Belmont Derby Features Saratoga Derby Rematch

If you enjoyed the lively stretch duel in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes, then grab some popcorn and get ready for an encore Oct. 3 at Belmont Park when a familiar cast of characters gathers once again.

Three of the horses who staged that exciting battle at the Spa are on course to butt heads again—this time with grade 1 laurels and a free Breeders' Cup spot on the line—when the trio of Domestic Spending, Gufo, and No Word headline the $250,000 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T). 

The 1 1/4-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds is usually contested in early July at Belmont Park but was shifted to the fall meet when spring closings due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the New York Racing Association to revise its stakes schedule.

As a result, while the Belmont Derby kicked off NYRA's inaugural Turf Trinity series for 3-year-olds last year, in 2020 it will likely serve as the second and final leg of a series in which the 2019 closing leg, the Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes, will probably be shelved until 2021.

That put the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes in the Aug. 15 leadoff spot, and the aforementioned trio combined to smack a home run.

The 1 3/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds was not decided until the final strides when Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending was able to hold off the onrushing Gufo by a head, with No Word another half-length back in third.

On Saturday, when they do it all over again, there will be an extra sixteenth of a mile to cover, which seems a manageable task for the trio of evenly matched rivals.

"He looks great," trainer Chad Brown said about Domestic Spending, a gelded 3-year-old son of Kingman who is the four-time Eclipse Award winner's hope for an initial Belmont Derby win. "The mile and a quarter is his limit, but he should handle it OK."

Domestic Spending has won three of his four starts, with the lone loss coming in the July 18 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) at the Spa where he was third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Decorated Invader, who faded to fifth as the 4-5 favorite in the Saratoga Derby. Decorated Invader is likely to return Oct. 12 in the one-mile Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park.

Domestic Spending will break from post 4 when a field of nine vies for a free "Win and You're In" spot against older horses in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo had a four-race win streak snapped when his late charge from seventh in midstretch fell just short at the wire.

"He's coming into the race great. He's training forwardly," trainer Christophe Clement said. "He's an improving 3-year-old, and the added distance should not be a problem for him."

A son of Declaration of War, Gufo has won four of six starts with one second. He drew post 2 for Saturday's race.

Wertheimer and Frere's No Word was assigned the rail for the Belmont Derby, and a ground-saving trip could catapult him past the two horses who beat him at Saratoga.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the son of Silent Name  has won just two of six starts but was worse than third only once.

The Belmont Derby will also mark a return to turf for Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch, and Pantofel Stable's South Bend, who was last seen Sept. 5 finishing 15th and last in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs. Prior to that, he was a much more promising fourth in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. 

On turf, the late-running son of Algorithms  is winless in five starts but is grade 3-placed.

"I don't know that he's any better on grass. The race he was in last time was just a really tough race," Mott said. "He ran well in the Travers. He picked up a check and ran a pretty good race. I think he's fine on dirt, it's just the level of competition."

Two entrants exiting stakes wins should add more spice to the mix. Godolphin homebred Pixelate, a son of City Zip, returns to the East Coast after taking the Del Mar Derby (G2T) for trainer Michael Stidham. Summer Wind Equine's Moon Over Miami was fourth for Mott in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and then shipped to Kentucky Downs, where the Malibu Moon  3-year-old took the Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby by a half-length.

The field also includes Mo Ready, Venezuelan Hug, and Ajourneytofreedom, who was claimed for $80,000 at Del Mar in his previous start when he was second in an Aug. 31 allowance optional claimer.

Entries: Belmont Derby Invitational S. (G1T)

Belmont Park, Saturday, October 03, 2020, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Inner turf
• $250,000
• 3 yo
• 5:06 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1No Word (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
2	2Gufo (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	Christophe Clement	3/1
3	3Mo Ready (NY)	Kendrick Carmouche	122	Todd A. Pletcher	30/1
4	4Domestic Spending (GB)	Javier Castellano	122	Chad C. Brown	5/2
5	5South Bend (KY)	Dylan Davis	122	William I. Mott	12/1
6	6Pixelate (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	Michael Stidham	5/1
7	7Venezuelan Hug (FL)	Manuel Franco	122	Danny Gargan	8/1
8	8Moon Over Miami (KY)	Eric Cancel	122	William I. Mott	6/1
9	9Ajourneytofreedom (KY)	Benjamin Hernandez	122	Michael J. Maker	20/1