Organizing an Empire at Belmont

New York's finest showed up at Belmont Park on Saturday for New York Showcase Day,

featuring eight state-bred stakes races worth a total of more than $1 million.

In the $250,000

Empire Classic H., the richest event on the program, Majesty Stud LLC's homebred ORGANIZER (Raffie's

Majesty) scored an upset at 22-1 for trainer Dominic Galluscio. Under jockey Eibar Coa,

the four-year-old dark bay tracked the pace in third, then rallied gamely to

prevail by three-quarters of a length over Carminooch (Tomorrows Cat) in a final

time of 1:49 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles on the fast track.

"My plan was to put him behind the speed today," Coa said. "He's going to

give you everything he's got, you just have to do right by him."

"We had a couple of tough beats this year with this horse," Galluscio said.

"This saved the year for us."

The 3-2 favorite, West Virginia (Tomorrows Cat), trailed early after hitting

the gate at the start and stumbling, but he finished strongly late for third,

just a neck adrift of second. Another half-length back in fourth came champion Funny Cide

(Distorted Humor), who kept on dourly after coming under pressure a long way

out. The pacesetter Run Red Run (Afternoon Deelites), who set splits of :24 3/5,

:47 2/5 and 1:11 2/5, retreated to fifth, trailed by Naughty New Yorker (Quiet

American), two-time defending champion Spite the Devil (Devil His Due) and

Tommasi (Raffie's Majesty). Accountforthegold (Successful Appeal) and Indian

Hawke (Indian Charlie) were scratched.

The winner furnished healthy mutuels of $47, $16 and $6.20 while spearheading

exotics worth $246 (exacta), $1,029 (trifecta) and $4,368 (1-8-7-9 superfecta).

Organizer was posting his first career stakes win, improving on his runner-up

effort in last year's Empire Classic. He had placed in four stakes this season,

including a second in the Evan Shipman H. and a third in the General Douglas

MacArthur H. most recently. With the $150,000 winner's check, he boosted his

earnings to $392,771 from his 16-4-8-2 line.

Racing under the top impost of 121 pounds on the yielding inner turf, Double S Stable's CERTIFIABLY CRAZY (Fit to Fight) battled

to win the $150,000

Mohawk H. by a neck as the 3-2 favorite. Settled in second

by Cornelio Velasquez through the first six furlongs, well behind the runaway

pacesetter, the Richard Schosberg charge

advanced on the inside on the far turn and grabbed the lead in midstretch.

Although Classic Fran (Regal Classic) came charging late, Certifiably Crazy resolutely held

on as he met the wire in 1:51 3/5 for nine furlongs. With this fourth stakes

victory on his resume, the six-year-old dark bay

gelding moved his record to 30-8-12-3 while increasing his lifetime earnings to

$605,655.

In the $150,000

Ticonderoga H., Nyala Farm's FINLANDIA (Royal

Anthem) overhauled longtime leader Sabellina (Langfuhr) by a head in the shadow

of the wire, finishing 1 1/8 grassy miles in 1:51 2/5 beneath Kent Desormeaux as

the tepid 3-1 favorite. Finlandia's scorecard stands at

16-5-4-3, $314,655, after her second stakes tally.

"Kent said she

absolutely laid it down for him," trainer Thomas Bush explained. "She gave everything

she had. That was a very solid performance." 

Bush racked up another prize on Showcase Day when his charge GOLD AND ROSES

(Gold Token) rallied from just off the pace to collar 6-5 favorite Sharp Humor

(Distorted Humor) by a neck in the $125,000

Hudson H. With jockey Garrett Gomez

in the irons, the four-year-old dark bay gelding stopped the teletimer in 1:09 1/5

for six furlongs on the main track. Gold and Roses was notching his sixth career

stakes win, four of them coming this season. Henry Gregory's colorbearer now

boasts a bankroll of $678,254 to go along with his 25-8-9-3 mark.

"The New York-bred program is a tremendous program," Bush noted. "When you win some of these on this day, it's a big deal."

Gomez also piloted NO REASON (Precise End) to a one-length decision over

older distaffers in the $125,000

Iroquois H. for Winter Park Partners. Far back

in the early going, the Scott Blasi pupil ranged into contention on the turn and

swept to the front in the stretch, meeting the wire in 1:23 1/5 for seven

furlongs. The three-year-old bay improved her record to 13-6-2-0, $313,841.

Earlier on the card, Blasi and Gomez had successfully teamed up with Vinery Stables' CHIEF'S LAKE (Yonaguska),

who made his stakes debut a winning one in the $98,000

Sleepy Hollow S.

After stalking the pacesetter, the 3-5 favorite cruised past and eventually

opened up by four lengths, completing the mile in 1:38. The dark bay juvenile

extended his win streak

to three, bringing his total earnings to $115,735 from his 5-3-1-0 line.

Coming from last in the seven-horse field, Mary and Chester Broman Sr.'s homebred GRAND MERGER (A.P. Indy)

passed all her rivals to win the $100,000

Maid of the Mist S. for two

year-old fillies. Going off at 10-1 odds with Desormeaux in the irons, the John

Kimmel trainee split rivals into the stretch

and ground out a workmanlike victory by three-quarters of a length, stopping the teletimer

in 1:38 3/5 for one mile.

"She's not a real big, robust filly,"

Kimmel said. "She's got tremendous stamina. I guess there is no doubt she can go

a mile and an eighth."

A full sister to Grade 1 winner and young sire Stephen Got Even, the filly

was trying stakes company for the first time after posting an 11 3/4-length

maiden win. Her mark now reads 3-2-0-0 with earnings of $90,432.

Kimmel mentioned the November 25 Demoiselle S. (G2) at Aqueduct as her next

possible target.

LATITUDE FORTY (Chester

House) earned her first stakes win for owner Dee Zee Stable in the $69,450

Terreavigne S., contested over 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Going off at 6-1 odds, the dark bay John Hertler

trainee raced close up early, and swinging out wide into the stretch, she just

outdueled Homerette (Grand Slam) under Desormeaux's urging. By crossing under

the wire in 1:45 4/5, the sophomore improved her line to 8-3-1-2 and overall earnings to

$115,862.