Nagirroc Wheels Back Into Futurity After Maiden Win

Madaket Stables, Little Red Feather Racing, and Bill Strauss' Nagirroc  will make his stakes debut off two weeks' rest Oct. 9 in the $150,000 Futurity (G3T), a six-furlong outer turf sprint for juveniles, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. 

The Futurity, which offers the winner a berth into the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, is one of three graded events on Sunday's card at Aqueduct Racetrack, which also features the $250,000 Beldame Stakes (G2) and the $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes (G3T). 

Nagirroc, a bay son of Lea  , scored second out by 3 1/2 lengths when racing at Aqueduct for trainer Graham Motion Sept. 24. That followed a debut second at Horseshoe Indianapolis for trainer Jim Corrigan and different ownership. Both races were turf sprints.

"He's been pretty classy in the morning since I've got him," said Motion. "I haven't had him for that long, and I was impressed with what he had done, but I certainly would not have expected him to run the way he did. I thought it was a very good effort. He won very comfortably."

Nagirroc will be ridden by Manny Franco from post 2.

Louis Lazzinnaro and Michael Dubb's Inflation Nation  will look to build upon a last-out maiden victory in his second career start for for trainer Christophe Clement. An Irish-bred son of Speightstown  , Inflation Nation was defeated by a head when debuting in a July 22 maiden race sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga Race Course. The winner of that race, Appraise , went on to post a runner-up finish in the Pattison Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine two starts later. 

"He's done everything right. He's a nice horse," said Clement. "We'll see if he's able to handle the jump up. He's training forwardly and he looks sound."

Jose Ortiz will ride from post 3. 

NBS Stable's Dunedin  arrives at the Futurity as the only entrant with a victory against winners on his résumé. Trained by Kelsey Danner, Dunedin was last seen graduating with a half-length victory over stakes-placed Roman Giant  in a restricted allowance traveling 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 8 at Kentucky Downs. The son of Munnings   rallied strongly from 8 1/2 lengths back to earn his first victory in his third start. 

Regular rider Joseph Rocco Jr. retains the mount from post 1. 

Conditioner Mike Maker will be represented by two contenders in Paradise Farms, David Staudacher, Skychai Racing, and Angelo Carlesimo's Gaslight Dancer  and Three Diamonds Farm's Bourbon Therapy .

Completing the field are Tee N Jay Stable and trainer Kent Sweezey's stakes-placed Power Attack ; Sleeping Giant Stables, America's Pastime Stables, and KimDon Racing's debut maiden winner Vacation Dance ; and D Hatman Thoroughbreds' stakes-winning filly Determined Jester , who is cross-entered in the Oct. 8 Matron (G3T) at Aqueduct.

The Futurity is slated as Race 6 on Sunday's nine-race card.  

Entries: Futurity S. (G3T)

Belmont at the Big A, Sunday, October 09, 2022, Race 6

• Grade III
• 6f
• Outer turf
• $150,000
• 2 yo
• 3:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dunedin (KY)	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	122	Kelsey Danner	8/1
2	2Nagirroc (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	H. Graham Motion	5/2
3	3Inflation Nation (IRE)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Christophe Clement	3/1
4	4Vacation Dance (NY)	Javier Castellano	120	John C. Kimmel	12/1
5	5Power Attack (NY)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	J. Kent Sweezey	8/1
6	6Bourbon Therapy (KY)	Eric Cancel	120	Michael J. Maker	20/1
7	7Gaslight Dancer (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Michael J. Maker	3/1
8	8Determined Jester (KY)	Forest Boyce	119	Phil Schoenthal	6/1

Brown Trio Leads Knickerbocker Charge

Later on the card, four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will start Public Sector , L'Imperator , and Lonesome Fugitive  as he looks for his third consecutive score in the $150,000 Knickerbocker, a 1 1/8-mile inner turf test for 3-year-olds and upward.

Brown, who captured this event in 2020 with Devamani  and last year with Sacred Life , will try to get Klaravich Stables' multiple graded stakes winner Public Sector back on track after posting a record of 0-0-3 in five starts this year.

Public Sector's trio of third-place finishes this season have come in one-mile grade 3 tilts.

"He didn't really step up like I thought he would this year," Brown said. "I don't know that I've managed him as well as I could have with some of the spots that were picked out for him. I do still believe in the horse, and hopefully he can get back on track here."

Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Robert V. LaPenta's graded stakes winner L'Imperator will look to improve on his seventh-place finish in this event last year.

John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services' Lonesome Fugitive , a 5-year-old Zoffany  bay, will make his stakes debut from a neck score in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optionalclaiming tilt on Aug. 19 over firm footing Monmouth Park.

Wertheimer and Frere's Pao Alto , a group 2 winner overseas who is now trained by Motion, heads the opposition, along with Three Diamonds Farm's multiple graded stakes winner Field Pass  and Nice Guys Stables' stakes winner King Cause , both trained by Maker.

Godolphin's Pixelate  and WellSpring Stables' Safe Conduct  add further talent to the lineup.

Rounding out the field is Mark B. Grier's graded stakes winner Eons  for trainer Arnaud Delacour, and Flying P Stable and James F. Schurman's stakes winner Dynadrive  for trainer Tom Morley.

Entries: Knickerbocker S. (G3T)

Belmont at the Big A, Sunday, October 09, 2022, Race 8

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:44 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lonesome Fugitive (IRE)	Javier Castellano	121	Chad C. Brown	12/1
2	2Eons (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	123	Arnaud Delacour	15/1
3	3Dynadrive (KY)	Eric Cancel	123	Thomas Morley	6/1
4	4King Cause (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	123	Michael J. Maker	10/1
5	5L'Imperator (FR)	Manuel Franco	126	Chad C. Brown	9/2
6	6Pixelate (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Michael Stidham	8/1
7	7Field Pass (MD)	Jose Antonio Gomez	123	Michael J. Maker	12/1
8	8Pao Alto (FR)	Jevian Toledo	126	H. Graham Motion	4/1
9	9Safe Conduct (ON)	Jose Lezcano	121	Philip M. Serpe	8/1
10	10Public Sector (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Chad C. Brown	7/2