Futurity, Matron Could Offer Path to the Breeders' Cup

The Oct. 11 doubleheader of the Futurity Stakes (G3T) and the Matron Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park offers a pair of six-furlong, non-Lasix graded turf stakes for 2-year-olds, each with a modest purse of $100,000 due to the havoc the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked on stakes schedules.

Yet each race could hold the key to a much bigger prize in the coming weeks.

Both the Futurity, an open stakes, and the Matron, for fillies, could play a big role in shaping the field for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) Nov. 6 at Keeneland. 

Since the 5 1/2-furlong Juvenile Turf Sprint promises to be oversubscribed with a large field of international entrants, the Futurity and the Matron will serve as an important stepping stone to the  World Championships. A victory in the Futurity will include a free "Win and You're In" spot in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, while a win in the Matron or a placing in either stakes could net a 2-year-old either enough graded stakes points to be included in the starting gate or generate enough respect to sway a thumbs up from the Breeders' Cup selection committee.

A year ago, trainer Wesley Ward won the Futurity with Breeze Easy's Four Wheel Drive and then captured the second edition of the Juvenile Turf Sprint with him, and Sunday he'll be represented by four horses in the two stakes, including one who is an alum of Royal Ascot.

Ward will send out the trio that includes Breeze Easy's After Five, Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Trade Deal,  and Rockingham Ranch's Gypsy King in the Futurity.

In his last start, Gypsy King, a first time gelding in Sunday's stakes, set the pace before tiring and finishing fifth in the mile $498,000 More Than Ready Juvenile Stakes at Kentucky Downs. A son of Summer Front  with an Ellis Park maiden win in four starts, he should be well-suited by a return to a sprint distance. 

Trade Deal, a son of Fed Biz , took a step forward after a runner-up finish in his debut by posting a nose victory over After Five in a Sept. 10 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Kentucky Downs. 

After Five, who will try to give Breeze Easy back-to-back Futurity wins, rallied from seventh to fall short by inches in his career debut.

"It's always tough being a maiden down at Kentucky Downs with the course being big, and wide, and he was beaten by a nose by Trade Deal," Ward said about After Five. "First-time starters are at a big disadvantage starting there as opposed to if he had a start. But he ran an incredible race and we're looking forward to him moving on and getting better from here."

Bright Devil, a son of Dark Angel, will make his first United States start for trainer Mark Casse in the Futurity. Owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber, he was unplaced in a July 11 group 2 Newmarket stakes in his last start.

Also among a field of 11, which includes two main track only entrants, is West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook and Anna Marie Shannon's County Final, an Oxbow  colt who won the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park and was fourth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint Stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen.

The Futurity boasted a grand reputation as a dirt stakes before it became a turf test in 2018. First run in 1888, at that time it was the richest stakes in the United States. Its list of past winners features a who's who of greats including Citation, Native Dancer, Nashua, Bold Ruler, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Affirmed, Swale, and Holy Bull. Yet in more recent years it was relegated to an inconsequential fall sprint stakes until it was switched to turf in 2018 and soon produced a Breeders' Cup winner.

Ward's runner in the Matron is Three Chimneys Farm's Royal Approval, who was 17th in the June 20 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Ascot during the Royal Ascot meet in her second career start. She followed up that weak effort with a decisive 6 1/4-length victory in a Sept. 9 Kentucky Downs maiden race in her last start.

"Royal Approval is really training some kind of good," Ward said. "The only thing she can't do is run on the soft turf. We took her over to Europe and she ran dismal. We took a chance just because we were there, but she can't stand up on the soft turf. We finally caught a firm turf at Kentucky Downs and she just powered home. It was an extremely impressive maiden win, and her works since have been eye-openers. I'm looking for a big race with her."

The Matron will also feature an intriguing European as Magisterium will make her U.S. debut for trainer Christophe Clement after posting two wins and two seconds in her four career starts. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables, she's a daughter of Elzaam who has been racing at six- and seven-furlong distances in England.

Of the eight entrants, Royal Approval and Magisterium are the only ones with a victory on turf.

Like the Futurity, the Matron was switched to turf in 2018 and was a major New York stakes on dirt for decades.  It dates back to 1892 and was an early stage for the likes of Cicada, Numbered Account, La Prevoyante, Before Dawn, Meadow Star, Folklore, Storm Flag Flying, and Proud Spell.

The Futurity will be the seventh race (4:12 p.m.) Sunday, with the Matron following later as race nine (5:20 p.m.).

Entries: Futurity S. (G3T)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 11, 2020, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 6f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 2 yo
• 4:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Sky's Not Falling (MD)	Luis Saez	120	Michael J. Trombetta	10/1
2	2After Five (MD)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Wesley A. Ward	3/1
3	3Second of July (KY)	Dylan Davis	120	Philip A. Gleaves	12/1
4	4Newbomb (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
5	5Kentucky Knight (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Amira Chichakly	30/1
6	6Nutsie (KY)	Rider TBA	120	David A. Cannizzo	12/1
7	7Bright Devil (IRE)	Joel Rosario	120	Mark E. Casse	8/1
8	8County Final (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
9	9Momos (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Christophe Clement	7/2
10	10Trade Deal (KY)	Junior Alvarado	120	Wesley A. Ward	4/1
11	11Gypsy King (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Wesley A. Ward	12/1

Entries: Matron S. (G3T)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 11, 2020, Race 9

• Grade III
• 6f
• Inner turf
• $100,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 5:20 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Rossa Veloce (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Raymond Handal	8/1
2	2Fabricate (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Ian R. Wilkes	5/1
3	3Union Gables (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
4	4Amalfi Princess (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Michael J. Maker	12/1
5	5Bravo Regina (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	Juan C. Vazquez	30/1
6	6Niente (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Juan C. Vazquez	6/1
7	7Royal Approval (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Wesley A. Ward	9/5
8	8Magisterium (IRE)	Joel Rosario	122	Christophe Clement	5/2