A field of eight three-year-old fillies go in Saturday’s $200,000 Sands Point (G2) at Belmont Park. (Photo credit: Bigstock.com).
Three-year-old fillies take center stage at Belmont Park on Saturday with the $200,000 Sands Point with trainer Chad Brown sending out a pair of contenders.
Brown has won the race in three of the last four years including last year with Tamahere. He will saddle 2-1 morning line favorite Higher Truth who was second in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational and Fluffy Socks (7-2) who was third in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) in her last start.
“She’s training quite well. She should show a late-closing turn of foot,” Brown said of Fluffy Socks, who will have Joel Rosario aboard.
The filly with the best shot of stopping Brown is the Graham Motion trained Harajuku. The filly made her debut in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational where she veered outward and lost a few lengths to the rest of the field and rallied for third.
She was previously trained by Andre Fabre and after Ryan Moore rode her last out, Junior Alvarado picks up the call on Saturday.
Jockey Club Oaks Replay
Runaway Rumour (8-1) will offer some decent value if she goes off near her 8-1 morning line. She was third in the Pebbles in her last outing at Belmont Park going a mile for trainer Jorge Abreu.
“She shows up every time she runs and it’s been against open [company],” Abreu said. “She always shows up. Last time, she was compromised with the post position in a big field of horses. She was maneuvering herself around there.”
The Sands Point is the sixth race on the 10-race card and will be televised on FS2.
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Let’s head out to Belmont Park for Saturday’s featured race of the day:
Belmont Park Race 6 The Sands Point G2 3:15 ET
3 Harajuku 3-1
7 Fluffy Socks 7-2
5 Higher Truth 2-1
4 Runaway Rumour 8-1
Harajuku
She made her U.S. debut in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational here going 1 3/8 miles. She broke from the outside and veered outward costing her about three lengths. She raced in last behind a slow pace came off the inside in the stretch and could not get to the top pair late in a third-place finish. Two back she was a close up fourth in the Prix de la Nonette (G2) at Deauville in France, beaten just a half-length going 1 ¼ miles. She was beaten a neck for third by Rougir, who came back to win the Prix de l’Opera Longines (G1) in her next start. She makes her first start here after landing with the Motion barn and the cut back to nine furlongs should suit her. She should break better here, getting a good tracking trip and have enough punch in the stretch to beat this group.
Fluffy Socks
The Brown trainee is 0 for 4 this year, last out coming with a good late run to finish third in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) at nine furlongs. Two back she came with a good late rally to finish in the runner up spot in the Lake George (G3) at Saratoga going a mile. The winner of that race was Technical Analysis who won the Lake Placid (G2) in her next start while the third-place finisher Toby’s Heart won the Music City at Kentucky Downs next out. It looks as if the Brown trainee is going to get enough pace to run at in this spot.
Higher Truth
This gal is also sent out by Brown. She was the beaten favorite in the Jockey Club Oaks where she set the early fractions could not hold off Shantisara late in a runner up finish, beaten a half-length. The winner goes later today in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland and is 7-2 on the morning line. She competed in all three filly turf races here in New York and did not win but ran well in each outing, a second two back in the Saratoga Oaks (G3) and a third behind repeat winner Santa Barbara in the Belmont Oaks (G1). She owns solid numbers and Brown has won this race in three of the last four years. Not much separates the top four in here and this gal is likely going to be a short price.
