Iron Dome prevails in Empire Classic thriller on Empire Showcase Day
L and N Racing and Chester Broman, Sr.’s Iron Dome won a dramatic renewal of the $250,000 Empire Classic on Saturday’s Empire Showcase Day card at Belmont Park. The lucrative program offered 10 stakes exclusively for horses foaled in New York State valued at a combined $2.1 million in purses.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and piloted by Ricardo Santana, Jr., the 4-year-old Into Mischief colt avenged a sixth-place finish as the mutuel favorite in this event last year with a gritty score.
Michael Levinson of L and N Racing said he was thrilled to take part in a card that celebrates the New York-bred program.
"We love it,” Levinson said. “We bought this horse at Keeneland for half a million. We love that he's a New York-bred, gave us the option to run in these kinds of races. We didn't win this race last year, and this year's race was tougher than last year's field, in my opinion. This is exciting. Belmont Park just opened, to win the first edition of this race at the new Belmont Park is amazing."
Iron Dome [No. 7, $14.06] benefited from a pace battle between Leon Blue and Donegal Surges, while finding his best stride late to best Wynstock by a head in the Empire Classic [Race 10], a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up.
“Ricardo rode a perfect race, sat, didn't get impatient, and at the eighth-pole, just asked him to go and he just ran them down,” Levinson said. “I mean that was a perfect ride and Steve did a great job training our horse up to this race. This has been our target the entire year.”
Iron Dome won the state-bred Albany at Saratoga Race Course last year to complete a hat trick of wins ahead of a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.
On Saturday, he returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since the Albany, tracking from fourth position as Leon Blue and Donegal Surges dueled through three-quarters in a swift 1:10.45 seconds over the fast main track. The Flavien Prat-piloted Tricky Business moved first to take command at the top of the lane, but Iron Dome kept grinding and gained ground as Wynstock, with Kendrick Carmouche up, loomed large to their outside.
In a cavalry charge to the wire, it was Iron Dome, who put his head down first over Wynstock, who was a neck better than Tricky Business. It was a further three-quarter lengths back to Doc Sullivan in fourth with only a neck each separating Donegal Surges and Bank Frenzy in a blanket finish. Pandagate, Leon Blue, Ez Roll and Alan Turing rounded out the order of finish. Iron Dome stopped the clock for nine furlongs in 1:47.84.
Iron Dome was purchased for $500,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the graded stakes-placed Speightstown mare Speightful Affair, and is a half-brother to the popular New York-bred Mr. Buff – a sizable 17-hands tall graded stakes-placed chestnut that banked more than $1.4 million through a 48-17-8-5 ledger, including 11 stakes wins.
Iron Dome, bred by Chester Broman and the late Mary Broman, banked $137,500 in victory while improving his record to 14-4-4-2.
Pavilion Racing’s Valtellina [No. 3, $6.64] successfully defended her title in the co-featured $250,000 Empire Distaff [Race 4], a nine-furlong route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
Trained by Ray Handal and piloted by Dylan Davis, the 4-year-old Complexity chestnut ran her win streak to three, adding to optional-claiming wins in August versus state-breds at Saratoga and on September 25 here versus open company.
“She was awesome,” Handal said. “She's got a real will to win and tenacity that you can't teach. She was just born with it. She's a winner. I'm just blessed to have her in my stable.
"This is a tremendous day,” Handal added. “It is a great way to reward the people that invest into New York racing and the blue collar New York-breds. It's nice to have our day to showcase all these tremendous talents and amazing horses."
The scratch of Iron Orchard saw four-time stakes-winner Bernietakescharge dictate the tempo through splits of 23.49 seconds, 46.57 and 1:10.53. Valtellina ranged into contention late in the turn and took aim at Bernietakescharge, finally wearing down the pacesetter in the final jumps to score by a head in a final time of 1:47.76.
Valtellina is out of the Take Charge Indy mare Take Charge Sue, a half-sister to graded stakes placed Grumps Little Tots. Bred by Thorostock, Valtellina banked $137,500 in victory while improving her record to 18-5-3-2.
The stakes action kicked off in Race 2 with a gritty win by Klaravich Stables’ Cash Burn [No. 3, $3.64*] in the $200,000 Maid of the Mist, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Nyquist dark bay tracked the early foot of Sun Kissed Bliss and took over in mid-stretch with enough in the tank to stave off the bid of the onrushing B Yutiful Carly. Cash Burn stopped the clock in 1:36.65 for the neck score. Davidson completed the trifecta with Fantasy Fortune and Sun Kissed Bliss rounding out the order of finish.
Cash Burn improved her record to 2-for-2 following an impressive 13 1/2-length graduation sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs versus fellow state-breds on August 20 at Saratoga.
Bred by Ned Williams, Mike Matese and Jack Murray, Cash Burn, who banked $110,000 in victory, is out of the stakes-placed Violence mare Three Hawk - a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Bern Identity. Her second dam is graded stakes-winner Maddalena.
Munnings Express [No. 3, $3.10*], with Manny Franco up for Linda Rice, dominated the 6 1/2-furlong $200,000 Iroquois [Race 3] for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
Munnings Express, who entered from a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom here, patiently tracked a pace duel between Celtic Dawn and Queens Cat through a half-mile in 45.72 before ranging up to their outside and taking command. Venetta made a late run, but there would be no reeling in Munnings Express, who scored by 1 3/4-lengths in a final time of 1:16.21.
Venetta completed the exacta by 2 1/2-lengths over Queens Cat with Kay Cup, Sunday Girl and Celtic Dawn rounding out the order of finish.
Munnings Express, bred by Fergus Galvin, Marc Detampel, Jayne Johnson and Adrian Wallace, banked $110,000 in victory while improving her record to 14-7-3-3.
Club Sixty Five Racing’s Sounds Like a Plan [No. 1, $6.04*] made every pole a winning one under Ricardo Santana, Jr. to capture the $200,000 Mohawk [Race 5], a nine-furlong inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up.
Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 4-year-old Twirling Candy gelding, racing with blinkers off, showed the way through fractions of 24.18, 48.32 and 1:12.52 over the firm footing. Sounds Like a Plan opened up comfortably at the stretch call and drew off to notch his first stakes win by 4 1/4-lengths in a final time of 1:46.41.
The late-running Chummers completed the exacta by three-quarter lengths over two-time Mohawk-winner [2023-24] Spirit of St Louis. George Briggs, Annexperience and Funny Factor rounded out the order of finish.
Bred by Wildwood Farm, Sounds Like a Plan, who was third in this event last year, banked $110,000 in victory while improving his record to 16-7-2-3.
Ice Wine Stable and Smart Choice Stable’s dual Grade 2-placed Shoot It True [No. 3, $3.38*] stalked and pounced to a determined half-length victory over Annascaul in the inaugural $200,000 New York Filly and Mare Turf Sprint Championship [Race 6] for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going six furlongs over the Widener turf.
Trained by Wesley Ward and piloted by Antonio Fresu, the 4-year-old Munnings dark bay settled in third position as Highway Harmony marked off splits of 22.79 and 45.17 with Annascaul pressing the issue in the turn. Annascaul took over from Highway Harmony inside the three-sixteenths, but Shoot It True was finding her best with an outside run and got up in time to win in a final time of 1:07.29.
Annascaul was 2 1/4-lengths better than third-place Silsbee followed by Highway Harmony, Sweet Brown Sugar, Boston’s Phinest, and Kaz Farm Girl. Latest Edition was declared a non-starter as she was in the hands of the starter at the break. Fairy Godmother was scratched.
Bred by Old Tavern Farm, Shoot It True banked $110,000 in victory and pushed her record to 12-6-3-1. The $340,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale is out of the Malibu Moon mare To the Moon Alice, a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Unchained Melody.
SJB Stable’s homebred Scramjet [No. 1, $6.56*] remained perfect through three starts with a frontrunning score in the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow [Race 7], a one-turn mile for state-bred juveniles.
Trained by Linda Rice and piloted by Kendrick Carmouche, the Uncle Mo colt raced twice at six furlongs against state-breds this summer at Saratoga, graduating on debut in August and following with a prominent two-length score over returning rival Professor Plum in the Funny Cide on September 7.
Scramjet exited the inside post on Saturday and led through splits of 23.32 and 46.35, cruising through the turn with a host of pursuers breathing down his neck. Scramjet continued to find more once straightened away and staved off the inside rush of Covered Option to score by a half-length in a final time of 1:35.66.
Covered Option was two lengths better than Professor Plum with Big Handsome, Inalienable, Midnight Raider, Hammerin Henry and Fullcup rounding out the order of finish.
Michael Dubb’s Sculcos Folly [No. 9, $6.10*] stalked and pounced to a confident score in the $200,000 Hudson [Race 8], a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up.
Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr. and piloted by Prat, the 3-year-old Redesdale colt sat off the early foot of longshot Factually Correct before asserting to the front through a half-mile in 45.39. Sculcos Folly opened up by three lengths at the stretch call and had plenty in the tank to notch the two-length win over Buttah in a final time of 1:15.07.
“A lot of these horses [today] run against open horses in stakes races, so as a 3-year-old stepping up, you never want to get carried away, but we’re feeling really good about him,” Dubb said.
Dubb noted the importance of the Empire Showcase Day program, which was being held at the new Belmont Park for the first time.
“We really have something to talk about here with the new Belmont,” Dubb said. “So, I am calling up my friends, my acquaintances and even people I meet on the street and saying, ‘come on out.’ We’ve really got to promote the new Belmont Park, it’s amazing.
“So many people put so much into New York racing” Dubb continued. “From the guy who grows the hay to the guy who runs the small farm, to the people who are breeding and working through cold winter days. It’s just nice that everyone in New York gets recognition.”
Caldo Candy was third with Acoustic Ave, Factually Correct, El Grande O, The Wine Steward and Hit the Post rounding out the order of finish. Sacrosanct was scratched.
Sculcos Folly graduated in a $25,000 maiden claimer in July 2025 at Monmouth Park and completed his 2-year-old campaign with a five-length romp in a $20,000 claimer in November at Laurel Park. He has reached new heights as a sophomore, posting state-bred stakes scores in the Gander in March and Mind Your Biscuits in April at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Mike Lee in June at Saratoga.
Sculcos Folly was a pacesetting second when stretched out in the 1 1/16-mile New York Derby on July 13 at Finger Lakes ahead of a frontrunning third in a six-furlong open allowance versus elders last out on August 29 at the Spa.
Bred by Lannister Holdings, Sculcos Folly was a $70,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the 10-time winning Johannesburg mare Cool Johanna, who also produced stakes-placed winners D’fever and Zolo. Sculcos Folly banked $110,000 in victory while improving his record to 11-7-2-1.
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski’s Senbei [No. 8, $10.22] broke alertly from the outermost post 6 and never looked back en route to an impressive victory in the $200,000 New York Turf Sprint Championship [Race 9], a six-furlong Widener turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up.
Trained by Miguel Clement, the 7-year-old Candy Ride gelding has now captured at least one stakes race in each of his six years of racing in all but his abbreviated 4-year-old campaign following his stellar score today under Prat.
Senbei set the tempo with swift splits of 22.40 and 44.70 with the awkward-starting Waralo chasing out of the inside post. Twenty Six Black, who won this event last year, tipped off the rail for the stretch run but could not reel in Senbei, who scored by 1 1/4-lengths in a final time of 1:06.95 to provide Prat his third win on the card.
Twenty Six Black completed the exacta by a half-length over Bold Journey, with Bosun, Dakota Country and Waralo rounding out the order of finish. Out On Bail and Truman's Commander were scratched.
Senbei, bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski, improved to 26-9-2-2 while adding $110,000 in prize money.
Awesome Czech [No. 2, $5.14*] closed out the card with a decisive score to defend her crown in the $200,000 Ticonderoga [Race 11], a nine-furlong inner turf route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
The victory provided De Paz his second stakes score on the card and Santana, Jr. with his third stakes victory on the program. The Barry Schwartz homebred daughter of Mendelssohn made a strong inside move at the top of the lane, splitting the fading pacesetting Spinning Colors and Being Betty, to power home a one-length winner in a final time of 1:47.72.
Midnight Concerto finished second with Victory Hall, Nonna Lynne, Being Betty, Bobby M’s Girl, National Archive, Considerate City, and Spinning Colors completing the order of finish. Sail With the Wind was pulled up down the backstretch after a rein snapped.
The multiple stakes-winning Awesome Czech, out of the winning Awesome Again mare Marvelous Martina, improved her record to 25-7-5-4.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont featuring two divisions of the Grade 3, $200,000 Glen Cove slated as Race 5 and Race 8 on the nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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