T Kraft, R Disaster among sprint stakes winners at Belmont

A busy Thursday of graded stakes action at Belmont Park included a trio of sprints that could yield contenders for the 2026 Breeders’ Cup.

Vosburgh (G3)

A “Win and You’re In” berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) was on the line in the $250,000 Vosburgh, a seven-furlong sprint in which T Kraft proved narrowly best.

Just shy of five weeks ago, T Kraft engaged in a three-way battle for second place in the Forego (G1) at Saratoga. T Kraft finished in a dead-heat for runner-up honors with Senior Officer, while Carter (G2) winner Crazy Mason finished a head back in fourth place.

Forego winner Hymn skipped the Vosburgh, and in his absence, T Kraft, Senior Officer, and Crazy Mason put on an exciting show.

T Kraft broke on top from the rail post and secured a half-length advantage through splits of :23.26 and :46.16. He turned for home with something left in the tank and responded to urging from jockey Junior Alvarado, widening his lead to 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining.

As the pace-pressing El Grande O began to fade, Senior Officer advanced between rivals. But it was deep-closing Crazy Mason who loomed as the largest threat, gobbling up ground with every stride. Crazy Mason made the finish tight, but the wire came just in time for T Kraft, who held on to win by a nose in 1:22.78.

“By a whisker, that was close, I didn’t know if I got it or not,” Alvarado told the New York Racing Association. “That other horse [Crazy Mason] came running very strong at the end, but my horse fought for me there. I saw the speed didn’t go, so I let my horse kind of take the lead. I knew he likes to fight. When I was on the lead, I thought he was cruising pretty nice fractions. I knew I’d have horse left, but you never know until you pass the wire.

“He’s such a neat horse,” Alvarado continued. “Last time, he had a little trouble between horses, and we didn’t have the cleanest trip. He still was there for me and we dead-heated for second. He was knocking on the door for a while.”

Crazy Mason finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Senior Officer, who comfortably took third place over Buttah. Doc Sullivan, El Grande O, Moonlight, Contrary Thinking, and Bring the Smoke trailed the field.

Bill Mott trains T Kraft for owner Lee Einsidler of LRE Racing, and following the Vosburgh, Mott indicated a Breeders’ Cup start could be in the cards.

“He’s improving,” said Mott. “We’re pleased with his progress and now we’ll have to talk. It’s a ‘Win and You’re In’ and Lee will probably want to go to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Gallant Bloom (G2)

Fillies and mares dashed 6 1/2 furlongs over the main track in the $242,500 Gallant Bloom, a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). Reigning Gallant Bloom winner R Disaster successfully defended her title as the 1-2 favorite, bouncing back from a sixth-place finish in the Aug. 29 Ballerina (G1) to claim top honors.

A gate-to-wire winner of the Derby City Distaff (G1) during the spring, R Disaster was beaten to the lead in the Ballerina when returning from a nearly four-month layoff. The Averill Racing and Anthony Mattera representative reverted to her usual pacesetting tactics in the Gallant Bloom and bounced back nicely, setting fractions of :22.67 and :45.78 under jockey Jose Ortiz before turning back a bid from Senza Parole to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:16.17.

“Obviously, coming off of her first time off-the-board, which we knew we didn’t have her prepared well, you still have to see her come back and run well,” said winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “There’s always going to be that little doubt in your head, so for her to get the win was very good.”

Senza Parole pulled 4 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Beauty Reigns, while Munnings Express and Queen Jubilee trailed the field.

R Disaster’s lengthy layoff into the Ballerina wasn’t planned. She’d originally targeted a start in the July 26 Honorable Miss (G2).

“She had an issue with a hind foot that we had to give her some time,” said Joseph. “It flared up like a year before that too, it was similar, something she always has had and it’s something to deal with. When she tells us, we have to wait.

“We know we only had one work into this race, but she should move forward now. We had to wait with an issue and that’s the way it worked out. We knew we had to run in the Ballerina, win, lose or draw because we needed her to get her fitness level back. And today, we’re back on track with her, and all being well, I think we’ll give her a shot in the Breeders’ Cup."

Belmont Turf Sprint (G3)

The $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint, a potential steppingstone to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1), ended in a huge upset as 31-1 longshot mare Egyptian Mau rallied to a narrow victory.

Unraced since finishing fifth in the Giant’s Causeway (G2) during the spring at Keeneland, the Team Valor International color-bearer rebounded nicely to score her first North American stakes win. Facing males proved to be no obstacle, as Egyptian Mau unleashed a determined rail rally from midfield to prevail by a neck, hitting the wire in 1:08.85 for six furlongs over the firm inner turf course.

“Usually she’s very slow, but today, she broke better,” said winning jockey Antonio Fresu, who rode Egyptian Mau for trainer Neil Drysdale. “I dropped her in on the rail and I said, ‘OK, I’ll try and save some ground.’ She’s no favorite, so you ride her a little bit more conservatively and try to get what you can. When everything was opening, I took it and the filly was very game – that was the main thing. She was brave to go through there.”

Pace-pressing Waralo fought on to finish second by a head over Chasing Liberty, followed by Alogon, Twenty Six Black, Spiced Up, Jean Valjean, Card Trick, Spirited Sol, and Let My People Go.

Winter Memories (G3)

Also on the Thursday card, the $200,000 Winter Memories (G3) for three-year-old fillies racing one mile on turf went to Shelzawa, a Chad Brown trainee who launched a last-to-first rally under Flavien Prat.

Shelzawa is owned by the partnership of Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss, William J. Rucker, and Michael J. Caruso.

Enjoy Breeders' Cup 2026 Weekend LIVE with our wire-to-wire coverage featuring odds, analysis, expert picks, and all-access action!

Catch all the LIVE Breeders' Cup 2026 Weekend coverage starting October 30-31 as world-class stakes racing gets underway. Join us at Keeneland for an unforgettable night of elite horse racing action!

Breeders Cup | Betting | Odds | Contenders | Handicapping | Challenge | Prep-Races | Winners | Results | History