Streaking Flagstaff chasing third straight win at True North on Friday – Horse Racing News

By Randall Perry On Jun 1, 2021

Flagstaff (blue shadow roll) cranks forward to take on the G1 Churchill Downs stakes

Class 1 winner Flagstaff defeated Eclipse prizewinner Whitmore last in an exhilarating finish and will attempt to win his third straight stakes race as part of a seven horse field in Class 2 on Friday, $ 300,000 True North for 4-year-olds sprint 6 1/2 stadiums on the main track in Belmont Park.

The 43rd edition of the True North is one of five appearances on the Friday ticket as part of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which starts Thursday through Saturday and is highlighted by the 153rd edition of the Note 1 valued at $ 1.5 million is Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

At the True North, Flagstaff, owned by Lane’s End Racing and Hronis Racing, will earn its first Grade 1 score of his career when he graduated on Jan.

John Sadler’s trainee started his 2021 campaign with fourth place in the King Cotton, before receiving his first black guy as a seven-year-old third in the Hot Springs. The Speightstown son then scored 1 1/4 Commonwealth Grade 3 points at Keeneland on April 3, going seven stages before being the last to head a 12 horse field.

“It was great, he did two dynamite races in Kentucky,” said Sadler. “Both races were seven stadiums, but we think 6 1/2 stadiums should be good for him too.”

Flagstaff hadn’t ridden until he was 4 and made up for lost time, winning stakes at the age of 5, 6 and 7. After making the majority of its launches in California, Flagstaff will ship to New York for the first time. Lot 2 draw. Luis Saez, on board for the victory at Churchill Downs, will have the return obligation.

“He has almost no bad races in his form,” said Sadler. “He’s just a nice, honest horse and has run excellent horses the whole time. He is well bred and a gelding, so we try to take good care of him and make him durable. “

Mr. Amore Stable’s Firenze Fire, Grade 3 Runhappy winner, who completed six stages in Belmont on May 8, has posted Beyer numbers of 90 or better in six of his last seven starts for the Kelly Breen Conditioner.

Firenze Fire won last year’s edition of the True North, surpassing Stan the Man, and is 6-1-0 in nine career starts at Belmont, including three straight wins on the track, and has not lost at Elmont since fourth in Class 1 Carter Handicap on Big Sandy last June.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. won the race on board the Firenze Fire in 2020 and will ride again by breaking off the track.

Long Lake Stable and Madaket Stables’ Looking At Bikinis defeated the optional claimers, who last walked seven stadiums in Belmont on April 24, and will return to the Stakes Company for the first time in four starts for four-time Eclipse award winner Chad Brown.

The son of Lookin At Lucky finished 11th at the 2019 Grade 1 Travers last year and crowned his 3-year year with a fourth place at the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in December at the Big A. After driving only twice in 2020, Looking At Bikinis recently earned a 94 Beyer in his 5 year old arch. He will now try to improve to 4-on-4 at Belmont.

“It’s one of those things that he got a grant on there and no longer has any terms to work on and you try him,” Brown said. “I thought it would be an easy place for him between this and the Met Mile. Hopefully with the cutback he will get a strong pace and a clean outside ride where he can run a run. “

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will be in the irons from post 5.

“He’s a fun horse,” said Brown. “Sometimes he shows up and drives great races and sometimes he makes us scratch our heads. A wet track should be fine for him if it happens. “

Phat Man, fifth on Churchill Downs last, will look for his first stakes win since 2020 Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper at Gulfstream Park in January. Phat Man was trained by Kent Sweezey and has not been with Belmont since 2017.
Owned by Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing and Two Rivers Racing Stable, Phat Man is set to break out of the 7th far post with Joel Rosario aboard.

American Power, trained by Rob Atras, won the Caixa Eletronica in March at Aqueduct and returns to the stakes competition on April 24th in Belmont after finishing second against optional claimers. Kendrick Carmouche rides from Post 4.

Trainer Linda Rice is sending two contenders in Big Engine, third in the Affirmed Success on April 23 in Belmont, and Wicked Trick, who finished fourth in True North last year and second in his first stakes appearance in 2021, the grade 3 Westchester on May 1st in Belmont, behind 2020 Belmont Stakes runner-up, Dr. Post.

“Hopefully he can improve on his last attempt; he’ll be dealing with this class, ”said Rice. “But we thought it would be an interesting place for us.”

Eric Cancel will drive Big Engine from Post 3 while Jose Lezcano has the call to Wicked Trick on Post 6.

“Like Wicked Trick, Big Engine has experience on this track, which definitely helps,” said Rice.

The True North is named after the 1945 fall heavyweight handicap winner and will be run as Race 7 on Friday at 4:07 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m.