Trainer Chad Brown will send out a powerful 1-2 punch in the May 8 $200,000 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park with grade 1 winner Search Results and multiple graded stakes winner Royal Flag.
The latter, a W.S. Farish homebred, will launch her 6-year-old debut in the one-mile Ruffian on the heels of a breakthrough season that saw the daughter of Candy Ride capture the 2021 Shuvee Stakes (G3) and Beldame Stakes (G2). She completed her campaign with a rallying fifth, defeated just 1 1/4 lengths, in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) in November at Del Mar.
Bill Farish of Lane's End Farm said he is pleased to have the talented mare back in action.
"I talked to Chad on Wednesday morning and we're pretty excited to get her back," Farish said. "Dad rarely runs a mare as a 6-year-old, so we're excited to get her back and hopefully have her at Saratoga Race Course this summer.
"She's won so many nice races and it's not easy to win at Belmont or at NYRA in general and that's her home base," Farish added. "Having another year with her up there is pretty exciting. We're hoping she'll be up there this summer and swing through here at Keeneland in the fall."
Farish said Royal Flag came into her own through the latter part of her 2021 campaign.
"From last year at Saratoga to the fall of her 5-year-old year, she changed physically so much. I've never really had a horse change that much that late in her career," Farish said. "She's filled out and matured. I can't wait to run her on Sunday."
Joel Rosario will be aboard Royal Flag from post 3.
Royal Flag will have to fend off a talented stablemate in Klaravich Stables' Search Results, who captured the Acorn Stakes (G1) over the Belmont oval last year in June.
The 4-year-old Flatter filly, who was a narrow runner-up to Malathaat in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), completed her sophomore season with a third-place finish in the Longines Test Stakes (G1) in August at Saratoga before being sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Search Results finished a distant third last out in her seasonal debut in the April 9 Distaff Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Search Results will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post 4. Brown's contenders have been assigned a co-field highweight of 124 pounds.
Hidden Brook Farm, Joseph G. McMahon, and Anne McMahon's New York-bred Bank Sting will make her first start against graded company after passing the open-company test last out with a neck score over La Troienne Stakes Presented by Signify Health (G1) contender Battle Bling in the one-mile Heavenly Prize Invitational Stakes March 6 at the Big A.
Bank Sting, a 5-year-old Central Banker bay trained by John Terranova II, has won seven-of-nine starts, including the one-turn mile Critical Eye Handicap here last May over a muddy main track.
Flavien Prat picks up the mount from the inside post.
Impressive last-out allowance optional claiming winner Make Mischief, Zaajel, winless in three starts since taking last year's Mother Goose Stakes (G2), and graded stakes winner Lady Rocket complete the field.
Belmont Park, Sunday, May 8, 2022, Race 8Entries: Ruffian S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Bank Sting (NY) Flavien Prat 122 John P. Terranova II 8/1 2 2Lady Rocket (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Brad H. Cox 2/1 3 3Royal Flag (KY) Joel Rosario 124 Chad C. Brown 8/5 4 4Search Results (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Chad C. Brown 7/2 5 5Zaajel (KY) Luis Saez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 15/1 6 6Make Mischief (NY) Dylan Davis 118 Mark E. Casse 5/1
