Ortiz, Brown, Dubb Secure Belmont Meet Titles
Description:
After sharing the spring/summer Belmont Park meet title with Javier Castellano, Irad Ortiz Jr. made sure he was alone atop the track's fall leaderboard by winning seven races on closing weekend.
The wins gave him 46 victories for the meet, three more than Castellano, to secure the top spot when the Belmont meet closed Oct. 26.
Joining Ortiz, Jr. as meet leaders were trainer Chad Brown, who took his third consecutive fall meet title with 30 wins, and Michael Dubb, whose 13 wins made him top owner for the third straight time on the New York Racing Association circuit.
Ortiz captured four graded stakes and seven overall, including wins in the grade II Kelso Handicap (Vyjack), grade III Hill Prince (Ring Weekend), grade III Noble Damsel (Annecdote) and grade III Miss Grillo (Lady Eli).
Brown entered closing weekend with a commanding lead over runner-up David Jacobson, who also finished second in the owner standings, and coasted to the finish line to better his total from last year's fall meet by four wins. Jacobson tallied 23 wins at the stand.
The trainer saddled three graded stakes winners at the meet, topped by Stephanie's Kitten in the Flower Bowl (gr. IT). Brown also took the Sands Point (gr. IIT) with Ball Dancing, and the Miss Grillo with Lady Eli. Stephanie's Kitten and Lady Eli will both represent the trainer at the upcoming Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park.
Dubb scored a major victory in the Beldame (gr. I) with Belle Gallantey, who is a leading contender for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I). Dubb finished with four more wins than Jacobson, and five more than third-place finisher Drawing Away Stable.