Yoshida Steps Up for Belmont Derby

WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, SF Racing Group, and Head of Plains Partners' Yoshida will get his class tested July 8, but considering what he's done on the racetrack so far—and, more importantly, how he's done it—the Japanese-bred might have the most upside in a stout Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) field.

The Heart's Cry colt broke his maiden impressively enough April 9 at Keeneland. Yoshida didn't get off to a perfect start, but quickly went to the front in the 1 1/8-mile grass test and never relinquished command in a four-length win.

His next win May 20 at Pimlico Race Course was by the same margin, but was an entirely different experience.

Any chance for a forwardly placed trip, like the one at Keeneland, was lost at the start of the James W. Murphy Stakes. Yoshida was pinched coming out of the gate and raced last in the 12-horse field early on. After the first quarter he was 23 lengths off the lead, and through a half-mile he was 20 back. He advanced on the rail to get into striking position, muscled his way out into the clear in the stretch, and burst away to win under wraps.

The versatility Yoshida—the 7-2 second-choice on the morning-line—has shown should serve him well in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby, but he'll encounter a top-level field for the first time. Eight graded/group winners entered the Belmont Derby, including Yoshida's Bill Mott-trained stablemate Good Samaritan, the winner of the Summer Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine in September.

"We're super excited. We have a bunch of horses in that race, but (Yoshida is) the one I'm most excited about," said Sol Kumin of Head of Plains Partners, which also has an ownership stake in Good Samaritan. Kumin also has an interest in Woodford Racing's Belmont Derby entrant Ticonderoga. "We partnered up on a group of colts and he was one of them. The funny thing is, one of the colts we were focused on in the group was Good Samaritan, but I think (Yoshida) is the one to beat.

“We’ll see how he does at this distance, but he looks tough at a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half. This has been in Bill and (WinStar chief executive officer Elliott Walden's) plans from the beginning and we’re just pumped to be along for the ride."

"My horses are doing well," Mott said. "I really haven't looked at the others yet, but my horses have worked well. Yoshida has run a couple of good races and looked good doing it, like the race at Pimlico. He's just short on seasoning."

The "others" include 3-1 morning-line favorite Oscar Performance and Arklow, who Good Samaritan has played runner-up to in his last two respective starts.

Amerman Racing's Oscar Performance returned to his winning ways—following a pair of off-the-board finishes to start his 3-year-old season—with a frontrunning victory in the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3T) June 3 at Belmont Park. The 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner trained by Brian Lynch is undefeated in two starts at Belmont, including his Pilgrim (G3T) score as a 2-year-old.

SHEA: Oscar Performance Wires Pennine Ridge

"He's going into the race in very good order," Lynch said. "We've had no hiccups. The prep was obviously the Pennine Ridge, and he fired a big one in there, so it gives us the confidence to go forward with him. And there's no reason to say he shouldn't run big here this weekend."

Donegal Racing's Arklow enters off a closing victory in the American Turf (G2T) at Churchill Downs, where he overcame some early trouble to win the 1 1/16-mile turf race by a length May 6 for trainer Brad Cox.

MITCHELL: Arklow Upsets American Turf Stakes

Also looming as formidable threats are invaders from across the Atlantic.

Trainer Aiden O'Brien has sent a pair of Kentucky-bred Ballydoyle colts in Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes (G3) winner Homesman and group 3-placed Whitecliffsofdover (both sired by War Front  ), while from France comes last-out Prix du Lys (G3) victor Called To The Bar, an Irish-bred son of Henrythenavigator who won the 1 1/2-mile test at Saint-Cloud by two lengths.

An unknown commodity in the Belmont Derby is Fern Circle Stables' Senior Investment, who will switch surfaces after his trip on the Triple Crown trail. The Kenny McPeek-trained Discreetly Mine colt ran on grass in his debut—he finished fourth at Ellis Park in July of 2016—but hasn't raced on turf since. The Lexington Stakes (G3) winner, who went on to finish third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and fifth in the Belmont Stakes (G1), worked five furlongs in :59 4/5 on the Belmont turf July 2.

"Senior Investment seems to be in another element, so that's exciting." McPeek said. "He's been competitive at high levels. Whether he can handle distance grass races is another deal, but it looks good. The distance will be good. He seems to be a really efficient mover, too, which you have to be on the grass. But it's kind of tricky. If I took him to a track like Monmouth for the Haskell (G1) or Saratoga for the Jim Dandy (G2), then I'm worried that those distances aren't quite long enough for him. We'll try him here and, if nothing else, we'll learn something about him."

Belmont Derby Invitational S. (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, July 08, 2017, Race 10

• 1 1/4m
• Inner turf
• $1,200,000
• 3 yo
• 6:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Good Samaritan (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	William I. Mott	12/1
2	2Ticonderoga (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Chad C. Brown	15/1
3	3Homesman (KY)	Colm O'Donoghue	122	Aidan P. O'Brien	4/1
4	4Oscar Performance (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Brian A. Lynch	3/1
5	5Called To The Bar (IRE)	Maxime H. Guyon	122	Pia Brandt	5/1
6	6Arklow (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Brad H. Cox	8/1
7	7Yoshida (JPN)	John R. Velazquez	122	William I. Mott	7/2
8	8Makarios (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Nicholas P. Zito	30/1
9	9Big Score (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Tim Yakteen	20/1
10	10Whitecliffsofdover (KY)	Wayne Lordan	122	Aidan P. O'Brien	10/1
11	11Senior Investment (KY)	Dylan Davis	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	20/1