City Man Seeks Better Showing, Weather in Fort Marcy

On paper, the $200,000 Fort Marcy Stakes (G2T) looks like an interesting and entertaining turf stakes.

What Mother Nature thinks about all that is a different story.

One of two graded stakes on the May 6 card at Belmont Park, the about 1 1/8-mile Fort Marcy could be impacted by persistent rain this week in the New York area.

While the forecast for Saturday is encouraging, it's hard to predict what kind of turf course the eight starters will find and that promises to have a major impact on the race.

While Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Peter and Patty Searles' City Man  looms a top contender in the Fort Marcy, a year ago he turned in one of the worst efforts of his 27-race career in the Fort Marcy when the New York-bred son of Mucho Macho Man   finished fourth, 18 lengths behind the winner. What happened? A yielding turf course seems the obvious answer, since he went on to win four stakes, two of them graded, before the year ended.

Coming off a rough trip when 12th in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1T), City Man has earned close to $1 million in his career with a record of 9-5-3 in 27 starts.

On the other hand, wet conditions should pose no problem for European shipper Ottoman Fleet . Owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby, the Sea The Stars  gelding is coming off a group 3 win April 18 at Newmarket.

Doing a rain dance will be trainer Rob Atras, who entered Twin Creek Racing Stables' Law Professor  as a main track only starter. The 5-year-old Constitution   gelding was second to Life Is Good   in last year's Woodward Stakes (G1) on a sloppy track.

Sharing the Belmont spotlight on Saturday will be the $200,000 Ruffian Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares.

The mile test will provide the 4-year-old Kathleen O.  with a golden opportunity to once again reach the winner's circle. A winner of her first four starts before finishing fifth in last year's Kentucky Oaks (G1), she has lost four straight starts.

Owned by Winngate Stables and trained by Shug McGaughey, she was second in both of her 2023 starts, the Top Flight Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Royal Delta Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The field of six also includes Klaravich Stables' Gerrymander , winner of last year's Mother Goose Stakes (G2) for trainer Chad Brown.

Filly Sprinters Clash in Senorita Stakes at Santa Anita 

On the West Coast, 3-year-old turf sprinting fillies will be showcased Saturday in the $100,000 Senorita Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.

Seven fillies will battle over the about 6 1/2-furlong distance on the downhill turf course, led by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman's Fast and Shiny .

The daughter of Bernardini won the Angel Flight Stakes on the downhill course for trainer Bob Baffert in her last start. According to Equibase statistics, of Baffert's 529 graded stakes wins, the Hall of Famer notched only 18 of them on turf.

Spendthrift Farm's Teena Ella  was second by half-length to Fast and Shiny in the Angels Flight and should be one of the main rivals Saturday.

Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's The Wild Grazer  also merits attention while cutting back from a mile and suffering a rough trip last time out in the China Doll Stakes for trainer Jeff Mullins, who takes the blinkers off her for this trip.