The postponement of scheduled racing Sept. 26-27 at Belmont Park because of an approaching nor'easter storm robbed New York racing fans of seeing some star power this week, but one standout, D. J. Stable's champion Nitrogen, proved too quick for the approaching weather and the opposition by running in the $242,500 Beldame Stakes (G2) Sept. 25.
Last year's Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old filly, enjoying a dynamite season as a 4-year-old, scored a comfortable victory in front-running fashion Friday at Belmont, turning aside a brief early stretch challenge from Donor Advised to prevail by 2 3/4 lengths.
With rival jockeys conceding the lead to the Jose Ortiz-ridden Nitrogen, the winner cruised through splits of :23.89, :46.51, and 1:10.44 on her way to completing the 1 1/8 miles around one turn in 1:48.36. Ortiz gave her four right-handed strikes from his riding crop through the lane before merely showing her the crop through the final furlong as she began to drift out, as is her custom.
"I had the best horse, and I wanted to go to the lead," Ortiz said. "She was traveling so well. I was waiting for the right time to let her go, and she started running. I knew I had it passing the three-sixteenths."
Nitrogen, coming off a runner-up finish to reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty in the Aug. 8 Whitney Stakes (G1) and an earlier romping winner of the June 5 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, paid a scant $2.10 to win.
Donor Advised, restrained from engaging Nitrogen early by jockey Manny Franco, saved ground around the turn and briefly loomed a threat, but once Ortiz let out a notch on the winner and Donor Advised grew fatigued from her all-out bid, she flattened out over the second half of the stretch drive. Her performance, coming in just her second start of the year and after a first-level allowance optional claiming triumph, suggests a bright stakes future for the daughter of Gun Runner .
Former claimer Boutwell Time ran a distant third, 13 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse called Nitrogen "amazing" and viewed the semi-testing outing Friday as quality preparation for the Breeders' Cup this fall.
"This was what we were hoping for," he said. "That other filly (Donor Advised) gave her a little run and I thought it was nice. I wanted her to do a little something today, so it was good."
With the Beldame part of Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, the 1-2-3 finishers earned entry-fee credits of $30,000, $15,000, and $7,500, respectively, toward the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Keeneland. Nitrogen, who had already punched her Distaff ticket with a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In berth in the Phipps, didn't need the credits. She is the expected Distaff favorite.
She also won the Bayakoa Stakes (G3) earlier in the year at Oaklawn Park.
With limited graded stakes accomplishments, the Breeders' Cup is more of a class stretch for Donor Advised and Boutwell Time, regardless of credits in starting fees.
Nitrogen, a winner of $3 million in total purses, is a homebred for D. J. Stable and has compiled a 9-6-3 record in 18 starts.
The Kentucky-bred is a 4-year-old bay daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of the Uncle Mo mare Tiffany Case.
Medaglia d'Oro stood at Darley in Central Kentucky through 2025 before being pensioned from stud duty.
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