Sea Calisi, Hawksmoor Head Competitive New York Stakes

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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Annette Jasko
Sea Calisi takes the Sheepshead Bay May 6 at Belmont

A competitve field of nine fillies and mares, 4 years and older, are scheduled to line up for the $500,000 New York Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park that features last out winners Sea Calisi and Hawksmoor.

Martin Schwartz' Sea Calisi was the 2 1/2-length winner of the May 6 Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) at Belmont over fellow New York Stakes entrant Suffused who finished 10 3/4 lengths in front of Apple Betty, also entered in Friday's race.

The Sheepshead Bay was the season debut for the 5-year-old daughter of Youmzain. In 2016, Sea Calisi won that year's edition of the Sheepshead Bay as well as the Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) after finishing runner-up to Dacita in that edition of the New York Stakes. 

Chad Brown trains both Sea Calisi and Dacita who also returns to contend this year's running of the 1 1/4-mile New York Stakes.

"They're both training really well and they're coming into the race the right way," said Brown of Sheep Pond Partners' Dacita and Sea Calisi. "They have similar running styles but they complement each other in terms of ground preference. Dacita prefers it firm but can handle soft if she has to; Sea Calisi can run on firm but she prefers some give in the ground."

Sea Calisi finished off 2016 with a third in the Flower Bowl Stakes and a seventh in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (both G1T). A group 2 winner in Europe, Sea Calisi has a record of 2-1-1 from four starts at Belmont Park.

The Bill Mott-trained Suffused has only been off the board once in nine starts since relocating to the United States for 2016—four of those are wins. Prior to the Sheepshead Bay, Suffused took the March 4 The Very One Stakes and the Jan. 28 La Prevoyante Handicap (both G3T) at Gulfstream Park.

Lael Stables' Hawksmoor managed to get a head in front of Dacita in their season debuts in the Beaugay Stakes (G3T) at Belmont May 13. Also a group 2 winner in Europe, Hawksmoor will make her fourth U.S. start in the New York Stakes. 

The 4-year-old daughter of Azamour (IRE) finished third in her U.S. debut—the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Lane's End (G1T) at Keeneland—and then finished sixth in the grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Quidura and Kitten's Roar look to avenge their respective third and fourth finishes in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland April 15. Trained by Graham Motion, Quidura has only that one loss in her three U.S. starts.

Another who seems to be on an upswing is William Parsons and David Howe's Summersault. Trained by Mark Hennig, the 5-year-old Rock Hard Ten mare won the 1 1/8-mile Orchid Stakes (G3T) in her last start over multiple graded stakes winner Olorda and had two wins and two seconds prior to that start.

Sheep Pond Partner's and Michael Ryan's Sassy Little Lila has only finished worse than second once in her seven lifetime starts. Unraced as a 2-year-old, she placed second in the grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita Park to end 2016. She won an optional-claiming allowance May 20 at Churchill to kick off her 4-year-old campaign.

New York S. Presented by NYRA Bets (G2)

Belmont Park, Friday, June 09, 2017, Race 9
  • 1 1/4m
  • Inner turf
  • $500,000
  • 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 5:14 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Quidura (GB) Javier Castellano 119 H. Graham Motion 5/1
2 2Suffused (GB) Jose L. Ortiz 123 William I. Mott 6/1
3 3Apple Betty (IRE) John R. Velazquez 115 Claude R. McGaughey III 12/1
4 4Kitten's Roar (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 119 Michael J. Maker 12/1
5 5Hawksmoor (IRE) Julien R. Leparoux 119 Arnaud Delacour 8/1
6 6Sea Calisi (FR) Florent Geroux 123 Chad C. Brown 5/2
7 7Summersault (NY) Paco Lopez 121 Mark A. Hennig 15/1
8 8Dacita (CHI) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 123 Chad C. Brown 3/1
9 9Sassy Little Lila (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis Saez 115 Brad H. Cox 10/1