Minorette makes the grade in Belmont Oaks

Wonderfully tried to ratchet up pressure on Sea Queen through a mile in 1:38,

but the front runner was traveling conspicuously better. Putting a sputtering

Wonderfully away in the stretch, Sea Queen threatened to pull a 9-1 upset.

But Minorette was rallying into contention, and soon gained revenge for her

recent loss. In the Wonder Again, she had been hunted down late by Sea Queen.

Now Minorette played the hunter's role, overtaking Sea Queen and striding two

lengths clear. The chestnut negotiated 1 1/4 grassy miles in 2:01 3/5 and

returned $14.60 for her first career stakes score.

"She moves like she wanted to go longer," Rosario observed. "Last time, I

moved a little early to take the lead and she waited a little bit. This time I

wanted to be a little closer because it looked like there wasn't a lot of speed.

I could see (Sea Queen) on the outside and wanted to keep an eye on her, and I

didn't want to move early. When she took the lead she just kept on going."

"Joel got to know her a bit," Brown said. "She was really training big coming

into this race. We were pretty confident she'd give a good showing of herself in

here."

Sea Queen held second by 1 1/4 lengths from her stablemate Summer Solo,

handing trainer Christophe Clement both minor awards.

"Both fillies ran very well; they were second- and third-best," Clement said.

"It was fun to have a top-class 1 1/4-mile race for three-year-old fillies at

this time of the year. They both ran a great race and nobody can take that away

from them. We were expecting to be on the lead or close to the lead (with Sea

Queen); she's a galloper, and that's what she likes. Summer Solo ran great. I

knew she was going to run a good race; she's trained so well. She's a very nice

New York-bred."

"It looked like there wasn't a lot of speed," Sea Queen's rider Irad Ortiz

Jr. said, "and (Clement) told me, 'See how she breaks, and if she's on the lead

easy, it's OK. And if not, go wherever you are comfortable.' I'm very happy with

her. We tried hard."

Xcellence closed with interest for fourth, but trainer Francois Doumen was

wondering what might have been.

"This was her maximum distance today," Doumen noted. "The pace was too slow.

She was sitting so far back. (Jockey Gerald Mosse) really would have had to go

around, so he had to sit and wait. She had too much to do at the end. She did

her best. If the pace had been stronger, she would have had a different race and

been nearer."

"The pace was not fast enough," Mosse agreed. "I was getting closer by the

half-mile, trying to not give her too much to do. She struggled the last

sixteenth."

Wonderfully wound up fifth, followed by Goldy Espony, a French import who was

making her debut for Brown here; Room Service; Flying Jib; Rosalind; and Recepta.

My Conquestadory was withdrawn, with her owners, Conquest Stables, expressing

concern about the conditions.

Minorette was bred for success. By Smart Strike and out of Group 2 heroine

Silk and Scarlet, she is a half-sister to Group 1 victors Master of Hounds and

Eishin Apollon. Minorette got off to a good start by capturing her career debut

at Naas last summer, but failed to build on that effort. Fourth in the Group 2

Debutante -- the race won by her dam in 2004 -- and a close third in the Flame

of Tara, Minorette concluded 2013 with a tailed-off last in the Group 3 C.L.

Weld Park Stakes.

Leaving Ballydoyle in hopes of finding a happier hunting ground in the United

States, Minorette showed promise in her first two outings for Brown. She was a

closing third in an entry-level allowance at Keeneland April 6. Minorette

launched her bid earlier to strike the front in the Wonder Again, only to be

caught by Sea Queen. Rosario timed the move perfectly on Saturday.

"The more I got to train her, even before we first ran her, she just moved

and looked like a mile-and-a-quarter horse," Brown said. "Her pedigree wouldn't

deter you from that, either. We just took our time with her.

"I tell you, the Coolmore group, wonderful organization to train for. They

never told me where to run, when to run. 'It's a nice filly we're giving you,

and just give us some feedback.' After the race at Keeneland at a mile when she

was closing pretty good and got a good number out of the race, I immediately

circled this big one and said, 'Let's just go for it.' I gave her a local prep

and it worked, because that's what preps are for. She got a run over the course,

and the jock got to know her. When the money counted today, he rode her

perfect."

Minorette was capping a quick double for the barn, as one race earlier, Brown

had sent out Zivo to land the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap.

"A big day, a wonderful day of racing they put on here," the trainer said.

"It's exciting just to be part of it. I'm lucky to even have horses to be part

of most of the program. To walk away with two winners, a great day for me and my

team. I'm here doing the interview, but I'll tell you I have a wonderful staff

underneath me that's working day in and day out. And without them, none of this

is possible."

Brown's barn continues to get richer. Aside from Minorette and Goldy Espony,

Xcellence reportedly will remain stateside with Brown, making it a trio of

Belmont Oaks alumnae in his care.

Now the third top-level winner produced by Silk and Scarlet, Minorette has

bankrolled $603,761 from her 7-2-1-2 line. Bred in Kentucky by the Silk and

Scarlet Syndicate, named for the Sadler's Wells mare, Minorette counts 1984

Ribblesdale winner Ballinderry as her third dam. Ballinderry, who is responsible

for 1990 French Derby hero Sanglamore, hails from the family of multiple Group 1

star Lydian and ill-fated Grade/Group 1 queen Matiara. 

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