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Belmont Oaks comes up tough for Lady Eli
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| Lady Eli will look to subdue her Belmont Oaks competition just like she did in the Wonder Again
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Despite the presence of undefeated Eclipse Award-finalist Lady Eli (Divine
Park), Saturday's $1 million
Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) came up with a full field of 14 runners to go
1 1/4 miles over Belmont Park's inner turf.
Lady Eli is tops in the field but faces some strong competition from the
likes of American Oaks (G1) heroine Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule) and Irish
invader Outstanding (Galileo).
The Chad Brown pupil opened her account with a nose win at Saratoga last
August before shifting over to Belmont to take her stakes bow in the Miss Grillo
S. (G3). She then shipped cross-country to Santa Anita Park for a decisive 2
3/4-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
That was enough for Lady Eli to be named a finalist for champion two-year-old
filly, but she lost out to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Take
Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), who wrapped up the Eclipse when taking both
the Delta Downs Princess S. (G3) and Starlet S. (G1) to end 2014. Lady Eli, on
the other hand, didn't reappear in competition until April, when she captured
the Appalachian S. (G3) at Keeneland. |
The dark bay miss enters the Belmont Oaks Invitational off a half-length
score in the nine-furlong Wonder Again S. at Belmont and will be trying 10
furlongs for the first time. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has been aboard for all of
Lady Eli's starts and retains the mount on Saturday.
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| California-based Spanish Queen will try to take a bite out of the Big Apple while visiting Belmont for the first time
(Benoit Photos) |
Spanish Queen has started even fewer times than Lady Eli, racking up a 3-1-0
mark from four career races. In the saddle for each of those was jockey Brice
Blanc, who has the call back following a three-quarter length win in the 1
1/4-mile American Oaks at Santa Anita.
The Richard Baltas-trained Spanish Queen, who also took the Honeymoon S. (G2)
following a close neck second in the Providencia S. (G3) at Santa Anita, will be
joined in the gate by fellow American Oaks runners Consumer Credit (More Than
Ready), who finished third, and fifth-placer Sharla Rae (Afleet Alex).
Outstanding is one of two international shippers in the Belmont Oaks and
makes her U.S. debut for trainer Aidan O'Brien. The bay miss will be getting
Lasix added for the first time, and brings a two-for-two 2015 record into the
race under Colm O'Donoghue. Olorda (Lord of England), the other shipper, won't
be adding Lasix in her stateside bow for trainer Micahel Figge but will get a
local jockey in the form of John Velazquez in the saddle.
Some in the race have faced off already -- i.e. Spanish Queen, Consumer
Credit, Sharla Rae -- and others are also looking to turn the tables on rivals.
Among them are Pine Needles (Giant's Causeway), Itsonlyactingdad (Giant's
Causeway) and Miss Chatelaine (Pulpit), the respective third, fourth and sixth
behind Lady Eli in the Wonder Again, while Gypsy Judy (Kitalpha), third in the
Penn Oaks, will be taking on that race's winner, Strict Compliance (Into
Mischief), yet again. |
Completing the Belmont Oaks Invitational field are Lady Zuzu (Dynaformer),
who just missed by a head in the Regret S. (G3) most recently at Churchill
Downs, and last-out allowance scorers Sentiero Italia (Medaglia d'Oro) and
Daring Duchess (Arch), who are both making their stakes debuts in the race.
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