The Just a Game Stakes (G1T), one mile on the Belmont Park turf June 9, is named for owner Peter Brant's 1980 champion female turf horse and Brant brings things full circle with two of the top contenders in this $500,000 renewal.
Both of them, In Italian and Speak of the Devil, are trained by Chad Brown, who has won five of the last six renewals of the Just a Game and sounds confident of his chances for more.
In Italian, a lightly raced, 5-year-old mare by Dubawi, has never been worse than third in 10 career starts. Her six wins include last year's Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course and, in her most recent outing, the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) on the Keeneland green April 15.
She finished second in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) in November, caught late by Tuesday after leading most of the way. Tuesday and jockey Ryan Moore needed to put up a course record time of 1:51.88 to turn that trick.
"She looks good," Brown said of In Italian. "She's at her best right now. We've been down this road before with a top horse like her."
Speak of the Devil was fourth in last year's Just a Game. The 6-year-old Wootton Bassett mare then went to the sidelines for nearly 10 months, returning in the Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) March 4 at Gulfstream Park. She reported fifth, beaten just more than 2 lengths, and was third in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2T) on Kentucky Derby (G1) Day, which looks like a key race in figuring this one out.
"She seems to be a little bit sensitive for her ground," Brown said of Speak of the Devil. "So if it comes up a little soft with a little more give, she'll be more effective. Most of my horses didn't handle the Churchill ground."
Spendarella, a 4-year-old daughter of Karakontie , comes to the Just a Game off a second-place finish in the Distaff Turf Mile in her first start of the year. Her 2022 campaign produced four wins, including the Del Mar Oaks (G1T) from five starts.
Motion said he was a bit disappointed in Spendarella's second-place finish at Churchill Downs.
"But looking at it now, it was the best figure that she's run and she's done well since the race," he said. "Hopefully, having a race will help her moving forward."
The other two in the five-horse field are far from out of the picture.
Bill Mott saddles Wakanaka, a 5-year-old daughter of Power. She finished second in both the Honey Fox and in this race in 2022 and has graded stakes wins in Italy and at Woodbine on her resume.
Wakanaka needs to reverse course, though, after finishing fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G3) at Gulfstream Park and fourth in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile in her two most recent starts.
New Year's Eve also seeks a breakthrough. The 4-year-old Kitten's Joy filly, trained by Brendan Walsh, enjoyed her last photo session after the Edgewood Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs May 6 of last year. She has three thirds and a fourth since then at Belmont Park, Saratoga, Kentucky Downs, and Churchill Downs.
Belmont Park, Friday, June 9, 2023, Race 4Entries: Just a Game S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1In Italian (GB) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Chad C. Brown 1/2 2 2New Year's Eve (KY) Luis Saez 122 Brendan P. Walsh 12/1 3 3Spendarella (NY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 H. Graham Motion 2/1 4 4Wakanaka (IRE) Joel Rosario 122 William I. Mott 8/1 5 5Speak of the Devil (FR) Flavien Prat 122 Chad C. Brown 10/1
