Familiar Cast Faces Off in Sir Cat Stakes at Belmont

Trainer Mark Casse will send out a pair of stakes winners June 19 in the $80,000 Sir Cat Stakes, a six-furlong turf sprint for sophomores at Belmont Park, including Gary Barber's Jack and Noah. But the Bated Breath colt will again have to face Three Diamonds Farms' Chimney Rock, who beat him by a head in a May 17 allowance at Churchill Downs.

Also returning in the Sir Cat is Qatar Racing's Guildsman, the third-place finisher from that allowance test.

Jack and Noah won on debut in September at Belmont and came back nine days later in the Futurity Stakes (G3T), setting swift fractions of :21.62 and :44.33 before finishing fourth.

"We've been very high on this horse for a long time," said assistant trainer Jamie Begg. "We were trying to get to the Breeders' Cup with him last year, so we put him back in quick and he was fourth. He set blistering fractions."

Instead of traveling to the Breeders' Cup, Jack and Noah stayed home to capture the Atlantic Beach Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

He returned this year to finish fifth after showing the way in the Texas Turf Mile before he went back to sprinting in the Churchill allowance.

Jack and Noah worked a half-mile in :49.55 June 11 on Belmont's main track. He'll emerge from post 2 under John Velazquez, who will be aboard for the first time in the afternoon.

"Johnny worked him before he ran first time out and really wanted to ride him, but he went out to California for a stakes and ended up missing the maiden race. Now, he finally gets to ride him," said Begg.

Casse also has Live Oak Plantation's Old Chestnut in the Sir Cat. The Speightstown  colt captured the five-furlong Ontario Racing Stakes in September but was off the board his next three starts, including the 1 1/16-mile Central Park Stakes. He was fourth last out in the Feb. 8 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes on the main track.

Begg said Old Chestnut is now back doing what he was bred to do.

"I think we've figured him out now," said Begg. "He runs more to his pedigree and is more of a come-from-behind sprinter than he is a distance horse."

Old Chestnut recorded a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.43 on Belmont's inner turf June 8. Junior Alvarado has the call from post 3.

Mike Maker-trained Chimney Rock was runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) and also won the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes in December. 

Jose Ortiz, aboard for the allowance score over Jack and Noah, will pilot Chimney Rock from post 7.

Guildsman was third in the Coventry Stakes (G2) in England and second in the Round Tower Stakes (G3) in Ireland in 2019 before moving stateside to Brendan Walsh. Prior to the allowance he was third in the Texas Glitter Stakes.

Luis Saez, aboard for the Texas Glitter effort, has the call from post 4.

Maxwell Esquire, Turned Aside, and So Street complete the field. Mr. Shortandsimple is entered for the main track only.

Entries: Sir Cat S.

Belmont Park, Friday, June 19, 2020, Race 9

• STK
• 6f
• Inner turf
• $80,000
• 3 yo
• 5:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Maxwell Esquire (NY)	Joel Rosario	118	Christophe Clement	10/1
2	2Jack and Noah (FR)	John R. Velazquez	124	Mark E. Casse	3/1
3	3Old Chestnut (FL)	Junior Alvarado	124	Mark E. Casse	8/1
4	4Guildsman (FR)	Luis Saez	118	Brendan P. Walsh	7/2
5	5Turned Aside (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Linda Rice	4/1
6	6Mr. Shortandsimple (KY)	Rider TBA	118	Rudy R. Rodriguez	8/1
7	7Chimney Rock (LA)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Michael J. Maker	2/1
8	8So Street (MD)	Trevor McCarthy	124	Jamie Ness	12/1