The NY- Grade 2 ($750.000 Purse)
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Inner Turf
June 4, 2021

Everyone will be watching what goes on at BEL over the weekend, and the excitement will begin on Friday as 17th running of The NY takes place. The race offers a large purse for older females to get their hands on, and the $750.000 in which it runs for represents the second highest amount in the history of the stake. That might be a nice way of saying that the purse is cut from the $1,000.000 of 2020, but prior to that it had been a $500.000 and a $600.000 purse, with even lower amounts in early days. We initially had ten horses get entered, and now we are down to a field of nine and among them is last year’s winner, Maggie Greene. No horse has ever won this race more than once, so she can make some history here. Let’s take a look at her, and those looking to steal her crown!

#1- Hallowed Halls (Rock Creek, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- This filly has had many opportunities to prove herself at this level, and she has done decently at it. What she lacks though, is a graded win, as the signature win is still a $75.000 ungraded stake from FG last year. Despite that, she has been hitting the board regularly in the graded ranks, and comes here off of the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay, where she was third on this race track. Often finds herself near the back to start, and hopes to come on strong at the end, so we’ll need to be watching for her in the stretch.

#2- Too Scared To Party- Scratched

#3- Intanga Rose (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- After a tough stretch in the summer months last year, Intanga Rose has blossomed nicely with three big wins, including the Grade 1 American Oaks at SA the day after Christmas. She has not won since then, running second to Fomalhaut in an open allowance, and then not being able to see firm turf afterwards. What is interesting about her is the American Oaks is the only other time she has run more than a mile and a sixteenth, as that race is also at this ten furlong distance. Things should be looking up for her here.

#4- Quest For Fame (Rheingold Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- This mare has made many trips to the winners circle over her career, winning eight of 21 starts, and she continues to put forth consistent efforts. Earned a graded win earlier this year down at GP when she won The Fox (Grade 3) in February. Ran decently on soft going at the Grade 1 Wiley in her only start since then, and cannot be overlooked in this field, which I sense she might. Worth good consideration to put in a trifecta.

#5- Sweetness (High Voltage, ridden by L Saez)- Certainly not a bad horse, but leaves me wanting a little more when comparing her to her rivals in The NY. Her last victory was last June, when she won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly at WO. Occasionally she’ll throw in a bad race, but for the most part she has been a reliable horse to finish in the top three. Going against some big names here, though, so will need to be at her best. She has it in her, so don’t let the odds board get too high on her without taking a shot.

#6- All By Myself (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Last month at odds of 148/1, All By Myself finished second in The Ruffian Handicap. At that time, she was making her stake debut, so it was likely easy to overlook her. Also, the fact that she only has two wins in now 15 starts could turn people away here, as well. By the way, if you were thinking, ‘isn’t The Ruffian Handicap on dirt?’, that is correct. She’s had a lot of experience on the grass though and has performed well in the races she has been in. Has a tough task here, too, but she’s played the spoiler here before.

#7- Forbidden Blush (Smokey Stover, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- You simply cannot deny that this Good Authority filly comes into the race hot. She has won her last five, starting with an open allowance at GG, and then seeing her successfully rise through the ranks. Her last two wins have been in the Grade 3 Santa Ana, and then moving on to the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay. In the latter, she defeated Maggie Greene and Hallowed Halls. She loves going longer distances, and she loves going out to the front. Now, she looks to take another step forward, and she should be ready to roll!

#8- Maggie Greene (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R Bejarano)- Looking to become the first horse to win The NY more than once, but this one will be just as hard as the last one likely was. Since winning the race, Maggie Greene continued to be very successful, and won the BC Fillies and Mares Turf last November. So far in 2021, she has raced three times and managed to win once, taking the Grade 3 Orchid at GP. Last month, she was second in the Sheepshead Bay, beaten by two lengths by Forbidden Blush. Maggie Greene will certainly be up for revenge in this one!

#9- Number Nine (Spankys Barn, ridden by D Van Dyke)- I covered this filly in her last race, the Grade 3 Bewitch at KEE, and was very impressed in the way that she won the race. It seemed very methodical in the way she went out to the front, and simply kept all competitors behind her over the twelve furlongs. That would be her second consecutive win, and she should be well rested to run again here. After seeing such a strong race, I cannot see any reason why she will not run a gem here as well, and perhaps it is a good omen that Number Nine, will actually be, number nine. A possible thing to watch here is whether or not her and Forbidden Blush go at it against one another right from the gate.

#10- Deep Atonement (Nakamura Stables, ridden by V R Carrasco)- On the outside, this Pocono General filly has won three of her last four races.. Two of them are open allowances, but she does come out of a win in the Grade 3 Beaugay right here last night, beating in Intanga Rose in the process. Looks like she has pulled out of a funk that set her back in late 2020, and now she faces a tough task from the type of post she does not have a lot of experience in running from.

Prediction: 9-7-8-4

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES