Riposte to Defend Sheepshead Bay Title

Multiple graded stakes winner Riposte is back to defend her title in the $200,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes (gr. IIT) at Belmont Park May 2.



The 5-year-old has won four of 13 career starts with earnings of $494,388 for Juddmonte Farm, who bred the mare in Great Britain.



In addition to her win in last year's Sheepshead Bay, Riposte also won the 2014 New York Stakes (gr. II) June 28 at Belmont.



She missed the rest of 2014 after the New York Stakes victory and returned to action this year in The Very One Stakes (gr. IIIT) Feb. 21 at Gulfstream Park, where she set the pace as the 9-5 favorite before weakening late to finish second.



Riposte then finished fifth as the favorite in the Orchid Stakes (gr. IIIT) March 28 at Gulfstream. Prior to the Orchid start, the daughter of Dansili broke through the gate and raced in tight quarters before tiring.



Since the Orchid, Riposte has breezed twice for trainer Bill Mott, including an easy four-furlong drill in :51.92 over Belmont's main track April 28.

               

Riposte drew the rail in the 1 3/8-mile contest and will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado, carrying the high weight of 120 pounds.



Joseph Allen's homebred Beauty Parlor, who won the Orchid at 6-1, will be a shorter price in the Sheepshead Bay, seeking her third straight victory.

ANGST: Beauty Parlor Wins U.S. Debut in Orchid



After winning three of her first seven starts in Europe, Beauty Parlor made her U.S. debut a winning one when she pressed the early pace in the Orchid, grabbing the lead in the stretch before holding off the late run from Tabreed to prevail by a half-length.



Beauty Parlor drew post 4 in the five-horse field and will be ridden by Rajiv Maragh. The 4-year-old filly by Elusive Quality   is one of two horses entered in the Sheepshead Bay by trainer Christophe Clement, who will also saddle Maximova.



Bred and owned by Gallagher's Stud, Maximova will be seeking her first graded stakes score in the Sheepshead Bay.



After winning the first three starts of her career, the 5-year-old mare has won just one of her following eight attempts and will be making her first start since a sixth-place finish in the La Prevoyante Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Dec. 27.



Maximova will break from post 3 under jockey Cornelio Velasquez.



Clement has won the Sheepshead Bay four times in his career, dating back to 1993, when he first prevailed with Trampoli. His other winners in the race were Lisieux Rose (2000), Mariensky (2003), and Mauralakana (2008).

Selenite and Rosalind complete the field.