Mean Mary, Baron Samedi Capture Turf Stakes at Belmont

Over 1 1/4 miles on a rain-soaked, yielding turf course at Belmont Park, the $750,000 New York Stakes (G2T) took 2:04.68 to complete, but Mean Mary  essentially won the race in the first second.

Breaking like a Quarter Horse under Luis Saez, she quickly opened up a clear advantage and once in front settled kindly, as is her custom, to lead from start to finish over an onrushing Irish invader in Thundering Nights  under John Velazquez. The finish was tight, with Mean Mary lasting by a nose.

"She came out of the gate like a rabbit. I'd never seen her break like that," said winning trainer Graham Motion. "She really does love it. She's such a cool filly." 

It was not the blowout Mean Mary delivered in capturing the New York Stakes under Saez in 2020. Still, the victory was no less satisfying to Motion and owner/breeder Alex Campbell Jr. Both were at Belmont Park for the winner's circle presentation.

Mean Mary, a daughter of the late Scat Daddy , paid $7.40 to win as the slight favorite in the field of nine. She set fractions of :25.09, :50.31, 1:15.83, and 1:40.22 while maintaining leads of between 1 1/2  to two lengths at those points of call.

Jockeys remarked that the turf course was soft after a heavy, late-afternoon downpour that delayed racing for about 45 minutes. The wet conditions appeared to compromise some runners, who lacked their usual punch, including last-out graded stakes winners Harvey's Lil Goil  and Magic Attitude . They ran fifth and seventh, respectively.

The latter was eligible to the "New York Stakes Turf Bonus," offering a prize of $315,000 to owner Lael Stables had she won. This was from capturing last year's Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T), one of three races from which a potential bonus horse could qualify.

Mean Mary had no issue with the wet going, Saez said.

"She tried pretty hard the whole time," Saez said. "Johnny (on Thundering Nights) came flying there, but she gave me that last kick. She's a hard fighter."

Velazquez added, "I was stuck behind the two horses in front of me, and it took me a long time to get her going. Once she got loose, she came running but it was too late."

My Sister Nat  closed from last to be third, two lengths behind the runner-up. Virginia Joy  was fourth.

Bred in Kentucky, Mean Mary is out of the Dynaformer  mare Karlovy Vary , winner of the 2012 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1). She died in 2017.

Karlovy Vary has produced three winners from as many foals, including fellow graded stakes winner Bye Bye Melvin , who took the Saranac Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course last year for Mean Mary's owner and trainer.

Motion mentioned the Aug. 14 Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) at Arlington International Racecourse as a potential summer target for Mean Mary. The speedy 5-year-old mare has won seven of 11 starts and now more than $1 million in earnings.

Video: New York S. (G2T)

Baron Samedi Wins Seventh in a Row in Belmont Gold Cup

When a torrential rainstorm hit Belmont Park a couple of races before the $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Stakes (G2T), there was no happier chap in the building than Chris Hurley.

Much like Gene Kelly, Hurley was ready to do some singing in the rain as Mother Nature turned the turf course into a soaked, yielding puddle.

"He loves soft turf," Hurley said about his 4-year-old gelding Baron Samedi . "He loves jumping through the water. My only concern was that they would move the race to the main track."

Despite the downpour and accompanying lightning that delayed the card by 45 minutes, the Gold Cup remained at a two-mile distance on Belmont's Widener Turf Course and Baron Samedi took it from there in his June 4 United States debut, taking charge in the last of the 16 furlongs to post a seventh straight victory that sent Hurley and his overjoyed wife, Lex, waltzing to the winner's circle.

"It was amazing. It was out of this world. It's a dream," Lex said. "It's so lovely to be here."

The Hurleys, visitors from the British Isles, are part of the LECH Racing group that owns the Joseph O'Brien-trained gelding who arrived in the United States with a string of six straight wins, all since the once-gangly son of Harbour Watch  filled out his frame and was gelded.

"He always needed time to grow into his frame because he was tall, so we had to be patient with him. As time passed, he filled out and got stronger and stronger," said co-owner Lawrence Eke, who picked out the group 2-winning son of the Haafhd  mare Dame Shirley  for the group.



Bred by Usk Valley Stud, Baron Samedi and Velazquez covered the two miles in 3:27.30 in winning by 2 3/4 lengths and paid $4.60 as the 6-5 favorite.

Bloom Racing Stable and Ignacio Correas IV's Fantasioso , a son of Strategic Prince , was second by a length over Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's Ajourneytofreedom , a Hard Spun   gelding.

Video: Belmont Gold Cup S. (G2T)