Big Apple Showcase Day highlights the best of New York

New York-breds will take center stage at Belmont Park on

Saturday as the historic track celebrates the Empire State on track and off with

the Big Apple Showcase Day.

In addition to six stakes worth $900,000, highlighted by

the $200,000

Critical Eye for fillies and mares and the $200,000

Commentator

Handicap, guests will be able to experience some of the finest products the

state has to offer, with food and craft vendors offering their wares in the

grandstand.

Also on Saturday, there will be a jockey and trainer

autograph signing session from noon to 12:30 p.m. (EDT) in front of the Secretariat

mural on the east side of the grandstand's first floor.

Scheduled to be on hand

for the session are Alan Sherman, assistant trainer of Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome;

1977 Triple Crown winning-trainer Billy Turner; Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey;

Jimmy Jerkens, conditioner of Belmont hopeful Wicked Strong; and Christophe Clement,

who trains Belmont contender Tonalist.

Among the jockeys appearing are Hall

of Famer John Velazquez, Javier Castellano, brothers Jose and Irad Ortiz Jr.,

Junior Alvarado, Taylor Rice and Mike Luzzi.

On track Saturday, more than 100 New York-breds will grace a 10-race card,

with the Commentator anchoring the six stakes. Trainer Chad Brown will send out

two very imposing horses in the 13-strong Commentator for three-year-olds and up

at a mile.

Zivo was a terror on the inner track during the winter meet at Aqueduct,

capturing three races including two stakes wins. When racing moved to the main

track in April, the five-year-old son of True Direction didn't skip a beat,

winning a state-bred optional claimer by a widening two lengths. He enters the

Commentator on a four-race win streak.

"Zivo is in good form -- career form -- and we're really looking forward to

running him (in the Commentator)," Brown said.

Brown will also saddle Readtheprospectus, who has won seven of 11 career

starts. The five-year-old Read the Footnotes gelding enjoyed a fruitful 2013

campaign in which he was undefeated until finishing seventh in last October's

Empire Classic to close out the year. The Commentator will be his 2014 debut.

La Verdad will seek her first win beyond six furlongs as she heads a nine-distaffer

field in the Critical Eye at one mile. The Yes It's True four-year-old has seven

wins in eight starts at six furlongs, with the lone loss coming in her debut.

Since then, her only loss was a second after setting the pace in Laurel Park's

seven-furlong Barbara Fritchie Handicap in February, her first start in a

stakes.

Following the Fritchie, La Verdad regained winning form by taking the

Broadway for New York-breds by 3 1/4 lengths in March and the Distaff Handicap

by 3 3/4 lengths on April 19. Both starts came at Aqueduct.

"She hasn't been a mile yet, but she did run seven furlongs well in

Maryland," trainer Linda Rice said. "The timing was good for her on this race; I

needed to give her a little bit more time after that graded win and wasn't able

to make (the May 17 Vagrancy). She is training very well, and (owner) Sheila

(Rosenthal) is pretty excited about running on Showcase Day."

Rice and Rosenthal have high expectations for La Verdad in the second half of

2014.

The talented turf-runner Lubash headlines a strong nine-horse field for the

$125,000

Kingston

sending three-year-olds and up a mile on the turf.

Trained by Clement, Lubash proved he was still

in sharp form in his seven-year-old debut. The son of Freud took an optional claimer

on April 24 at Aqueduct by a neck over Kingston-rival Kharafa. Another Kingston entrant, Notacatbutallama, was

also in the field and finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Kharafa in third.

"He's a New York-bred, why chance something that worked

almost all of last year?" said Clement's assistant, Christophe Lorieul, of

electing to run in a state-bred race. "The horse is doing super. He has a race

under his belt with a gutsy win at Aqueduct last time out; he took the lead and

(Kharafa) could not pass him."

Effie Trinket, a four-year-old daughter of Freud, has finished third in a pair of

graded stakes in two starts this year and returns to New York-bred company when

she competes in the $125,000

Mount Vernon

against eight other distaffers going one mile on the turf.

In 2014, Effie Trinket was third by 1 1/2 lengths after

contesting the pace in the March 15 Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park and

third by 2 1/4 lengths after stalking the leaders in the May 3 Distaff Turf Mile

at Churchill Downs.

"Effie Trinket deserves to be in a spot where she is

favored," trainer Rick Violette asserted. "You hope she has the class edge. She never wins by much, but a limb can

be enough. We can run here and then start thinking about doing some big game

hunting."

The $125,000

Mike Lee could get a huge boost if uber-talented New York-bred Uncle Sigh elects to run in the seven-furlong sprint

against nine other three-year-olds. A few other options are on the table, according to Uncle Sigh's

trainer, Gary Contessa.

Uncle Sigh's most recent race came in the Kentucky

Derby, in which he finished 14th after contesting the early pace while

adding blinkers for the first time. Prior to the Derby, the bay son of Indian

Charlie finished fifth in the Wood Memorial and second

in both the Gotham and Withers.

Expected to vie for favoritism in the $125,000

Bouwerie,

which attracted nine sophomore fillies, are Flipcup, who closed out her two-year-old campaign with a

victory in the East View at Aqueduct, and Henry's Gal, who was claimed for

$75,000 in March and won her two subsequent starts for Rudy Rodriguez by a

combined 15 lengths.

Flipcup, making her second start for Hall of Famer Bill

Mott, was installed as the 5-2 favorite on the morning line under Joel Rosario,

while Henry's Gal, who will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, is listed at 3-1.