Blowout Goes for Grade 1 in Just a Game
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Blowout wins the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes at Churchill Downs
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown has entered four fillies and mares in the $500,000 Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T), a one-mile affair on the Widener turf course at Belmont Park June 5 that also attracted a pair from the overseas stable of Charlie Appleby and six other competitors.
Two of Brown's horses, Blowout and Regal Glory, are owned by Peter Brant. Regal Glory is cross entered in the Intercontinental Stakes (G3T) June 3.
Blowout was a nose away from earning her grade 1 in the Matriarch Stakes (G1T) in November at Del Mar. The 5-year-old Dansili daughter came back strong May 1, leading at every point of call in the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2T) at Churchill Downs. She held off returning Distaff Turf Mile rivals New York Girl and Zofelle for a half-length score. Flavien Prat, aboard in both of those efforts, has the call again from post 11.
"Flavien really gets along with her well," Brown said. "We saw that in the Matriarch. He has great hands and she can be difficult, but he really gets along with her and timed it right. She likes this track very much."
Blowout has won two of three starts at Belmont. Her last race at the New York oval was the Sept. 26 Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T), in which she was second beaten a neck at the mile distance.
"She ran one of the best races I've ever had a horse run in defeat that day," Brown said, "when she got away from Johnny (Velazquez) and went :44 (for the half-mile) and kept going. I don't know how she was still there at the end. If she can settle at all, she has a good closing kick. She has run well on good ground in the past, but I prefer for it to be firm."
Brown will also be represented by Juddmonte's lightly raced Pocket Square , a group 3 winner in France and a 2 1/4-length winner of a 1 1/16-mile allowance April 7 at Keeneland in her stateside debut. His quartet is rounded out by Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables' Tamahere , who was second in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) April 10 at Keeneland.
Regal Glory opened her season April 11 in the one-mile Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and, despite breaking out at the start and being rank into the first turn, ran down the pacesetter for a half-length victory.
Appleby's two contenders for Godolphin are Summer Romance and Althiqa , who finished first and third, respectively, last out in the 1 1/8-mile Balanchine Sponsored by Range Rover (G2) at Meydan. One race earlier in Dubai, Althiqa won the eight-furlong Cape Verdi Presented by Longines (G2), in which Summer Romance checked in fifth.
"They all traveled over well and have trained well since they've been there," Appleby said. "There's been a little rain and the track's very wet this weekend. The fillies are fit and well and have plenty of experience under their belt. The reason we went to America is they carry group 2 penalties here in Europe for the forthcoming season and the group 1 older fillies races aren't until later in the year, anyway, so we thought it might be a good opportunity to get a grade 1."
Also entered in the Just a Game are Sands Spring Stakes winner Sweet Bye and Bye , last out allowance winner Daddy Is a Legend , Abscond , and Always Shopping , who is cross entered in the New York Stakes (G2T) at 1 1/4 miles June 4.
Belmont Park, Saturday, June 05, 2021, Race 8Entries: Longines Just a Game S. (G1T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Zofelle (IRE)
Tyler Gaffalione
118
Brendan P. Walsh
8/1
2
2Sweet Bye and Bye (PA)
Jose Lezcano
118
Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
12/1
3
3Daddy Is a Legend (PA)
Manuel Franco
118
George Weaver
30/1
4
4Regal Glory (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
122
Chad C. Brown
8/1
5
5Always Shopping (KY)
John R. Velazquez
120
Todd A. Pletcher
12/1
6
6Pocket Square (GB)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Chad C. Brown
5/1
7
7Abscond (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
Eddie Kenneally
20/1
8
8Althiqa (GB)
Mike E. Smith
118
Charles Appleby
8/1
9
9Summer Romance (IRE)
Luis Saez
120
Charles Appleby
6/1
10
10Tamahere (FR)
Javier Castellano
120
Chad C. Brown
6/1
11
11Blowout (GB)
Flavien Prat
122
Chad C. Brown
4/1
12
12New York Girl (IRE)
Junior Alvarado
118
William I. Mott
15/1
