Belmont: Pass the Champagne, Ottoman Fleet win graded stakes

Pass the Champagne, a three-time runner-up in stakes competition, finally broke through, overtaking Gerrymander and Idiomatic at the top of the stretch en route to a 5 1/2-length win in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian Stakes and up at Belmont Park.

Pass the Champagne, who started her 5-year-old campaign with runner-up efforts in the Wayward Lass in January at Tampa Bay Downs and last out in the Heavenly Cause in April at Laurel Park, sat in fourth position as the Chad Brown-trained Gerrymander, piloted by Dylan Davis, led the compact six-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.51 seconds before moving up to third with the half in 47.01 over the fast main track.

The George Weaver trainee, ridden patiently by Feargal Lynch, was tipped out exiting the turn. Once straightened at the top of the stretch, the mare owned by R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, Blackridge Stables and James F. Brown responded well to Lynch’s right-handed encouragement, thundering home from the outside and drawing away to complete the one-turn mile in a final time of 1:36.13.

Idiomatic outkicked Gerrymander by 1 1/2 lengths for second, while Timeless Journey, Kathleen O. and Mommasgottarun completed the order of finish.

“This is very rewarding,” said Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver. “She’s such a great, talented filly and we knew she had it in her. For her to be able to pull that off today on such a big day is pretty special and amazing, because she’s always been special. She has been training very well and it paid off. I’m very proud of the team.”

Off at 7-1, Pass the Champagne, bred in Kentucky by Preston Madden, returned $17 on a $2 win bet. She upped her career bankroll to $315,070.

“I had a great trip, just like we planned it with George,” Lynch said. “We just wanted to take this filly back and make one run. We felt like when she's up there on the pace, she's just doing a little too much and can't finish it off. She's got a closing kick for an eighth of a mile and you just have to hold on to it as long as possible.”

The Flatter mare showed ability as a 3-year-old, as Pass the Champagne in just her second career start finished second to subsequent two-time Champion Malathaat in the 2021 Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland and finished her sophomore season with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks before returning last February to win an optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park. That marked her only race of 2022 before returning this year, earning a winner’s circle trip for the first time in the current campaign.

Pass the Champagne’s connections credited the previous race, where she ran second to Beth’s Dream in Maryland, for the win in the Ruffian’s 47th edition.

“It absolutely [gave her fitness] and it gave Feargal a chance to learn an awful lot about her,” Golen said. “I was very impressed with how she ran down there stretching out down the lane very nicely.”

Idiomatic, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Trevor McCarthy, has finished on the board in all her career starts, compiling a 7: 4-1-2 record. The 4-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Curlin was making her graded stakes debut.

“It was a really great effort,” McCarthy said. “She broke very well and we wanted to let her run forward and take away nothing that came easy to her. Chad’s filly (Gerrymander) wanted to go to the lead, so I kind of just sat my hands down and let them go. I got her into a comfortable rhythm and she’s a horse who doesn’t have a huge turn of foot, but she finished well and there was no beating the winner.”

Appleby-trained Ottoman Fleet wins Fort Marcy

Godolphin’s Group 3-winner Ottoman Fleet carried his winning ways overseas into his North American debut, finding room along the rail in overtaking the pacesetter Tide of the Sea and finishing strong for a 1 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Fort Marcy Stakes (G2).

Ottoman Fleet, the even-money favorite in the 1 1/8-mile race for 4-year-olds and up on the Belmont Park inner turf., tracked comfortably in fifth position as 56-1 Tide of the Sea led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.71 seconds, the half in 47.81 and three-quarters in 1:11.91 over firm going.

Jockey Richie Mullen, who traveled with the British-bred Ottoman Fleet last week and cantered the horse over the Belmont training track, showed his familiarity with his charge, patiently saving ground before moving him up and surging past Tide of the Sea from the inside once straightened for home and completing the course in a 1:47.25 final time.

The Tom Morley-trained Tide of the Sea ensured a high-priced exacta, holding on for second by fending off City Man by a neck. Rockemperor finished fourth, with Dynadrive, King Cause, Fort Washington and Keystone Field completing the order of finish. Law Professor, entered for the main-track only, was scratched.

“It's a beautiful track. The ground is as good as I've ridden on,” Mullen said. “With the rain we had when we arrived on Sunday, I thought this guy wouldn't mind it. But I was surprised how it has dried out. There was no kickback and the important thing with this horse is that he gets into a nice rhythm and he doesn't over race.

“He had one to aim at and I thought he might have got there a bit sooner, but the opportunity came down the rail and I had to take it,” Mullen added. “He's a horse on the up. I wouldn't be surprised for this horse to step up in grade, especially over here as I think this style of racing and track suits him."

Trainer Charlie Appleby registered another victory at Belmont Park, building on the success he compiled previously with Althiqa in the 2021 Grade 1 Just a Game and Yibir, who won the Jockey Club Derby en route to victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar and Eclipse Award honors as Champion Turf Male.

Ottoman Fleet, who improved to an 11: 4-3-3 record, finished on the board for the eighth consecutive time. The 4-year-old Sea The Stars gelding, bred in Great Britain by SCEA Marmion Vauville and Alain Jathiere, returned $4 on a $2 win wager. He also improved his career earnings to $345,259.

“He broke nicely and Richie gave him an absolute peach of a ride around,” said ?Chris Connett, assistant to Appleby. “When they peeled off the rail into the straight, he shot through there and put the race to bed pretty quickly. It was quite impressive."

Flying P Stable’s Tide of the Sea, ridden by Katie Davis, recorded his best finish since his last victory in the Japan Turf Cup in October 2021 at Laurel Park.

“I did gun him pretty good. He’s a massive horse and I had to grab my saddle to get up on him,” Davis said. “Tom said, ‘He has a big stride, don’t take it away from him. Just gun him and take the lead and see if he holds on.’ I looked between my legs and saw we were pretty far up there, so I kind of cocked his head towards the rail to slow him down a little, but you don’t want to take away from his stride. He’s got a big heart and he went on with it. It was beautiful and I’m so proud of him. He was game.”

Trevor McCarthy, the rider aboard City Man, rallied the Christophe Clement trainee from sixth to round out the trifecta. The multiple graded-stakes winning son of Mucho Macho Man was making his first start since an off-the-board effort in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) in January at Gulfstream Park.

"I think he just got a little tired when I needed him the most,” McCarthy said. “It was a beautiful trip, I was covered up the whole way. We were two-wide in the first turn and two-wide in the second turn and then got out at the corner, but we had no excuses today. The winner just had an even better trip than I did."

City Man, bred in New York by Moonstar Farm, banked $24,000 for his third-place finish to earn millionaire status with $1,011,120 in career purse earnings.