G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic tops six graded stakes on October 1 card at Belmont Park

Godolphin’s world-traveling Grade 1-winner El Cordobes tops a strong field for the 50th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, which highlights a stacked eight-race card on Thursday, October 1 at Belmont Park that will feature a total of six graded events worth a combined $1.9 million.

Following the cancelation of live racing on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 at Belmont Park due to a powerful nor’easter forecast to bring extremely high winds and heavy rain to Long Island, this weekend’s stakes have been rescheduled to Thursday’s loaded card.

In addition to the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the card’s graded stakes include the Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl [“Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf], Grade 3, $250,000 Vosburgh [“Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint], Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom, Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint and Grade 3, $200,000 Winter Memories. First post is 2:10 p.m. Eastern.

Leading the program is the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic [Race 7], a 1 1/2-mile Widener turf test for 3-year-olds and up that redrew its original field, topped by El Cordobes [post 1, Flavien Prat] for trainer Charlie Appleby.

The 5-year-old son of Frankel makes his first outing since landing a 4 1/4-length fifth in the Group 2 H. H. The Amir Trophy on Valentine’s Day at Doha won by Deep Monster, who exited to finish third to Romantic Warrior in the Group 1 Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup. Last year, El Cordobes won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga Race Course with returning rider Flavien Prat in the irons, and finished third in both this event when it was contested at Belmont at the Big A and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar.

“He goes into the race in good order and Flavien Prat rides – he’s won on him in the Sword Dancer and we’re very much looking forward to having our first runner at the new Belmont track,” Appleby said. “The horse has worked well and his preparation has gone very well going into the race. Obviously, he’s had a nice break. He’s a horse who, as we know, likes quick and flat tracks there in America.”

The lone difference from the original Joe Hirsch entries was a change of rider for multiple group stakes-winner Pride of Arras, who was originally paired with James Doyle and will now be ridden by regular pilot Rossa Ryan from post 4 for trainer Ralph Beckett.

The field is completed by multiple Grade 1-winner Far Bridge [post 2, John Velazquez] for trainer Miguel Clement; the pair of multiple Grade 1-winner Program Trading [post 6, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] and Grade 2-winner Asbury Park [post 3, Manny Franco] for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown; Grade 2-winner Minaret Station [post 5, Jose Ortiz] for conditioner Will Walden; and Group 3-winner Fort George [post 7, Kieran Shoemark] for trainer Ed Walker.

The Grade 2 Flower Bowl [Race 8], a 10-furlong inner turf route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, also saw its original field redrawn. The group of 11 is topped by Rachel Flynn and Rae Guest’s Sunlit Uplands, who also has a rider change from Doyle to Ryan [post 3] and looks to finish one better than her last-out second in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa presented by STIHL on August 22 at Saratoga.

Sunlit Uplands, winner of the Group 3 Stuten Meile over yielding footing on July 5 at Hamburg, has remained in New York since the Ballston Spa and breezed back three times locally, including a pair of moves over Tapeta and a five-eighths work September 19 over turf in 1:01.88.

“We’ve been very happy with her since the Ballston Spa,” trainer Stuart Williams said of the 4-year-old daughter of Sands of Mali. “She came out of the race in great form, and we shipped her down to Belmont and picked out the Flower Bowl for her to run in as her next race. We’re very pleased with how she’s been training at Belmont and we’re very much looking forward to seeing her run.”

A competitive field includes the Brown-trained pair of Grade 1-winner Kathynmarissa [post 9, Jose Ortiz] and multiple group stakes-placed Cathedral [post 10, Flavien Prat]; Grade 1-winner Fionn [post 6, Manny Franco] for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox; the pair of multiple Grade/Group 1-winner Gezora [post 4, Junior Alvarado] and dual Grade 1-placed Opulent Restraint [post 7, Javier Castellano] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; Grade 3-winner Evershed [post 1, Dylan Davis] for conditioner Arnaud Delacour; the Brian Meehan-trained dual group-placed Esna [post 5, Jamie Spencer]; dual graded stakes-placed Silvology [post 11, Antonio Fresu] for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey; and stakes-placed Favorite Memory [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Cherie DeVaux. Multiple graded stakes-placed Storm Miami [post 2, John Velazquez] is cross-entered in Saturday’s All Along at Laurel Park for trainer Amelia Green.

The Grade 2 Gallant Bloom [Race 3], a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, will feature its original field of six, topped by Tranquility Lake Farms’ Beauty Reigns [post 2, Junior Alvarado], who enters from a closing third in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Ballerina on August 29 at Saratoga for Bill Mott.

The four-time stakes-placed Into Mischief 4-year-old has finished in the top three in 10-of-14 career starts via a 4-3-3 record, including a third in last year’s Grade 1 Test presented by Ticketmaster at Saratoga.

“She’s a hard-knocking filly,” Mott said. “My job is to try to get a stakes win from her. Whether it is a Grade 2 or 3 or whatever it is, that’s my job.”

The field will also include the Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained pair of multiple graded stakes-winner R Disaster [post 5, Jose Ortiz] and Grade 3-placed Paradise City [post 6, Dylan Davis]; graded stakes-placed Brown trainee Senza Parole [post 1, Flavien Prat]; stakes-winner Munnings Express [post 3, Manny Franco] for trainer Linda Rice; and the stakes-debuting Queen Jubilee [post 4, Edgard Zayas] for conditioner Whit Beckman.

The Grade 3 Vosburgh [Race 6], a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, saw nine of its original 10 entrants return, the lone defection being the Rick Dutrow, Jr.-trained Ignite the Light.

The well-matched race will see Eddie F’s Racing’s New York-bred Buttah [post 4, Javier Castellano] attempt a breakthrough graded win on the heels of a 1 1/2-length score over the reopposing Doc Sullivan in the state-bred seven-furlong John Morrissey on August 6 at Saratoga under returning Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano.

“I’m going to tell Javier, ‘Do whatever you want,’ because as he knows, this horse is very good and I don’t want to make any one plan or make it confusing,” said trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci, who seeks his first graded win. “I’m going to tell him, ‘Hi, how are you? Good luck.’” 

Buttah is out of the Chief Seattle mare Salty Little Sis, who also produced dual stakes-winner Lobsta and stakes-winner Chowda. All three of the siblings were bred in the Empire State by Fedwell Farms.

Kantarmaci also sends out dual graded stakes-placed El Grande O [post 7, Antonio Fresu] amid a field that includes Grade 2-winner Crazy Mason [post 9, Manny Franco] for trainer Gregg Sacco; the Beckman-trained Grade 3-winner Bring the Smoke [post 6, Edgard Zayas]; Grade 1-placed Senior Officer [post 8, Flavien Prat] for Cox, T Kraft [post 1, Junior Alvarado] for Mott and Moonlight [post 5, Jose Ortiz] for trainer Peter Miller; and the Amelia Green-trained pair of multiple stakes-winner Doc Sullivan [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] and three-time winner Contrary Thinking [post 2, Dylan Davis].

The Grade 3 Winter Memories [Race 4], a one-mile Widener turf test for sophomore fillies, was originally scheduled for Sunday’s card and saw one defection and one addition to the original group of contenders. The Tom Morley-trained Victory Hall was not reentered, while the Brown-trained Hand Over Heart joined the fray.

The field of 11 is headed by Lindy Farms’ Irish-bred Queen of Hawaii [post 11, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], who finished a last-out 1 3/4-length fifth to Naomis in the one-mile Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 29 at the Spa for trainer Philip Antonacci.

The Kingman bay defeated elders in her stateside and barn debut in July at Saratoga with a neck score over next-out victor Play With Fire in a one-mile optional claimer, and looks to add to a resume that includes a third-out score in the Group 3 Irish EBF at The Curragh ahead of a seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in October at Del Mar when in the care of trainer Joseph O’Brien.

"I think this filly is getting better now at this time of the year,” said Antonacci. “She should be really competitive."

A well-matched field includes a Brown-trained trio of allowance-level winners Crossover Capital [post 3, Manny Franco], Shelzawa [post 7, Flavien Prat] and field newcomer Hand Over Heart [post 4, Jose Ortiz]; graded stakes-placed winners Ultimate Love [post 10, Javier Castellano] for trainer Michael Trombetta, Flowerhead [post 2, Antonio Fresu] for trainer Charlie Clover, Kokomotion [post 9, Edgard Zayas] for Beckman and Sister Troienne [post 8, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Brian Lynch; dual stakes-placed Lovely Grey [post 6, Dylan Davis] for conditioner Kelsey Danner; and maiden winners Peppermint Twist [post 5, Jose Lezcano] for trainer George Weaver and Alone Time [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] for DeVaux.

The Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint [Race 5], a six-furlong inner turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up, was also originally slated for Sunday, and features three additions to its original field of eight: multiple stakes-winner Chasing Liberty [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Rob Atras, the stakes-placed Brown trainee Creditworthy [post 5, Flavien Prat] and the Mott-trained Grade 3-winner Spiced Up [post 8, Junior Alvarado].

Roger Cimbora, Jr.’s New York homebred Twenty Six Black [post 7, Manny Franco] seeks his fourth career stakes win in the Belmont Turf Sprint for trainer Horacio De Paz, and enters from a fourth in the Grade 2 Troy won by John the Beer Man on August 9 at Saratoga.

“The turf course was at a disadvantage to his style of running,” De Paz said of the Troy try. “They were nice horses as well and it favored the other horses tremendously…they are good horses, so there was no disgrace to losing to them. But on a fairer turf course he might have been able to catch them.”

Twenty Six Black, who has banked $815,310 through a 21-8-5-2 ledger, won the Listed Harvey Pack in July at the Spa and the New York Turf Sprint Championship in October at Belmont at the Big A.

The field is completed by Group 3-winner Egyptian Mau [post 4, Antonio Fresu] for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale; multiple stakes-winners Jean Valjean [post 10, Jomar Torres] for trainer Elizabeth Merryman, Waralo [post 6, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Chris Englehart and the Kevin Rice-trained Spirited Sol [post 9, Martina Rojas]; stakes-winner Let My People Go [post 11, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Mike Maker; and the pair of multiple stakes-winner Alogon [post 1, Forest Boyce] and stakes-placed Card Trick [post 2, Dylan Davis] for trainer Ned Allard.

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