mile in distance, however, that is the case for the bulk of her opponents, too. 'Distance wise, it's a roll of the dice,' Durrant said. 'She certainly wouldn't have been taking on the boys over this trip and we'll rely on a filly that's in the zone. 'She ran through the line strongly the other day, so we'll have a crack. 'The run last Saturday, that was her bonus run. We knew she was going really well and in good form and wasn't looking for the paddock. 'We thought she could win that race, and that's a bonus race, and then it was a good trial hit-out for this week.' Showlas ($5.50) is the only other horse in the field is at single-digit odds after competing in last fortnight's Belmont Guineas with credit, finishing a four-length fifth to Opportunistic. + West On Sidney ($1.36) is a red-hot prospect in The Westcha$e Final (520m) at Cannington after overcoming a chequered passage to land his heat last week.


New Paper
10-07-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
July 12 Australia form analysis of last five Bunbury races
RACE 4 (6) OUR PALADIN AL was enormous over the last 200m last start. He is still doing everything wrong: He does not jump, he intermittently travels in running, he lays inwards across heels in the home straight - but, once he finally balances and puts his mind on the task, he has a booming finish. This is a huge step-up in grade from a Grad to the Aquanita, but he is exciting and we will take the leap of faith with him. (1) ELITE MISSILE has finished second and third behind Opportunistic. That is the A-Grade form. (4) REDBACK FLYER was gassed in the Belmont Guineas but came again late. (2) ARCADIA PARK will likely lead and is a threat if left alone up front. RACE 5 (8) LORD SHIVA is quick, but so is (7) DESERT WHISPER. Interesting to see what Lord Shiva's jockey Holly Watson's plans are in the early stages when the filly burns across to her outside; does she hold up and absorb the pressure or does she hand up and track her every move? Both are going super but advantage goes to Lord Shiva with the gate. (6) WANT A WINNER is now three-from-three undefeated and while he made hard work of his first-up win, he still managed to get the job done and that is the sign of a good horse. Back to a high-speed 1,000m will be a good test for him. (1) BRAVE VENTURE is a quality animal on his day. Do not discount at big odds. RACE 6 (Best Bet) (1) FANCY RED should be taking care of her rivals in this. Every year Adam Durrant seems to find a winter filly who just continues to raise the bar and goes from a maiden into the Belmont Oaks, and this is yet another example. Beat the older horses last week, backs up off seven days, draws to get all the favours and will have regular partner, Perth ace William Pike up. Little trier who keeps improving and just needs to stay the trip. (2) SHOWLAS held her own impressively behind Opportunistic, Storyville and Elite Missile. They are good names. (3) KIMBERLEY ROSE will get back but does look like she will be able to sustain a run from the back. (7) IMPRESSIVE JEWEL may well roll to the top. How far she will go is a question mark. RACE 7 (10) SUNNY HONEY has been in form all preparation and deserves to win one. Was brave in defeat last start after doing plenty of work in the run, and now from the gate, should be able to park and ride behind a genuine tempo and present down the middle of the track. Right place, right time. (9) SENTIMENTAL BELLE went to a whole new level at Belmont last winter on the rain-affected tracks. No doubt they have been timing their return with her. (4) SUPERSESSION is back to his best. The only query will be barrier No. 1 by this time of day. (12) NO BRAINER is four from five and resumes without a trial. RACE 8 (15) SUPERNATURAL looks really well placed by Adam Durrant into this 66+ 1,400m. Beat the older horses fresh at 1,100m, got the line well in an on-speed dominated 1,000m behind Desert Whisper second-up, and then third-up at 1,200m, was working through late into fifth beaten under half-a-length. Another 200m, Pike and a pattern which likely suits by the end of the day - out wide and storming home. Sold. (12) REGAL STATUE has been building towards a win and forget the wide gate, it could be a blessing in disguise. (4) GREAT FORTUNE makes his own luck and will get them chasing. (5) DECORATION is going better than numerical form suggests. Comments courtesy of Racing WA
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Fun To See What She Develops Into': Return To Dirt Possible For Nitrogen Post-Belmont Oaks
'Fun To See What She Develops Into': Return To Dirt Possible For Nitrogen Post-Belmont Oaks originally appeared on Paulick Report. After a 17-length romp in the sloppy, off-turf Grade 3 Wonder Again that was just 0.27 seconds slower than the G1 Met Mile, a true dirt race is being considered for standout turf filly Nitrogen, reports Blood-Horse. Undefeated in five starts this year, Nitrogen is the expected favorite in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 5 at Saratoga. Depending on how she performs, the D.J. Stable homebred could target the G1 Alabama Stakes over 1 ¼ miles on dirt. Advertisement "The plan is that if she runs well here, she'll probably come back in the Alabama. It will add a lot of intrigue to that race if she shows up," Casse told Blood-Horse. "I've tried to keep her and La Cara separate, but they will probably meet there. I know Nitrogen would love the mile and a quarter. She's developed a bit of a following now, and it will be fun to see what she develops into, and it would be great for racing to see her do big things." The Belmont Oaks Invitational is the first Grade 1 offered to 3-year-old fillies on grass in the United States this year. Yet to win a G1, Nitrogen was third in the G1 Natalma and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at two. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of an Uncle Mo mare is held in high regard by Casse, comparing her to the likes of multiple Grade 1 winners Tepin and Got Stormy, 'At this point in her career, she's much more than those two.' Read the full report at This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
May Day Ready To Try For Grade 1 Breakthrough In Belmont Oaks Invitational
May Day Ready To Try For Grade 1 Breakthrough In Belmont Oaks Invitational originally appeared on Paulick Report. KatieRich Stables' recent Wonder Again (G3) third-place finisher May Day Ready is aimed for the Grade 1, $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, a nine-furlong turf test for sophomore fillies, on Saturday July 5 during the July 4 Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Joe Lee, the Tapit bay has already earned over $1 million through a 6-3-1-1 record. As a 2-year-old, she graduated on debut at the Spa, then won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies (L) at its namesake oval, the Grade 2 Jessamine at Keeneland, before finishing second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar. To cap her past campaign, May Day Ready finished off-the-board overseas in the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies at Kyoto Racecourse in Japan. She returned from the layoff in the off-the-turf Wonder Again on June 7 at Saratoga, where she finished behind two Hall of Famer Mark Casse-trained rivals, including the victorious multiple graded stakes winner Nitrogen, in the field scratched down to three. 'I'm really happy with how she's doing. Off the turf wasn't ideal, but the owners wanted to take a shot and get a race in her,' said Lee. 'If we already had a race in her, we could've scratched, but the goal was the Belmont Oaks, and we wanted to have something going into it, opposed to straight off about seven months then.' May Day Ready is already established as a classy filly and Lee believes she can continue to improve. 'She's definitely filled out. She is not a big, imposing type of horse, but she never was,' Lee said. 'She is doing everything right, is really sound, great attitude, and she eats well– all indications that she'll hopefully improve from age two to three. That is always a question mark with fillies, but with her attitude, I'm hoping she does.' May Day Ready, bred in Kentucky by White Birch Farm out of the Group 3-winning More Than Ready mare Nemoralia, was a $325,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Lee added that KatieRich Stables, Christopher Connors, and Lawrence Appel's New York-homebred Works for Me may wait for the $150,000 Harvey Pack (L) on July 4 at Saratoga rather than contest Saturday's state-bred $125,000 Ashley T. Cole at Belmont at the Big A, which takes entries Sunday. 'We're leaning towards the Harvey Pack just to give him a little more time in between races, the timing just seems better to wait that extra week,' Lee said Saturday. The 4-year-old Daddy Long Legs chestnut earned a game open optional claiming victory last out sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at the Spa – the course and distance of the Harvey Pack. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.