G1 Winners Dancing Rags, Yellow Agate Among Alma North Nominees
G1 Winners Dancing Rags, Yellow Agate Among Alma North Nominees
First Stakes of Laurel Summer Meet Saturday, June 17 Draws 32 Nominations
Irish War Cry Tops Maryland Horses for Saturday Stakes at Belmont Park
Watch and Wager on Belmont Stakes Saturday, Special 12:35 P.M. Post at Laurel
LAUREL, MD – Chadds Ford Stable’s Dancing Rags, winner of the Alcibiades (G1) in her stakes debut last fall, and 2016 Frizette (G1) winner Yellow Agate are among 32 3-year-old fillies nominated to the $75,000 Alma North Stakes Saturday, June 10 at Laurel Park.
The seven-furlong Alma North is the first of 21 stakes worth $1.6 million in purses during Laurel’s 33-day summer meet that runs June 9 – Aug. 20.
Dancing Rags, trained by Graham Motion, broke her maiden last September at Laurel and posted a one-length upset at 12-1 in the 1 1/16-mile Alcibiades in her subsequent start. She ended her 2-year-old campaign running eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and this year was sixth in the Beaumont (G3) and ninth in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2), the latter May 19 at historic Pimlico Race Course.
China Horse Club International’s Yellow Agate, from the barn of trainer Christophe Clement, has yet to make her first sophomore start after running three times at 2, winning the one-mile Frizette at Belmont Park before a 10th-place effort in the Juvenile Fillies.
Also nominated is Hillwood Stable’s Shimmering Aspen, who had her three-race win streak snapped when seventh after taking a half-length lead into the stretch in the Black-Eyed Susan, her stakes debut. Trained by Rodney Jenkins, her previous wins came by 16 ¼ lengths combined.
Multiple stakes-winning New York-breds Bluegrass Flag and Bonita Bianca; stakes winners Astrollinthepark, China Grove, Crabcakes, Rose Tree and Who’s the Lady; three-time stakes winner Yorkiepoo Princess, 10th last out in the Black-Eyed Susan; Grade 1-placed Colorful Charades and Libby’s Tail; and Downtown Mama, unbeaten in two career starts for Laurel winter-spring co-leading trainer Linda Rice, are also among the nominees.
Irish War Cry Tops Maryland Horses for Saturday Stakes at Belmont Park
Led by multiple Grade 2 winner Irish War Cry, the 7-2 program favorite for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1), Maryland-based are well-represented in Belmont Park stakes Saturday.
Based with Motion at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Isabelle de Tomaso homebred Irish War Cry won the Lambholm South Holy Bull (G2) Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park and the Wood Memorial (G2) April 8 at Aqueduct. He enters the Belmont after finishing 10th in the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1).
One race prior to the Belmont, Motion has 5-year-old gelding Ascend entered in the $1 million Manhattan (G1). In his previous start, Ascend was a half-length winner of the Henry S. Clark over Laurel’s world-class turf course April 22.
Sagamore Farm’s Recruiting Ready takes a three-race win streak into the seven-furlong Woody Stephens (G2) for trainer Horacio DePaz. The 3-year-old Algorithms colt has captured back-to-back stakes including the Chick Lang May 20 on the Preakness (G1) undercard.
Tequilita, from Fair Hill-based trainer Michael Matz, is one of eight 3-year-old fillies set to contest the one-mile Acorn (G1). Bred and owned by Matz’s wife, Dorothy, Tequilita won the Smart Halo at Laurel last fall and the Forward Gal (G2) Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park.
Fans will be able to watch and wager on the Belmont Stakes with food and drink specials at Laurel Park Saturday. There will be an early 12:35 p.m. post time for the first of 11 live races at Laurel Saturday.
