Brown to Saddle Duo in Search of Fifth Sands Point Win
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Fluffy Socks (outside) wins the Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown has entered Fluffy Socks and Higher Truth in the $200,000 Sands Point Stakes (G2T) Oct. 16 at Belmont Park in search of a fifth win in the turf test for sophomore fillies.
He won the Sands Point a year ago with Tamahere , who followed New and Improved (2019), Uni (2017), and Ball Dancing (2014).
Head of Plains Partners' homebred Fluffy Socks won three of five juveniles starts, closing out her campaign with a half-length score in the one-mile Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar.
The Kentucky-bred daughter of Slumber is in search of her first win this season in her fifth start of the year. She was a closing third last out Aug. 21 in the nine-furlong Del Mar Oaks (G1T), the same distance as the Sands Point, which is run on Belmont's inner turf.
Brown said he expects Fluffy Socks to demonstrate her usual racing style after exiting post 7 under returning rider Joel Rosario.
"She's training quite well. She should show a late-closing turn of foot," Brown said.
Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown, and Team Hanley's Higher Truth, an Irish-bred daughter of Galileo , hit the board in all three legs of the New York Racing Association's Turf Triple series for fillies—the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T), Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3T), and Jockey Club Oaks Invitational. She was beaten less than a length in all three events.
Brown said Higher Truth won't have any issue cutting back to 1 1/8 miles.
"I think she'll be able to handle the cutback. She's been training well," Brown said.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will step aboard for the first time from post 5.
Runaway Rumour wins the Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont Park
Lawrence Goichman's New York-homebred Runaway Rumour will look to make her third graded attempt a winning one in the Sands Point Stakes.
Trained by Jorge Abreu, the Flintshire filly captured the open-company Wild Applause traveling one-mile in June over the Belmont turf and followed with a pair of graded efforts at Saratoga Race Course, finishing fourth in the one-mile Lake George Stakes (G3T) and second in the 1 1/16-mile Lake Placid Stakes (G2T).
She enters from a closing third in the one-mile Pebbles Stakes in which she was one length behind runner-up and returning rival Jordan's Leo .
"She shows up every time she runs and it's been against open (company)," Abreu said. "She always shows up. Last time, she was compromised with the post position in a big field of horses. She was maneuvering herself around there."
Jose Lezcano retains the mount from post 4.
Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael Caruso's Plum Ali made the grade with a 2 1/4-length score just over a year ago in the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) traveling 1 1/16 miles on the Belmont turf.
Although winless in six starts since the Miss Grillo, Plum Ali has placed twice with a third in the one-mile Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) in April at Keeneland in her seasonal debut, which was followed by a closing second in the nine-furlong Wonder Again Stakes (G3T) in June at Belmont.
Trained by Christophe Clement, the First Samurai filly enters from a wide-rallying fifth in the Pebbles.
Rounding out the field are Our Flash Drive , Harajuku , and Third Draft .
Belmont Park, Saturday, October 16, 2021, Race 6Entries: Sands Point S. (G2T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Third Draft (ON)
Javier Castellano
118
Claude R. McGaughey III
30/1
2
2Jordan's Leo (KY)
Luis Saez
118
Todd A. Pletcher
6/1
3
3Harajuku (IRE)
Junior Alvarado
120
H. Graham Motion
3/1
4
4Runaway Rumour (NY)
Jose Lezcano
118
Jorge R. Abreu
8/1
5
5Higher Truth (IRE)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Chad C. Brown
2/1
6
6Plum Ali (KY)
Manuel Franco
118
Christophe Clement
8/1
7
7Fluffy Socks (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
Chad C. Brown
7/2
8
8Our Flash Drive (FL)
Dylan Davis
120
Mark E. Casse
12/1
