Familiar Rivals Face Off in New York Stakes

Chad Brown has trained two of the last three New York Stakes (G2T) winners at Belmont Park, and June 7 he'll send out Peter Brant's Homerique and Klaravich Stable's Competitionofideas for a chance at back-to-back scores in the $600,000, 1 1/4-mile turf feature. 

The two 4-year-old fillies ran one-two last out in the May 11 Beaugay Stakes (G3T) at Big Sandy going 1 1/16 miles for their seasonal debut. Competitionofideas sat off the pace with Homerique not far behind. Both came running at the end, but Homerique crossed the wire a half-length in front. 

The Beaugay was Homerique's first start in the United States. Last year the Exchange Rate filly won a group 3 race in France and ran third behind Wild Illusion and Magic Wand in the Prix de l'Opera (G1), beaten by only one length.

Competitionofideas ended her sophomore season on a high note when she shipped West for the American Oaks (G1T), over the same distance as the New York, at Santa Anita Park. The daughter of Speightstown  rallied home to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

Hoping to improve off her fifth-place effort in last year's New York is Stronach Stables' Holy Helena. The 5-year-old Ghostzapper  mare enters off a repeat victory in the March 2 The Very One Stakes (G3T), a sixteenth of a mile shorter than Friday's race, at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens scratched her from Belmont's Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) May 4 after heavy rain.

"She hates it real soft like that, so we needed to scratch," Jerkens said. "It was a small field, but at the same time, she would have really struggled, so we decided to take her out."

Four fillies and mares return in the New York from the 1 3/8-mile Sheepshead Bay, including John O'Connor's Semper Sententiae. The Factor  filly came from off the pace and was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Santa Monica on soft turf. She's been on the board her last seven starts, which include show finishes in the March 2 The Very One and Jan. 26 La Prevoyante Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream.

Giant Zinger, Lady Montdore, and Vexatious—third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the Sheepshead Bay—each look to rebound.

Godolphin's Lady Montdore, who started her career in France, won the Glen Falls Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course in her second U.S. start last summer and finished third in Belmont's Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (G1T) that fall. The 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro  mare finished her season off the board in the Nov. 24 Long Island Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack and entered the Sheepshead Bay off the layoff.

"I think she's come forward since the last race. It won't be a matter of fitness, it'll be if she can handle the shorter distance," trainer Tom Albertrani said. Lady Montdore's winning distances are between 1 3/8 miles and 1 1/2 miles.

"She's gained some weight; that was the whole purpose of giving her time off," Albertrani added. "But she still tends to be on the lean side. We just have to make up a little bit of ground off the last start."

Matty's Magnum, the Nov. 22 Winter Memories Stakes winner at Aqueduct and Beaugay fifth, completes the field.

Entries: New York S. (G2T)

Belmont Park, Friday, June 07, 2019, Race 9

• Grade II
• 1 1/4m
• Inner turf
• $600,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Holy Helena (ON)	Manuel Franco	119	James A. Jerkens	9/2
2	2Matty's Magnum (KY)	Junior Alvarado	119	David G. Donk	30/1
3	3Giant Zinger (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	115	William I. Mott	15/1
4	4Lady Montdore (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	119	Thomas Albertrani	10/1
5	5Vexatious (KY)	Florent Geroux	119	Jack Sisterson	15/1
6	6Competitionofideas (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Chad C. Brown	5/2
7	7Semper Sententiae (KY)	John R. Velazquez	115	Mark A. Hennig	8/1
8	8Homerique (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	119	Chad C. Brown	6/5