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Entering today’s card, jockey John Velazquez has 3,991 career victories. Velazquez was named on five mounts today; however, Beneath the Crown was scratched from today’s fifth race.
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The 113th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Gazelle for three-year-old fillies at nine furlongs headlines the card for Saturday, September 13 Belmont Park.
Godolphin Racing’s Music Note was riding a four-race winning streak that included Grade 1 victories here in the Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks during the spring meet. The streak was halted at Saratoga Race Course when, as the favorite, she was beaten a head by Proud Spell in the Grade 1 Alabama.
Also under consideration for the Gazelle are Sovereign Stable’s Awesome I Am, Lael Stable’s Hamsa, Jeff Singer’s Never Retreat and Mercedes Stables’ Seattle Smooth.
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Juveniles will also be featured on Saturday with a pair of Grade 2 races -- the 119th running of the Futurity for two-year-olds and the 102nd running of the Matron for two-year-old fillies. Both races will be run at seven furlongs and both are worth $250,000.
Likely for the Futurity are Charitable Man, Flying Private, Friesan Fire, Girolamo, Gone Astray, High Mesa and Kensei, all of whom are recent winners.
Probable starters for the Matron are Argyle Pink, Miss Bodine, Miss Ocean City, Obsequious, On the Menu, Persistently and Saintly Rose.
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Saturday’s fourth graded stakes offering will be the 21st running of the Grade 3, $100,000-added Noble Damsel Handicap for fillies and mares at a mile on the turf.
Ballymore Lady, Chestoria, Criminologist, Say You Will (IRE), Trouble Maker and Waquoit’s Love are likely.
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Sunday’s feature race will be the 33rd running of the $100,000-added Ashley T. Cole Handicap for New York-breds, 3 and up, at nine furlongs on the inner turf course.
Al Basha, Banrock, Classic Pack, Gimme Credit, Key Event, Logic Way and Stepaside are expected.
Sunday will also offer the second Pick the Pros & Ponies Contest. It’s a free contest, in which contestants must correctly pick the winners of four designated National Football League games as well as the winners of races 3 and 5 on the day’s card for the chance to win a $1,000 prize. All entries must be in by 1 p.m.
Last week, Rich Farino of Plainview, N.Y. and Brooklynites Jim Santori, Diana Sookram and Aaron Siegel all shared in the top prize by correctly picking Wild Logic in the third race, R Betty Graybull in the fifth and NFL winners Baltimore, New York Jets, New England and Philadelphia. They all had the tiebreaker, correctly picking 34 total points in the Jets’ 20-14 victory over Miami.