Horologist Seeks Back-to-Back Beldame Victories

Horologist 's 2021 campaign has featured a couple of trips that did not work out as planned.

In particular, a fourth in the Allaire DuPont Distaff Match Series Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course and then a fifth in the Lady Jacqueline Stakes at Thistledown would seem to fit in that category.

"She had some trips that didn't suit her. She was stuck behind horses and didn't get the opportunity to run her best race," trainer Bill Mott said.

The circumstances should be completely different Oct. 10 when the New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist   returns to the friendly surroundings of the $250,000 Beldame Stakes (G2), a one-turn, 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares at Belmont Park she captured by three lengths in 2020.

"We know she likes Belmont and running in the Beldame, so we're happy," Mott said. "I thought she bounced back from the Thistledown and Pimlico races and ran hard in her last two starts."

Following the June 26 Lady Jacqueline, Horologist was second in the Shuvee Stakes (G3) and then notched an 8 1/2-length victory in the restricted Summer Colony Stakes, both at Saratoga Race Course, for the ownership group of There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Abbondanza Racing, Paradise Farms, and David Staudacher.

"The fact she can return at 5 and win a race at Saratoga makes it a good year," Mott said about the 2020 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year.

A winner of two of her five starts this year, Horologist has nine wins in 25 tries overall with earnings of $892,939 and she would join select company that features Sightseek, the undefeated Personal Ensign, and Lady's Secret, among others, as back-to-back Beldame winners.

While a strong effort Sunday could earn her a second straight trip to the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)—in which she was ninth last year—there's another important November date on her calendar.

The daughter of the Stephen Got Even  mare Cinderella Time  is scheduled to sell as Hip 200 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale as part of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

"Someone will be an extremely lucky buyer. She looks like an unbelievable specimen. I'll miss her. It'll be a bittersweet end to her journey," said Cameron Beatty of There's A Chance Stable.

Bred by Holly Crest Farm in New Jersey, she is the first of Cinderella Time's five foals and the only one to race. Cinderella Time's two most recent foals are fillies, a Twirling Candy   yearling and a More Than Ready   weanling.

The Beldame will bring together the 1-2 finishers in the Shuvee as the victorious Royal Flag  also returns for Sunday's stakes.

A 5-year-old Candy Ride   mare owned by Will Farish, Royal Flag followed up the Shuvee with a solid third-place effort for trainer Chad Brown in the Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by Lia Infiniti (G1), finishing just a half-length behind the older dirt female division leader Letruska .

The homebred mare has won five of 11 starts with three seconds and three thirds and will be racing at Belmont Park for the first time since she was third in her 2019 career debut.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, a five-time Beldame winner, will be busy in the paddock before the race, sending out three of the eight starters in Shadwell Stable's Zaajel , Bass Stables' Thankful , and Lawana and Robert Low's Spice Is Nice .

Zaajel, a 3-year-old Street Sense   filly facing older horses for the first time, won the Mother Goose Stakes (G2) two starts ago at Belmont Park. 

The grade 2-placed Spice Is Nice beat 8-5 favorite Horologist by 4 1/2 lengths while winning the May 14 Allaire DuPont at Pimlico. A $1.05 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale buy in 2018 from the Stone Farm consignment, she was fifth behind Letruska in the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) in her last start.

Thankful, one of three Beldame starters who ran against Horologist in the Summer Colony, was a distant fifth in the Aug. 22 stakes at the Spa. Gold Spirit , who is also trained by Brown, was second and So Darn Hot  was third.

Delaware Handicap (G2) winner Miss Marissa  is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Personal Ensign.

"We were really disappointed in her last effort, but Letruska is a beast," trainer Jim Ryerson said about the 4-year-old daughter of He's Had Enough . "Hopefully, we rebound from that and give a good account for ourselves. It will be a competitive race, but we have a nice filly. It's in her backyard and we're going to see if we can rebound."

Entries: Beldame S. (G2)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 10, 2021, Race 6

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Thankful (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	123	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
2	2So Darn Hot (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	George Weaver	12/1
3	3Zaajel (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
4	4Horologist (NJ)	Junior Alvarado	123	William I. Mott	2/1
5	5Gold Spirit (CHI)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Chad C. Brown	9/2
6	6Miss Marissa (KY)	Jose Lezcano	123	James T. Ryerson	8/1
7	7Spice Is Nice (KY)	John R. Velazquez	123	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
8	8Royal Flag (KY)	Joel Rosario	123	Chad C. Brown	5/2