Minaret Station keeps Joe Hirsch; Kathynmarissa gets up in Flower Bowl

After guiding R Disaster to a repeat victory in the Gallant Bloom (G2), jockey Jose Ortiz carried his momentum to the Belmont Park turf to make it a graded stakes triple on Thursday. Ortiz swept the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) aboard Minaret Station and the $500,000 Flower Bowl (G2) with Kathynmarissa. 

The weekday card was busier than usual because of last weekend’s nor’easter that canceled racing and forced the rescheduling of all the stakes. The Breeders’ Cup implications remained. The Will Walden-trained Minaret Station enhanced his credentials for the Turf (G1), and Kathynmarissa extended Chad Brown’s record in the Flower Bowl, a “Win and You’re In” for the Filly & Mare Turf (G1). 

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1)

The 5.86-1 Minaret Station parlayed his recency edge to outfinish comebackers Far Bridge and El Cordobes, but he had to survive an inquiry. Minaret Station veered inward in deep stretch, causing El Cordobes to take up and coming over on Far Bridge. The stewards ultimately let the result stand, and Minaret Station kept his first Grade 1 trophy.

A homebred for OXO Equine, Minaret Station had been knocking on the door all season. Ortiz was aboard for his most recent placings at Saratoga, a rallying third in the Bowling Green (G2) and a second to European mare Survie in the Christophe Clement Turf (G1) in his latest. 

Bettors expected British shippers to hold the upper hand again in the Joe Hirsch. Pride of Arras went off as the slight 1.47-1 favorite over the 1.66-1 El Cordobes, who was resurfacing from a seven-month layoff for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby. But Pride of Arras faded, and El Cordobes ran as if in need of a tightener. 

In a race devoid of a clear front runner, Program Trading took the initiative to establish splits of :25.40, :51.37, and 1:16.92 on the firm Widener turf. Pride of Arras stalked in a close second until turning into the stretch, when he began to come under pressure and lost position.

At that point, the tracking El Cordobes cut the corner in a nifty move and struck the front. Yet he didn’t deliver the coup de grace as expected and soon found himself beset on both sides. Far Bridge, the 2024 Joe Hirsch hero, followed El Cordobes through on the inside and offered a bold challenge, while Minaret Station swooped on the outside. 

El Cordobes appeared well in the grasp of both when Minaret Station cut across his path. Far Bridge’s personal space was invaded as well, but he was at least still fighting in his return from a six-month layoff.

Minaret Station may have cost himself most of all by his failure to maintain a straight course. Had he kept to his lane, his forward progress possibly would have propelled him past the gritty Far Bridge by more than his actual margin of a half-length. 

“I think I did come over a little bit, I won’t say I didn’t,” Ortiz rightly admitted. “I told the stewards that I thought I bothered the Godolphin horse (El Cordobes) a little bit, Flavien had to take a little hold. But at the point when I bothered him, he was going to already be third. He (Minaret Station) didn’t cost him any position. I don’t think I bothered Far Bridge at all.

“It was a very slow pace last time (in the Clement Turf), and today he was able to fall behind the speed and relax, and I was very happy behind horses.”

Minaret Station negotiated 1 1/2 miles in 2:28.18 and returned $13.72.

Far Bridge’s rider, Hall of Famer John Velazquez, believed that he was bothered enough to matter. 

“I had a perfect trip until the stretch, the last sixteenth of a mile,” Velazquez said. “I was squeezed through there, and Jose came in, pushed the other horse towards me, and then he ended up on top of me. Barely got beat, and he definitely got into the position that got uncomfortable.”

Velazquez also complimented trainer Miguel Clement for presenting Far Bridge ready to fire off the bench. 

“What a job he has done,” Velazquez added. “He relaxed perfect. I thought he’d be a little bit rank, and he was perfect. He was really good until that point that it was just enough that it stopped his momentum.”

El Cordobes probably wouldn’t have been beaten as far in third, 2 1/4 lengths adrift of Far Bridge, with a trouble-free passage. Program Trading held fourth, followed by Asbury Park and Pride of Arras. Fort George was a vet scratch. 

Minaret Station’s third career stakes victory improved his mark to 9-4-2-2, $903,256. As a juvenile, he sprang a 38-1 upset in the 2024 Bourbon (G2) before going to the sidelines. His sole start of 2025 resulted in a victory in the American Derby at Churchill Downs. Finally, as a four-year-old in 2026, Minaret Station has been able to compile a longer campaign. After a close fourth in his April 30 comeback in the Opening Verse S., he placed second in the Arlington (G3), continued to progress at the Spa, and reached the pinnacle here.

“This horse has been incredible from the start,” Walden said. “Just ultra-consistent whenever we put him out there – obviously, dealt with some issues along the way. He’s just been the epitome of consistency in the afternoon and in the morning and just couldn’t be prouder of him.”

The Kentucky-bred is a son of past OXO star Instilled Regard and multiple Grade 2-winning millionaire Beau Recall, by Sir Prancealot.

Flower Bowl (G2)

Michael J. Caruso and Michael Dubb’s Kathynmarissa ranked as the 1.34-1 favorite off her latest score in the Diana (G1), and she duly hit her best stride to catch British raider Sunlit Uplands in time. Driving three-quarters of a length ahead at the wire, Kathynmarissa increased Brown’s record Flower Bowl haul to nine. 

Brown’s other hope, the 3.89-1 second choice Cathedral, appeared to be in good position to pad his stats as well. The recent import chased pacesetter Opulent Restraint through fractions of :23.64, :48.29, and 1:12.15 on the firm inner turf. 

As soon as Cathedral pounced on Opulent Restraint at the top of the stretch, though, she was collared in turn by Sunlit Uplands. The main question facing Sunlit Uplands was the 1 1/4-mile trip, and the final stages just did find her out.

Kathynmarissa, who had been reserved in midpack, was produced at the right time by Ortiz. The daughter of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah surged late to clock 2:00.58.

“We had better pace today and she was able to relax and (pick up) much better,” Ortiz said. “In the first turn, I wasn’t where I wanted to be, and then I looked in and saw a spot and dropped behind the Euro (Sunlit Uplands). After that, I was right where I wanted. 

“After the half-mile pole, I asked her to pick it up a little bit. I decided to put her in the clear and let her get into that beautiful stride. She did, and I just wish the Flower Bowl was a Grade 1!”

Jockey Rossa Ryan noted that Sunlit Uplands will get her stateside laurel on the cutback.

“She’s run well,” Ryan said. “Probably a mile and one (furlong) is her real trip, but a good run and everything fell right for me, just beaten by a very good filly.

“She kept going, just the real stamina was starting to tell late on. I just landed there so comfortably. Good, honest, gutsy filly, was unlucky not to win it and I’m sure she’ll pick up a group race out here for sure.”

Evershed reported home another three-quarters of a length back in third, and Favorite Memory closed for fourth. Fionn, Gezora, Storm Miami, Cathedral, slow-starting British invader Esna, Silvology, and Opulent Restraint rounded out the order of finish.

Kathynmarissa has bankrolled $2,215,745 in earnings from her 15-7-2-3 line. Initially trained by Rick Dutrow, she won the 2024 Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs and placed in the American Oaks (G1), Saratoga Oaks (G2), and Tepin S. She impressed in a 2025 Saratoga allowance in her debut for Brown, but had to be shelved until this season. Kathynmarissa was back with a bang in the May 1 Modesty (G3) on Kentucky Oaks Day. Third in the New York (G1), she rebounded in the Diana en route to the Flower Bowl.

“She's just been a model of consistency – so much heart,” Brown said. “Pace was against her today a bit, and the runner-up had the jump on her, and this filly didn't have to get there, but I just think the last 70 yards was just heart for this horse.

“And that's what I see in the morning, she has a lot of heart. She is a very solid horse that just wants to do right, she wants to win, she wants to just leave it all out on the racetrack. So, I'm very proud of her.

“I'm just so appreciative that Mike Dubb gave us this horse to work with a couple years ago,” Brown added. “Although her season got cut short last year just with one run, which was disappointing, Mike's always very patient. 

“We go back a long time. I mean I've been training for Mike and various partners of his for, I don't know, 17 years now, and we've also been friends for that long. His wife, Lee, is here and other friends of his that he works with are with him today, and it's just a really great way to kick off the first Flower Bowl back at the new Belmont, that Mike, a board member, played a big role in the redevelopment of as well. So, I think it is great that this horse won for them today.”

Bred by Don Alberto Corp. in the Bluegrass and sold for $200,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, Kathynmarissa is a half-sister to Chilean champion La Poetisa. Hey are both out of Chilean classic winner La Dalila, by the Dynaformer stallion Milt’s Overture.