Lady Eli Sparkles on Stars and Stripes Card

Lady Eli dominated the opposition on Saturday at Belmont Park, where she surged to a visually impressive victory in the Belmont Invitational Oaks. (All photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
ELMONT, N.Y. – No star shines brighter in American racing than Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. But undefeated Lady Eli showed she does not belong in anyone’s shadow.
Lady Eli turned what was expected to be her stiffest challenge into arguably her most impressive victory when she romped by 2 ¾ lengths in the $1-million Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes on Saturday to highlight the Stars and Stripes Festival at Belmont Park.
“Outside of American Pharoah, she’s one of the most exciting horses in training,” said winning trainer Chad Brown after the daughter of Divine Park prevailed for the sixth time in as many starts, coasting across the finish line ahead of runner-up Itsonlyactingdad. Her perfect record includes a 2 ¾-length score in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last autumn at Santa Anita Park.
Brown is accustomed to being around high-caliber turf horses. He eyeballed plenty of them when he was an understudy to the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel in California. He has dealt with a good number of outstanding turf specialists since he began his own operation.
Lady Eli? She stands alone after her sixth victory in as many starts.
“I’ve never worked around a horse on turf with this devastating a turn of foot at any distance,” said Brown.
Although this was Lady Eli’s first attempt at a distance as long as 1 1/4 miles and there was the risk of getting buried inside as she broke from post two in a talented field of 14, Irad Ortiz Jr. rode her with supreme confidence, taking her five wide around the sweeping final turn.
“We expected that we had the best horse in the race,” he said. “That’s why we did it.”
Added Brown: “I was very confident she would go a mile and a quarter. She was training lights out.”
LADY ELI ROLLS TO VICTORY

He noted that Lady Eli improved physically and mentally in her transition from age 2 to 3.
“She’s scary in that she’s gotten better,” he said. “She’s taller and stronger. She’s gained weight and she’s really settled down around the barn.”
Brown intends to use the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland Race Course to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup, which is at the same site. He is not sure what the schedule might be before that.
“Certainly, we want to keep her record intact,” he said.
In other major stakes results:
The $1.25-million Belmont Derby Invitational: Force the Pass capitalized on his first Grade 1 opportunity for his fourth victory in six starts this season. The son of Speightstown was unraced as a 2-year-old. Canndal, making his United States debut after five starts in France, finished second.
Victorious trainer Alan Goldberg said he plans to give Force the Pass the rest of the summer off in order to freshen him for a fall campaign.
FORCE THE PASS

The $500,000 Dwyer Stakes: Speightster, who missed all of his 2-year-old campaign with bucked shins, continued to make up for lost time as he turned back Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red by 2 ½ lengths to extend his record to 3-for-3.
“I thought he ran against a nice group of horses,” said winning trainer Bill Mott. “The sky is the limit.”
Mott said Speightster most likely will be pointed toward the King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga.
Although Texas Red missed the Triple Crown races and has finished second in his only two starts this year, trainer Keith Desormeaux called it “a beautiful step toward our ultimate goal, which is the Travers.”
SPEIGHTSTER

The $500,000 Suburban Handicap: Effinex, eased in the Brooklyn Handicap in his previous start, rebounded strongly to upset heavily-favored Tonalist by a head.
Winning trainer Jimmy Jerkens gave the riding assignment to Junior Alvarado for the first time in addition to doing some dental work on Effinex and changing the horse’s bit to make him more manageable.
“He was as kind as he could be and that was the difference,” Jerkens said.
Tonalist, the 2014 Belmont Stakes winner, broke poorly before jockey John Velazquez rushed him toward the front. They never quite made the lead, though.
EFFINEX

The $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes: Excited trainer Derek Ryan declared Irish Jasper, a $12,000 yearling purchase, to be “the best 3-year-old filly in the country” after she earned her third consecutive victory with a huge last-to-first effort in the 6 1/2-furlong Victory Ride for jockey Javier Castellano.
“The seven-eighths is going to be perfect for the Test,” said Ryan, eyeing that major stakes at Saratoga.
STARS AND STRIPES SLIDESHOW