Dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox will be represented by eight stakes contenders during the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, led by Saturday stars Commandment in the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets and Saudi Crown in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap.
Wathnan Racing's Commandment arrived in Saratoga on Monday, and visited the Spa main track and starting gate on Wednesday morning. The son of Into Mischief enters the Belmont from a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs, where he was 6 1/4 lengths off the pace in 13th through the half-mile and was bumped by Ocelli while making his bid in the lane before finishing 5 1/4 lengths behind victorious returning rival Golden Tempo.
"He's settled in great here and we stood him in the gate this morning and he looked fantastic on the main track," Cox said. "I think a lot of these horses appreciate the little drop in temperature and my horses that are shipping in to run have been getting over the main track very well. On a confidence level, he should get a good trip in there with not as many horses as there were in the Derby."
Cox said Commandment, who was a determined winner of both the Grade 1 Florida Debry and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth this winter at Gulfstream Park, looks just as well going into the Belmont as he did the Derby.
"There's plenty of him - he takes his races well and he's ultra-consistent," Cox said. "I thought he ran a really good race in the Derby, and I just thought it wasn't the result we were looking for. He's on it. He really is doing well."
Commandment holds a 4-for-6 lifetime record with over $1 million in earnings. He went on a four-race win streak from November to March that began with a 5 1/4-length maiden win at Churchill before a 6 3/4-length trouncing of the Listed Mucho Macho Man in January en route to his graded wins. He was a $500,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the Saratoga Grade 1-winning Orb mare Sippican Harbor.
Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Commandment from post 7-of-9 on Saturday with a morning-line assessment of 6-1.
FMQ Stables' Saudi Crown rides back-to-back wins into the Metropolitan Handicap at one-mile from the Wilson Chute on Saturday. The Met Mile offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in October at Keeneland.
The 6-year-old son of Always Dreaming has earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in three of his last five outings, including a 101 for both a nose win in the Lake Ouachita last May at Oaklawn Park and a ratings handicap in March there in his first of two starts this year. He enters from a prominent 2 3/4-length score in the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland sprinting seven furlongs on April 4.
Saudi Crown put in his final work for the Met Mile on Friday at Churchill, covering five-eighths in 59.40 seconds.
"I saw a big work from him this past week at Churchill, so I'm running him with confidence," Cox said. "Obviously he can be very good, and he's going to need to be here. He acts like he's as good as he's been in a long, long time."
The experienced gray announced his presence as a sophomore with nose seconds in the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont Park and Grade 2 Jim Dandy here ahead of a breakout score in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.
As a 4-year-old, he was third, defeated three-quarter-lengths, in the Group 1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, and posted another stakes win before closing out the year with an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar and a win in the Listed Tenacious at Fair Grounds. Saudi Crown looks to build upon a 5-year-old campaign that included a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile and his win in the Lake Ouachita.
"He showed [his talent] in the Saudi Cup and the PA Derby and Jim Dandy, so he has some Saratoga history," Cox said. "He's a super talented horse that's obviously got some miles on him, but he's moving fantastic and looks good. I think he's set up for a big run. The Wilson Chute is a little tricky and you never know how it will play out, but he's ready to roll. We've never won the Met Mile, and it's obviously a very prestigious race."
Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Saudi Crown from post 4-of-7 [8-1ML].
On Friday, Cox will have two chances to win his first Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford as he sends out dual graded stakes-winner Alpine Princess [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and multiple Grade 1-placed Bless the Broken [post 6, Florent Geroux] in the nine-furlong route for older fillies and mares. The Ogden Phipps offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in October at Keeneland.
Full of Run Racing and Madaket Stables' Alpine Princess ground out a neck win last out in the Grade 2 Doubledogdare on April 17 at Keeneland, pouncing from off the pace under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and getting her neck down after dueling with Eunomia in the lane. The effort garnered a career-best 97 Beyer, and was her second graded victory after taking the Grade 3 Falls City in November at Churchill. She has placed in five other graded events.
Cox said he envisions a more prominent trip for Alpine Princess, who graduated at second asking in September 2023 here.
"She's kind of had to gradually bang out the wins that she has, and the win in the Falls City was big for her," Cox said. "I think we'll look to be aggressive with her away from there - I don't see a lot of pace in there on paper, and I think it will be to her benefit to go forward. She's honest, she broke her maiden here as a 2-year-old, so I think that's worth something. She's as good as she's ever been."
Alpine Princess has worked five times at Churchill since her last effort, including a five-eighths breeze in 59.40 on Friday.
"I really like how she's trained," Cox said. "Her last three or four works have been phenomenal there at Churchill, so she's another one we're running with a lot of confidence."
Qatar Racing, Mountmellick Farm and Fergus Galvin's Bless the Broken makes her fourth outing for the Cox barn, entering from a stalking third in the Grade 1 La Troienne on May 1 at Churchill. The 4-year-old Laoban dark bay was third in the Kentucky Oaks last year for trainer Will Walden, and moved to Cox for her current campaign after a $950,000 purchase, which also includes an optional-claiming win in January at Fair Grounds Race Course and a runner-up effort to Splendora in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile in March at Santa Anita Park.
"She doesn't have quite as much early speed as 'Alpine,' but she was able to put herself in a good spot last time and ran a really respectable race," he said of the La Troienne. "Her three runs with us have all been very good, knocking on the door in the Grade 1s. I feel like running her back in five weeks with who is here and a Grade 1 on the line, it made a lot of sense to give her another swing."
In the sophomore filly division, Cox sends out Gary and Mary West's Kentucky homebred Prom Queen [post 1, Flavien Prat] as part of a field of five in Friday's Grade 1, $500,000 DraftKings Acorn traveling nine-furlongs around the Spa main track.
The daughter of Quality Road enters from a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 1, where she was seven lengths back in 12th through the first half-mile and swung five-wide for a belated bid in the stretch to be defeated 4 3/4-lengths. The talented filly graduated at second asking going 1 1/16-miles in February at Gulfstream Park, and passed her first graded test with flying colors there, annexing the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks in March.
"We weren't quite where we thought we would be early [in the Oaks], and she did run on and galloped out well," Cox said. "The effort was there, and we won't be as far back on Friday because there's not as many in there to be behind. We'll hopefully get a good trip, and she's doing well. We'll see how it goes."
Cox's other stakes contenders at the festival include Wynstock in the state-bred $200,000 Commentator on Wednesday and Ready to Jam in the Grade 2, $250,000 Intercontinental on Friday. Stonestreet Stables' Cadenza is expected to run in the Grade 3, $200,000 Soaring Softly, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for sophomore fillies, on Closing Day Sunday.
Taj Mahal cuts back for Woody Stephens
From the distance to the racetrack to the rider, there will be a lot of new variables when Taj Mahal returns to action Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. One thing that won't be new is the depth of competition.
Three weeks after finishing 10th as the favorite in the Grade 1, $2 million Preakness Stakes, second jewel of the Triple Crown, Taj Mahal cuts back from 1 3/16 miles to seven furlongs for the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun.
Trained by Brittany Russell for the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, Taj Mahal will be sprinting for the first time since rallying from a slow start to capture his career debut by 4 1/4 lengths February 6 in a six-furlong maiden special weight dash.
"We like the idea of the cutback. I think we have uncertainties about him going a route of ground against the better types of horses," Russell said. "I would have liked to have found a softer spot to try it in but, also, he's doing really good."
Taj Mahal was undefeated going into the Preakness including back-to-back stakes wins in the one-mile Miracle Wood and 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio, the latter earning him an automatic berth for what was Russell's Triple Crown race debut. He drew the rail in a full field of 14 and led through six furlongs, serving as the perfect target for eventual winner Napoleon Solo.
"He deserved that chance, especially being at home and all the things. He did everything right that week going into it and unfortunately it just wasn't his day," Russell said. "We need to move forward and we need to see. If he can run with these horses a little bit I think we'll learn an awful lot about him."
Russell's husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, has been aboard Taj Mahal for all four of his races, each of which have come at his home track of Laurel Park. His first road trip will come with Manny Franco up from outermost post 9.
"I was really unsure as we entered him. I'm going through the whole thing and I had a bunch of people text me, 'Well, you have a better post,'" Russell said. "I'm like, great, unfortunately the bears that we thought we were going in are going. It's the best race of the weekend. It's a great race, unfortunately for Taj.
"He's trained great and he's been great. He had a nice breeze over the weekend," she added. "I did have thoughts of maybe running him the next week at Delaware [Park] but the seven-eighths was more appealing, even though it's such a tough ask."
Taj Mahal is rated at 15-1 on the morning line for the Woody Stephens, which is led by undefeated Crude Velocity and Englishman, the 1-2 finishers from the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile May 2 at Churchill Downs; multiple stakes winner Solitude Dude; Obliteration, dominant winner of the six-furlong Listed Chick Lang on the Preakness undercard; and Six Speed, a Group 3 winner in Dubai that, like Taj Mahal, exits a Triple Crown race having run 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.
"It's a war," Russell said. "There's loads of speed in there so obviously he's not going to show speed on the cutback. I expect he's outrun early. I hope he is. It's one of those things where we're taking a swing here."
Taj Mahal is scheduled to van from Laurel to Saratoga Wednesday night with assistant trainer/exercise rider Emma Wolfe.
"He's a cool horse," Russell said. "He obviously handled everything really well at home. I think he likes the attention and all that stuff, so I'm sure getting on a van and doing something different won't be any problem for him."
On Friday, Russell will send out Madaket Stables' Coach Mazzula in the Grade 2, $300,000 Wonder Again presented by Shift4 for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course. The chestnut daughter of Authentic will be ridden by Franco from post 3 in a field of nine that includes main-track-only entrant Pashmina. She is rated at 6-1 on the morning line.
Coach Mazzula takes a two-race win streak into the Wonder Again, having beaten older horses in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance April 18 and registering a determined front-running head decision over favored Ultimate Love in the one-mile Listed Hilltop May 15 on the undercard of the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan, both at Laurel.
"I can't say I was trying to run her back in three weeks, either, but she came out of the race great. The inner turf, with her speed, I just thought, 'Let's take a look at this,'" Russell said. "She's kind of interesting because she shows speed and in a lot of these races, you look at it a little bit and you're like, 'who's the pace?' She's nice because of that.
"It's a Grade 2 and if she can get a slice of it, it would do a whole lot for her," she added. "There's definitely some softer spots we can kind of look forward to with her, but taking a swing right now maybe trying to help her value isn't a bad idea, either. Obviously, we'll take our time with her this summer. She's done a lot of good running for us."
Jaipur on tap for John the Beer Man
Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb's John the Beer Man will hope to pour it on down the lane in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur on Belmont Stakes Day, at Saratoga Race Course. The 5 1/2-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in October at Keeneland.
Trained by Rob Atras, the 5-year-old More Than Ready gelding made three starts for trainer Chad Brown as a sophomore, including a maiden score at 1 1/16-miles on firm turf in May 2024 at Belmont at the Big A that earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
John the Beer Man missed his entire 4-year-old season but returned as a gelding and is undefeated in two turf sprint starts this year. He earned a 100 Beyer for a frontrunning score over next-out allowance winner Murdock in March at Fair Grounds Race Course ahead of a prominent 2 1/4-length optional-claiming win on April 25 at Aqueduct Racetrack against a solid group that included graded stakes-winner Mentee.
John the Beer Man returned in a sprint after their first-choice route race was rained off the turf and swiftly proved the turnback would not be an issue. He exited post four and established command through splits of 21.33 seconds and 44.78 over the firm turf en route to a 1 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:02.34.
"We learned in his first race that he can sprint, and he has a lot of speed. We thought he'd run well first time out, but I didn't imagine he'd show that kind of speed up front - then again, we don't put that much pressure on them in the morning, so it was a pleasant surprise," Atras said. "We were just trying to get him back to the races. He had some minor issues going on and it took him a long time to get it all together.
"I think gelding him probably helped," Atras continued. "He's a big, strong horse with a lot of muscle on him, so that probably helped him a little bit."
The improving chestnut raced over yielding going last out and was pressed on the lead by Grade 3-placed Fluid Situation, who faded to ninth. John the Beer Man was challenged by eventual runner-up Final Verdict, but he put that rival away and shook clear to win comfortably in a final time of 1:11.29 for six furlongs and earn a 97 Beyer.
"His first race he got a real giant number, and it looked like he backed it up, but that last race was a very soft turf course," Atras said. "I just loved how he handled the other pace being thrown at him. He dominated up front and there were some nice horses in that race."
John the Beer Man is named for Caruso's lifelong friend John Soler, who serves as the chairman of the board for Micro Matic, a company that provides beverage dispensing equipment and solutions.
The entire team will be hoping to raise a glass on Saturday when John the Beer Man exits post 8-of-10 under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche.
"I'll leave it up to Kendrick - hopefully a sharp break and go from there. I wouldn't want to take anything away from him if he wants to be on the lead," Atras said. "I like his post. The last time he was inside so there was a little more pressure to get him out there. He handled that pretty good."
A 10-1 morning-line assessment would certainly buy a few rounds if victorious.
"We had high hopes for him first out and it's great that now we're getting a shot at this race," Atras said. "He took a long time to mature. Everyone that has worked with him has been patient with him and he's developed into a pretty nice horse. Whether he can manage this group or not, we'll find out."
The $160,000 purchase from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is out of the winning Giant's Causeway mare Trophy Wife. His third dam is Pleasant Home, winner of the 2005 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Belmont Park.
Red White and Blue Racing and CMNWLTH's multiple graded stakes winner Neat returned to form with a neck score in the 1 1/16-mile Cliff Hanger on May 30 at Monmouth Park. There, he exited post 3-of-8 under Reylu Gutierrrez and tracked in sixth position before advancing with an inside run on the far turn, cutting the corner into the stretch and putting in a sustained run to notch the narrow score over favored Group 1-placed Cosmic Year in a final time of 1:41.86.
It was the first win for Neat in 10 starts since taking the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame here in August 2024, a race that came on the heels of a victory in the Grade 3 Manila that June at Belmont at the Big A.
The chestnut has endured a wide variety of troubled trips since the Hall of Fame score, including in back-to-back runnings of the Listed Henry S. Clark at Laurel Park and last year's Grade 3 Dinner Party at Pimlico where he was steadied on the far turn and eased.
"We've run three times in Maryland and for whatever reason the circumstances didn't work out. We had high hopes, and he's just had some bad luck over the past year and a bit," Atras said.
Atras credited a return to the saddle for Gutierrez, who, in 2024, piloted Neat to wins in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston and Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland.
"It was nice to see him put it all together again," Atras said. "It was a really great ride from Reylu. He's a big strong colt; he's head strong and he's tough to ride. He wants to take you in bad spots, so he's intimidating to ride. Reylu knows him so it was great to team back up with him."
Neat earned a 94 Beyer for the Cliff Hanger score, just two points shy of a career-best 96 earned when fourth in the Grade 3 Kelso here last summer.
"He got a solid number so we were pleased and relieved at the same time. More relieved because he has so much talent, but it's been so long since he put it all together that we weren't sure until you see it again," Atras said.
Atras indicated that he has yet to determine a next start for Neat, who is a near millionaire with $999,110 in purse earnings through a 19-7-0-1 ledger.
Bred in Kentucky by Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm, Neat was a $200,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the unraced More Than Ready mare Orabella, who also produced dual graded stakes-placed Louder Than Bombs.
Glavine heavy on potential in Pennine Ridge
West Paces Racing, Rainbow's End Racing Stable and Michael Lyden's Glavine is only a second-out maiden winner, yet appears to have a big chance in Thursday's Grade 3, $300,000 Pennine Ridge, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomores, during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Tom Morley, the Not This Time chestnut was second by a head in his August debut here, before returning to dominate a 1 1/16-mile maiden versus elders by 3 1/2 lengths on May 10 at Belmont at the Big A. The victory earned a field-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure.
"I think he's a very nice colt. He was unlucky to lose here last year and it didn't surprise me that he could win his first time back this year, as a colt we think a lot of," Morley said. "But look, he's the least experienced horse in this field. Running in graded stakes off a maiden victory is a very difficult thing to do. He's shipped here very well and we think he has a large amount of promise for the future. I'm looking forward to seeing how he gets on tomorrow."
Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Glavine's maiden winning jockey, returns to ride from post 8, tabbed at odds of 4-1. West End Kid, in the outermost post 9 of the turf entrants, is favored at 9-5, followed by Bottas at 7-2 and Glavine close behind on the morning line.
"Every day Glavine trains, he's a very athletic, strong individual. We'll find out more tomorrow," Morley said. "I think he's got a lot of Giant's Causeway about him, and the sire is a fantastic sire. I hope this horse can be one of his fantastic progeny."
Glavine, a $250,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Bernardini mare Aspen Hilltop. His second dam is Grade 1-winner Home Sweet Aspen.
Litigation a top contender in Jaipur
Stone Farm's Kentucky homebred Litigation is a leading contender among 10 horses in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up, during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
The Jaipur - a "Win and You're In" for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in October at Keeneland - is headlined by a title defense attempt from the mare Ag Bullet, who is tabbed as the morning line favorite at odds of 3-1. Litigation, in top form for trainer Brian Lynch, is the 7-2 second choice on a 2-for-4 campaign including a pair of 100-plus Beyer Speed Figures.
Litigation, after winning the Listed Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint in January and the Listed Silks Run in March there, has since finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Grade 2 Shakertown in April at Keeneland and the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint last out on Kentucky Derby Day May 2 at Churchill Downs.
"He's coming into this race really well," said Lynch. "He is coming out of a strong race here at Churchill. I think if you ran that race five times, there could've been five different winners. This race is going to be a very tactical race. He's drawn inside in post 3, he's got to get a good trip. I think he can be very effective, if everything goes well, and with a little bit of racing luck."
The 4-year-old Twirling Candy dark bay makes his top-level debut.
"He lays it down for you every time you lead him over. You just hope that one day he's going to have a real breakthrough race, and you would hope that would be in the Jaipur," Lynch said. "It is a Grade 1. It is a race that could make a stallion, so we just hope that a little luck goes his way."
Litigation boasts a lifetime record of 12-6-1-1 with $499,151 in earnings, and Lynch has already secured four graded stakes wins on the year, including the Grade 1 La Troienne with Shred the Gnar.
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