J.C. Smith's Group 2-winner Venetian Prince will ship to New York for the Grade 2, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby on Saturday, November 28, at Belmont Park.
The Jockey Club Derby is part of the three-day Belmont Fall Turf Festival slated for Friday, November 27, through Sunday, November 29, and featuring 11 stakes worth $3.2 million in total purse money. Nominations for the Belmont Fall Turf Festival close Thursday, November 12. For more information and to nominate horses, please visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/horsemen/.
The Belmont Fall Turf Festival is headlined by a trio of $500,000 events on Saturday, November 28, led by the Grade 2 Man o' War presented by Horse Racing Ireland at 10 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up; along with a pair of 1 5/16-mile stamina tests in the Grade 2 Jockey Club Derby for sophomores and the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks for sophomore fillies. For the complete stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/stakes-schedule/.
Trained by Andrew Balding, Venetian Prince graduated at second asking over seven furlongs of good-to-firm turf in August 2025 at Newmarket to complete a brief juvenile campaign. The St Mark's Basilica colt returned to action with a pair of runner-up efforts traveling one-mile on the all-weather, beginning with a nose defeat to Knowledge in a novice stakes in January at Southwell ahead of a 1 1/2-length second to eventual Group 3-winner Hidden Force in February at Kempton as part of the European Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Venetian Prince subsequently returned to turf and three starts later was stepped up in trip to capture the 11-furlong Group 2 Italian Derby traveling right-handed over good-to-soft ground in June at San Siro.
"They had a lot of rain leading up to the race, so the ground was pretty slow which we were unsure about at the time, but it suited him really well. That was the first time we put cheek pieces on him, and he was very tough and strong at the end of the race and got up in the last 50 yards to win it," said Balding, whose two previous starters here yielded runner-up efforts from Blond Me in the 2015 Grade 2 Sands Point and with The Foxes in the 2023 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.
Venetian Prince exited that effort to run off-the-board in the 12-furlong Group 2 King Edward VII two weeks later at Royal Ascot.
"He came back to run poorly at Ascot but came back with an issue, so it was easily explained—he was lame after the race and took a bit of time to recover," Balding said.
Venetian Prince emerged from a freshening on September 7 at Windsor to run second in the 10-furlong Group 3 Winter Hill over good ground when 2 1/2 lengths back of possible returning rival Maho Bay. There, he tracked from fourth position as Maho Bay, who was exiting a close fifth in the Group 3 Hampton Court at Royal Ascot, dictated terms. Venetian Prince advanced willingly with an outside run in the final two furlongs but could not chase down the pacesetter.
Balding noted that Venetian Prince was assigned 133 pounds that day, five pounds more than the Charlie Appleby-trained Maho Bay.
"It was obviously a talented opponent, but we ran him close and look forward to taking him on again. We were giving him weight that day with the Group 2 penalty," Balding said.
Venetian Prince followed last out with a four-length third in the 12-furlong Group 2 Premio Del Jockey Club over soft going on October 25 at San Siro. There, he made a wide run down the lane but could not reel in the victorious Stingray, who streaked to a third consecutive win over Group 2-winner Global Health.
"We've been very pleased with his most recent starts," Balding said. "If we get some rain, it will be to his advantage. He's had a midseason break and is a reasonably fresh horse, so we're looking forward to it."
Venetian Prince is a half-brother to multiple group stakes-winner See The Fire, who ran second in the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor in September at Woodbine for these connections. Both horses are out of the multiple group stakes-winning Dubawi mare Arabian Queen, who upset the 2015 Group 1 Juddmonte International over the previously unbeaten Golden Horn—subsequent winner of that year's Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
"It's a great family," Balding said. "The mother beat Golden Horn to win the Juddmonte International and was a very talented mare. This horse is pretty good in his own right having won the Italian Derby."
Among the Balding/Smith campaigned half-siblings to Venetian Prince are the multiple group-placed 4-year-old colt Royal Playwright, a son of Lope de Vega; and a 2-year-old daughter of No Nay Never named Forbidden Fire, a Listed stakes-winner that was recently third to the victorious Musical Times in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket.
Venetian Prince is scheduled to ship to New York on November 18 and will be piloted in the Jockey Club Derby by Jason Watson, who has been aboard for the past three outings.
Balding indicated part of the impetus to travel was to see first-hand the new Belmont Park, which has been selected to host the 2027 Breeders' Cup World Championships, and will mark the first edition of the Breeders' Cup to be held in New York State since 2005. The 44th Breeders' Cup World Championships is set for October 29-30, 2027.
"We're looking forward to seeing the new Belmont. With the Breeders' Cup being there next year, it will be interesting to see the layout," Balding said.
Additional news, notes, advances and recaps are available at: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/news/.
For more information about the new Belmont Park, visit NewBelmont.com.
Stimulate Gets 107 BSF for Dwyer Romp
Expectations have naturally been elevated for the sophomore colt Stimulate since his debut last summer at Saratoga Race Course, with the gray being a son of multiple graded stakes-winner Elate. He showed what his Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott always thought he was capable of when romping to a 7 1/2-length triumph in Saturday's one-mile Listed $200,000 Dwyer at Belmont Park, earning a lofty 107 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.
"That's pretty good," Mott said of the figure. "He looked pretty good this morning and I'm happy with him. I'm glad he did [perform like that] because I thought he might do that. I always thought he had that in him."
A Kentucky homebred for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, Stimulate debuted with an off-the-board finish last summer at the Spa, and did not return to the races until 11 months later with a 2 3/4-length graduation there traveling seven furlongs. He aced his first test against older winners there going one-mile from the Wilson Chute on August 22 before a distant third around two turns in the Bourbon Flight on September 26 at Churchill Downs.
Stimulate rebounded with aplomb when back to one turn in the Dwyer, stalking and pouncing from fourth position under Junior Alvarado to draw off impressively over the favored Sea Strike.
The year-end stakes calendar includes races like the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile on December 5 here and the seven-furlong Grade 1 Malibu in late December at Santa Anita Park, but Mott said Stimulate will head to Florida and point to a 4-year-old campaign instead.
"I'm not going to California," Mott said. "He's going to Florida and has done enough. I think the [Cigar Mile] would be a lot for a 3-year-old to wheel back against [elders]. It's not necessary and we've got all next year."
Stimulate, by Tapit, is the third foal out of dual Grade 1-winner Elate, a substantial daughter of Medaglia d'Oro. Mott said Stimulate reminds him more of the colt's sire than his mother.
"She was a great big filly, and she could really run and was very nice," Mott said. "They look different - he doesn't look like her, he looks a little more like Tapit than her."
A talented Dwyer field included Flanagan Racing's Sea Strike, who closed from last-of-8 for second to Stimulate. Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Midshipman chestnut was making his first start since a sixth in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course, which followed a dominant win in the restricted Listed Curlin presented by Casamigos earlier that month there.
"He's doing good," said Lee Vickers, assistant trainer to Brown, on Sunday morning. "I thought he ran a good race. I thought speed was holding well yesterday. I thought the winner had a better trip being closer to the pace, speed was really dominant yesterday. We were second best. I think being close to the pace was more in your favor yesterday."
Spendthrift Farm's reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Ted Noffey landed fifth in the Dwyer as he made his first start in over one year, dating to a win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Into Mischief gray entered with a perfect 4-for-4 record and three Grade 1 wins.
"He came out of it great, no complaints this morning, ate up yesterday," said Stu Hampson, assistant to Pletcher. "He kind of ran like that [evenly], but then he galloped out in front of everybody and didn't want to get pulled up. Obviously, a lot of horses in there were in mid-season form. Tough race, some horses could really run in there, including Sea Strike and Stimulate, that's a salty group off a 13-month layoff. It was always going to be a tall task, but this morning he looked great and we are happy with the way he came out of it."
The victory with Stimulate was part of a strong day at Belmont for the Mott barn, which also celebrated another win with Alvarado when Beauty Reigns notched an elusive stakes score in the Listed $175,000 Pumpkin Pie.
A Kentucky homebred for Tranquility Lake Farms, the 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief was on the board in 5-of-7 previous stakes attempts, including two Grade 1 thirds at Saratoga in last year's Test presented by Ticketmaster and this year's Resorts World Casino Ballerina.
Beauty Reigns landed the two-length victory with a patient ride from Alvarado, who settled her behind the top pair of Icona Mama and the favored Senza Parole before angling out entering the stretch and driving past her foes to complete the seven furlongs in 1:22.56. She equaled a career-best 94 Beyer.
"She's been stakes placed a few times and Junior gave her a very good ride," Mott said. "He waited and had to be patient with her even though there was no speed in there. I think she'll have a break too now."
Beauty Reigns, out of the unraced Tapit mare Ilsa, has banked $638,127 through a 16-5-3-4 record. Her third dam is 2009 Broodmare of the Year Sweet Life - a homebred for Pam and Martin Wygod, who produced multiple Grade 1-winners Sweet Catomine and Life Is Sweet.
Mott and Alvarado were one position away from a stakes hat trick on the card when Emory Hamilton's Kentucky homebred Answered Prayers finished a game second to Tap to Open in the Grade 2 Mother Goose for sophomore fillies going 1 1/16 miles. The full-sister to the Mott-trained Grade 1-winner Olympiad tracked in last-of-8 early and steadily improved position when swinging out to the six-path and showing good courage down the stretch to come up 3 1/4 lengths shy of victory.
The Speightstown chestnut has been first or second in 6-of-7 starts, including another stakes placing two starts back in the Listed Seneca Overnight on September 19 at Churchill.
Mott said Answered Prayers will be freshened for next year rather than try the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely on December 6 here.
"It was very good," Mott said of her effort. "She's stakes placed a couple of times now and she'll get a break now and start up in the spring. The Comely is keeping her going a long time and she already looked a little wintry to me yesterday."
As for how she compares to her accomplished older bay brother?
"She doesn't look like him at all," Mott said, with a laugh. "She's a chestnut. [They both] finished pretty well. He had a good finish even at a mile and a quarter."
Tap to Open Lands First Graded Win
Whisper Hill Farm's Kentucky homebred Tap to Open, a full-sister to dual graded stakes-winner and Kentucky stallion Charge It, earned her initial graded stakes score in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Mother Goose, a 1 1/16-mile route for sophomore fillies, at Belmont Park.
Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the Tapit bay was patiently handled by Manny Franco to rally from sixth-of-8 and claim a two-length advantage at the stretch call, keeping on well down the lane to secure the 3 1/4-length win over Answered Prayers in a final time of 1:41.72. She earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.
"She stepped up and she's a stakes winner, but getting some graded black type was the goal and she was able to make herself a graded stakes winner," Cox said. "With her pedigree and with Whisper Hill having the family, it means a lot to them. Very big win for her and the Whisper Hill team."
Tap to Open has been in strong form since her fourth-out graduation going nine furlongs in May at Churchill Downs. She went on to land a three-length allowance score against elders in July at Ellis Park and a determined head victory in the Listed Cathryn Sophia in August at Parx Racing before taking a swing at a Grade 1 there with a fourth in the Cotillion on September 19. She came back with her lifetime best performance in the Mother Goose.
"We started her around one turn and then we were able to get her out to two turns," Cox said. "We've always thought she was a filly that would get better with distance and she has, breaking her maiden going a mile and an eighth. Races for fillies and mares kind of cap out at a mile and an eighth, but we'll see the best of her at that distance and we're hoping to get her some more opportunities at that distance."
One of those opportunities could come in the local Grade 3, $200,000 Comely on December 6 for sophomore fillies.
"We'll look at it," Cox said. "She trotted up well this morning and we liked what we saw from her. I'm going to bring her back to Kentucky and keep her here and watch her. We'll talk it over with the Whisper Hill team and see if that's something we want to pursue. It would be back a little quick and she's had a long year, but we'll see if she's up for it.
"I like how she's gotten better as she's gotten older—she's meant to—and she's a great-moving filly that's fairly easy to train," he added. "She always showed talent and ability, and I'm glad she was able to check that box yesterday with winning that graded stake."
Tap to Open is out of the winning Indian Charlie mare I'll Take Charge—a half-sister to Grade 1-winners As Time Goes By, Will Take Charge and Take Charge Indy. Her second dam is the dual Grade 1-winning multimillionaire and influential broodmare Take Charge Lady.
For upcoming stakes engagements at Belmont, Cox noted that Juddmonte's Grade 3-winning Kentucky homebred Disco Time is under consideration for the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile on December 5 here. The 4-year-old Not This Time colt was last seen winning a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer on October 14 here, and holds a 9-6-1-0 record that includes a win in last year's Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds Race Course.
Blazing Tiger Earns Career-Best 90 BSF
Blazing Tiger earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure for a head score in Saturday's $175,000 Carle Place, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores originally scheduled for turf and moved to Tapeta, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Miguel Clement for Adelphi Racing Club, High Five Racing, Corms Racing Stable, Ausable Dream Racing, Shelly Hume and Russell Hume, Blazing Tiger settled well off the pace in last of 8, closing between rivals to a head victory over the favored Doubting Thomas in a final time of 1:09.55.
"He came back in good order," said Clement. "We are very pleased with him. He's starting to put it all together mentally. Closing is a new tactic we employ. Too many times when he struck the front, he idled. We've noticed it, so there's no better time for him to take the lead than the last few strides before the wire."
Clement also sent out fourth-place Illmatic and seventh-place Intricate Spirit in the Carle Place. He indicated post-race Saturday that both are likely to have a break.
Blazing Tiger entered off a seventh-out graduation rallying from 7th-of-8 on September 24 here. The Twirling Candy bay had made all seven starts on turf prior to Saturday. He is 8-2-4-1 overall with $255,950 in earnings.
"He's done that not once, but twice now, and seems to be effective," Clement said of the late-running victory. "Originally the plan was to run here and then geld him, but after speaking to connections, they are less keen to geld him after winning the stakes."
Clement said Blazing Tiger will target an allowance in early December here before likely having a winter break.
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