Rougir Tops Brant Quartet in New York

Lauded New York-based breeder and owner Peter Brant doesn't flinch when it comes to stacking his fillies against each other. If a top-level prize is in his grasp and multiple horses are deserving, he is willing to give each a shot at grade 1 glory. The June 10 $750,000 New York Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park, in which Brant has entered not two, not three, but four of his charges, is no exception.

Brant recently told BloodHorse MarketWatch that separating his contingency of brilliant turf females was the job of Chad Brown, the training linchpin to Brant's successful intercontinental operation.

"Sometimes he'll separate them and sometimes he won't," Brant said. "If there's certain races that we think are key races and two of our horses wind up in that race, we're willing to run them both. You can't take a horse like Bleecker Street  and not run her at Belmont Park against the best, I mean, she's 6-for-6. She deserves the slot."

In the 1 1/4-mile New York Stakes, which was granted grade 1 status only this year, Brant sends out the highly touted French group 1 winner Rougir , impressive Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) victress Virginia Joy , the undefeated Bleecker Street, and multiple group stakes-placed performer Flighty Lady . Only three other older fillies and mares complete the field with the Brendan Walsh-trained Family Way , a grade 3 winner at Gulfstream Park this past winter and a gallant second to War Like Goddess  last out in the April 29 Bewitch Stakes (G3T), appearing to have the best chance to topple the formidable Brant quartet on Friday.

Two of Brant's entries, Rougir and Virginia Joy, have proven their aptitude over longer distances. Rougir, a game winner of the Prix de l'Opera Longines (G1) over a testing heavy surface on Arc Day last fall at ParisLongchamp, was acquired by Brant in partnership with Coolmore's Michael Tabor for a sale-topping US$3,393,043 at the 2021 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale.

Shipped overseas to join Brant's North American stable with Brown, the daughter of Territories  aced her 4-year-old debut, circling the field to bound away to a three-length victory in the May 14 Beaugay Stakes (G3T) over the Belmont lawn.

"(Rougir) was tired when she got to me in the winter," Brown said of Rougir, who had finished seventh for her former connections in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) before going through the sales ring. "We turned her out and let her get some weight on her. Then she started to blossom and look tons better. Her race was excellent in the Beaugay and I think she is a horse who will be at her best anywhere from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter."

Carrying the top weight of 124 pounds, Rougir will be ridden back by Flavien Prat on Sunday.

Virginia Joy, a 5-year-old German-bred mare, was a group 3 winner and group 1-placed in her native country before being purchased by Brant for $1,142,388 at the 2020 Arqana Saint-Cloud "The Arc" Sale. Fourth in this race last year, the daughter of Soldier Hollow  seems to have hit her best stride this season with back-to-back graded scores in the The Very One Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park over Family Way and a 14 1/4-length blowout in the May 7 Sheepshead Bay.

Trevor McCarthy will be back aboard Virginia Joy.

Stretching out in trip will be Brant's Bleecker Street. Broke as a 2-year-old at Brant's farm in Connecticut, Bleecker Street has continued to do everything asked of her. Finishing with a potent late kick each time, she rallied to win the the May 6 Modesty Stakes Presented by TwinSpires (G3T) at Churchill Downs in her most recent effort. However, the Quality Road   filly has never raced beyond 1 1/8 miles and never against the caliber of fillies as her stablemates.

"Bleecker Street keeps running well," Brown said. "She steps up and does what we ask of her. We'll test her at a mile and a quarter to see if she can step up again."

Irish-bred Flighty Lady, second in the 1 3/8-mile Prix Cleopatre (G3) as a 3-year-old, enters with the least appealing credentials of the four, as she exits a sixth place-finish in a May 15 allowance optional claimer at Belmont.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call on Bleecker Street while Eric Cancel rides Flighty Lady.

Multiple stakes winner Core Values  and Sheepshead Bay third place-finisher Lovely Lucky  complete the field.

Entries: New York S. (G1T)

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

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Inner turf
• $750,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Flighty Lady (IRE)	Eric Cancel	118	Chad C. Brown	15/1
2	2Rougir (FR)	Flavien Prat	124	Chad C. Brown	6/5
3	3Virginia Joy (GER)	Trevor McCarthy	122	Chad C. Brown	3/1
4	4Core Values (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Victoria H. Oliver	15/1
5	5Bleecker Street (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	5/2
6	6Lovely Lucky (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Thomas Albertrani	20/1
7	7Family Way (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Brendan P. Walsh	8/1