The Sands Point (Grade 2)- $500.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Inner Turf
September 12, 2015

After a successful Saratoga meet, we are back in business at Belmont Park for the fall meet there.  On Saturday, the fillies will get their chance to shine in the 11th running of The Sands Point, which is a longer turf race for female three year olds.  Despite having been run ten times in the past, it hasn’t always been the same race, being run at 1 1/8 and a 1 1/16 in its lifespan, and has been run on both turf courses at the track.  The big chance is that of the purse , which sees an enormous increase.  The last four years, the purse has been $200.000, and before that it sat $150.000.  Now, we up the ante all the way up to $500.000 for the 2015 event.  The track got what they wanted with that increase; that being the decision of top trainers to bring some of the best in the game of this division to BEL.  Even with the smaller purses in past years, we have seen some top notch winners of this race before, such as Cliche (2006), Antiquated Idea (2010), Queen Lyphard (2012), and General Rose (2013).   We have a well-accomplished field of nine going postward for this race.  Let us meet the challengers!

#1- Girl Talk (Nolespan Racing, ridden by J J Castellano)- Will it rain or not?  This is a must-ask question when looking at Girl Talk’s chances.  On firm turf she has been unbeatable this year.  No, seriously, she has, winning all five her starts on firm turf since February of this year.  Then there were two races where the turf was not firm, and she finished 10th and 13th and those.  Those wins are in nothing but the best races going today for her division, including the Grade 1 Diana at beautiful Saratoga Race Course in July.  She got it done out west as well, taking the Grade 1 Gamely at SA over Memorial Day weekend.  So what will the weather hold?  There’s a 60% chance of rain on both Friday and Sunday, but on raceday, it’s only a 10% chance.

#2- Jawbone (Chili King Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- While Girl Talk doesn’t want it to rain, Chili King wouldn’t necessarily mind it.  When these two met in the Grade 1 BEL Oaks on the rainy fourth of July, Jawbone would win the race, going 2-for-2 on off tracks.  She beat Girl Talk by eleven lengths that day.  She doesn’t need it to rain though, as she does perfectly fine on firm turf as well, recently finishing second in the DMR Oaks, to Eva The Diva, who starts next to her on the other side here.   Jawbone is the only filly in this field to surpass $1,000.000 in career earnings so far in her career, and has recently been turning out some of the best SRF figures of her career.

#3- Eva The Diva (Our Athletes, ridden by J Talamo)- At the beginning of April, this filly was sold by Hawaiian Shirt Guy to Our Athletes for $500.000.   It was the kind of transaction that at the time seemed like a modest gamble, but also one that could be high dividends.  It didn’t take long for Our Athletes to start cashing in on the investment, as just eleven days after arriving in the stable, she would win the Grade 1 DMR Oaks.   It was the second graded stake win of her career, plus she also has a win in the Sunshine Millions, which is everything but an official graded race as well.  She’s a very consistent racehorse, though like Girl Talk, she would prefer it to stay firm on race day.  Eva The Diva is ready to go and should also be considered one of your favorites.

#4- You Can Do It (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- This filly by Wunununu has been able to consistently hit the board throughout her entire career.   If you’ve been putting her in exactas, you’ve been very happy with what You Can Do It, has done.  In her last race, she ran a strong 2nd in the Grade 2 Lake Placid, and also has a strong 3rd in the Grade 1 BEL Oaks.  Though in the BEL Oaks, she was beaten by Jawbone and Chateau de Versaille, and she sees both of the again.  You Can Do It has had a great career, she just needs to get that big win that has eluded her.  So far it’s just her maiden win and the $75.000 China Doll.  With this purse what it is, and against this level of competition, this would be a great day for You Can Do It, to finally do it.  She’s very capable of it.

#5- The Patriot Filly (Threshold, ridden by V Espinoza)- Back in June, The Patriot Filly finished second in the Grade 3 Regret at CD, where she was beaten by Jawbone.  To date, that is her only attempt at graded company.  Most recently, she was seen beating three other rivals in the $60.000 Little Silver Stakes at MTH, winning by a length.  This will be the toughest race of her career, and her SRF figures give me the feeling that she will come up a little short against the quality of opposition she will face. She’ll be a longshot, but you never know.

#6- Chateau de Versaille (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- This Beauty King filly has been running against many of these for a while, as most recently she was in the Grade 2 Lake Placid and the Grade 1 BEL Oaks.   She’s been able to beat those that she will see again today, and they have been able to beat her before as well.  Prior to the BEL Oaks, a race in which she finished second to Jawbone, she ran off four consecutive wins which include the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at SA, and the Grade 1 American Oaks at the end of May, the latter in which saw her win by four lengths.  Chateau de Versaille seems right on point to run the type of race that she consistently tends to run, and that will give her a great shot.   I wonder if she’ll get lost in the shuffle a little on raceday on the tote board, keep an eye on it!

#7- Lisilsaya (Sarah Stables, ridden by E J Wilson)- Felt like I just got finished watching her race, as after all she out on the track just three weeks ago in the ONT Colleen Stakes at WO.   In the race, Lisilsaya was content to trail the field most of the way, and made a powerful stretch run to get closer at the end, and only missed by a length.  I was left thinking that she needed to start that run earlier.  Well, either that, or give her another furlong to run.  The latter, she gets today.  Field-wise, it’s a much stronger race, but she was chasing Broomsticks Copy, otherwise known as the defending BC Juvenile Fillies Turf Champion, that day.  I’ll be interested in seeing how she responds in this race.

#8- Rio Tinto (Diablo Diablo, ridden by R J Albarado)- After an absolutely dominant win on the first of August, the trainer makes a big jump with his filly into the Sands Point.  However, you will not see many horses in this game win $125.000 race by seven lengths.  That is what Rio Tinto was able to do in the ungraded Victoriana Stakes at WO.  Yes, it was on soft turf, and yes, it wasn’t the strongest of four horse fields, but you don’t win by that margin in ths game without having a lot of talent.   It took some time for her to get going, needing six races to break her maiden, but she has now begun to reach her potential.  Having said all that, this is a tough race to jump into if you haven’t run against graded company before, and I have to see her as a longshot.

#9- Rose of Glamorgan (Blushing Meadows, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- On the outside, we cannot be forgetting about Rose of Glamorgan, who is the second of two Beauty King foals in this race.  (Combined these two foals make up 2/3rds of the sire’s progeny earnings).  She too, is coming off a win in a Grade 1, with her victory being last month at the Beverly D at AP, defeating the likes of Tight Pockets and Attraction.   She didn’t seem to like the good turf at the BEL Oaks any more then Girl Talk did, and had a forgettable finish there, but other then that Rose of Glamorgan has been able to get into the money on a consistent basis.  This will be the fourth consecutive race in which I Ortiz Jr will be aboard.  She has a great chance, as was the case with Chateau de Versaille, watch the odds board on her in case people have their minds made up before reading all the way down the program.

Prediction: 2-1-6-9

— NS

Categories: Grade II