Miss J McKay to Challenge Intercontinental at Belmont

Trainer Christophe Clement will have two chances to win his second $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes (G3T) when he sends out Miss J McKay  and Lady Edith  in the six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares over the Widener turf June 10 at Belmont Park.

Clement won the Intercontinental in 2015 with Zindaya  for owner Regis Racing and will look to strike again with Miss J McKay, coming off a victory in the License Fee Stakes over the Belmont lawn. The 5-year-old daughter of Hangover Kid   stalked and pounced in the six-furlong License Fee May 1, allowing Igloo  to take a narrow lead before reeling her in under Irad Ortiz Jr. and running away to a 3 1/4-length victory over returning rival Miss Majorette .

The win earned a career-best 106 Equibase Speed Figure and was the first of the year for Miss J McKay. She finished fourth in her seasonal debut in the five-furlong Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park ahead of an even third-place finish in the Captiva Island Stakes at the same course and distance.

"She won the stakes in early May and has trained well," Clement said. "The Intercontinental will be a tougher race than the last one, but she deserves to be there. She's done nothing wrong."

Owned by Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, Tony Weintraub and Brandon M. Dalinka, Miss J McKay was initially trained by Cathal Lynch, for whom she broke her maiden at first asking. She went on to win the Anne Arundel County Stakes at Laurel Park during a 3-year-old campaign that saw her collect five other stakes placings.

She was transferred to Clement's care in September 2021.

"All along she's been a nice filly. Sometimes she was a little unlucky with the draw, but she's been very consistent," Clement said. "She won a stakes in New York and in Florida. It's all good."

Joel Rosario picks up the mount from the outermost post 13.

Abbondanza Racing and Omar Aldabbagh's Lady Edith  will make her first start for Clement as she looks to build upon a last-out victory in the Jan. 29 Wishing Well Stakes over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park.

Lady Edith scored her first stakes win by a neck in the Mamzelle Overnight Stakes last year at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old daughter of Street Boss   did not win for the rest of her sophomore campaign, which she closed out with a close third over the Turfway synthetic in the Holiday Inaugural Stakes.

The Wishing Well marked the chestnut filly's return to the winner's circle after she closed from 14 lengths off the pace to inhale her foes down the stretch and post a one-length score over Wait for Nairobi . She equaled a career-best 97 Equibase speed figure.

"Lady Edith is a new addition to the barn," Clement said. "She's had two works for us and both were nice. She looks like she deserves a shot in this race."

Trevor McCarthy gets the call from post 3.

Also entered is Starlight Racing and Glen Hill Farm's Jouster , who hopes to land her first victory since the 2021 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland. Medallion Racing, Charles Deters, Parkland Thoroughbreds and Mike Olszewski's The Grass Is Blue  will look to earn her second win in as many starts for trainer Graham Motion.

Entries: Intercontinental S. (G3T)

Belmont Park, Friday, June 10, 2022, Race 11

• Grade IIIT
• 6f
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 6:22 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Star Devine (IRE)	John R. Velazquez	118	Jorge R. Abreu	-
2	The Grass Is Blue (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	H. Graham Motion	-
3	Lady Edith (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	122	Christophe Clement	-
4	Tobys Heart (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Brian A. Lynch	-
5	Jouster (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Todd A. Pletcher	-
6	Robin Sparkles (NY)	Luis Saez	122	Bruce R. Brown	-
7	Caravel (PA)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Brad H. Cox	-
8	Assertive Style (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Thomas Morley	-
9	Illegal Smile (IRE)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Wesley A. Ward	-
10	Flower Point (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	Claude R. McGaughey III	-
11	Miss Majorette (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	Mark E. Casse	-
12	Nevisian Sunrise (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	-
13	Miss J McKay (MD)	Joel Rosario	122	Christophe Clement	-