Mr Speaker, Minorette Shine on Stars and Stripes Day

Mr Speaker powered to victory in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
ELMONT, N.Y. – Martin Panza, in his first year as senior vice president for racing operations for the New York Racing Association, received a welcome compliment from Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club, after the first running of the $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes.
“You put together a nice race,” Phipps told Panza.
He might also have complemented Panza on the entire 10-race card Saturday, which included five stakes races as part of the inaugural Stars and Stripes day at Belmont Park.
Panza hopes Stars and Stripes day will become a fixture on a New York racing calendar that will feature a number of big days beyond the Belmont Stakes on the first Saturday in June.
“As they are successful and start to pay for themselves, we can grow another one,” he said.
As for Phipps, he had every reason to be pleased beyond Panza’s display of creativity. He had just watched his Mr Speaker rally past favored Adelaide in the Belmont Derby in his first Grade 1 start.
Trainer Shug McGaughey admitted he was a bit puzzled and a lot disappointed after Mr Speaker ran fifth in an ungraded stakes in his previous Belmont Park start. But he was greatly encouraged by the way the colt rebounded.
“Does he belong in the top layer of horses or not?” McGaughey asked rhetorically. “I think today he proved it.”
Handicappers, like McGaughey, had their doubts after a failed front-running effort in Mr Speaker’s previous race. This time, McGaughey urged regular rider Jose Lezcano to take the 3-year-old back to run off the pace. The reward was a $49 payoff for every $2 win wager as part of a field highlighted by quality runners from Europe.
Adelaide has not finished worse than second in five career starts. Flamboyant, who opened his career abroad, ran third in his third start in the U.S. Gailo Chop, a gelding who journeyed from France, came in fourth. Toast of New York, winner of the United Arab Emirates Derby, was sixth.
Minorette

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire

Minorette, a solid two-length winner versus runner-up Sea Queen in the $1 million Belmont Oaks, also is based in New York with trainer Chad Brown. She was making her third U.S. start for him after beginning her career with four starts in Ireland. She paid $14.60 for a $2 win bet.
Summer Solo took third in the Oaks. Then came three European runners in Xcellence, Wonderfully and Goldy Espony.
Brown said of the establishment of the Oaks: “In the end, it was a great idea. It was a lot of money, a lot of horses came from all over the world, and we were still able to have a horse good enough to win it.”
Panza said he looks forward to building on an attendance of 11,184.
“We need to create and grow international events,” he said.
In the other stakes results:
Suburban Stakes (G2): New York-bred Zivo stepped up to graded stakes company for the first time and the result was the same as it has been for some time now. He stretched his winning streak to six consecutive races in turning back runner-up Moreno.
“This horse has really come around well and it was time to step out of New York-bred company and try him in an open company race with a big purse,” Brown said.
ZIVO

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Dwyer Stakes (G3): Kid Cruz, claimed by Linda Rice for $50,000 from Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott last Nov. 22, continues to blossom as a 3-year-old in closing strongly to take the Dwyer by three-quarters of a length against Captain Serious.
“The horse seems to be getting better all the time, perfecting his trade,” Rice said. “We’ve got Saratoga coming up, and I’m very excited about that.”
Rice intends to target the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26 as a prep for the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 23.
KID CRUZ

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes (G3): Clearly Now unleashed a tremendous late kick in setting a Belmont Park main track record of 1:19.96 for seven furlongs in routing Palace by 6 ¼ lengths for jockey Jose Lezcano.
“We’ll look at some spots at Saratoga and ultimately the Breeders’ Cup would be in play,” said winning trainer Brian Lynch. The previous mark – 1:20.17 – was set by Left Bank in 2002.
CLEARLY NOW

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
For Equibase charts from Belmont Stakes, click here.