Lindy Farms, AC Crawford Farms, Glen Hill Farm, and Ice Wine Stable’s Ashikidah are set to make her U.S. stakes debut this Sunday in the $175,000 Forever Together, a 1 1/16-mile turf race on the Widener course at Belmont Park for fillies and mares aged three and older.
The 4-year-old Belardo filly, trained by Philip Antonacci, began her career in France under Francis-Henri Graffard, making eight starts with her last four over seven furlongs. She notably won the Prix Kaldoun at Saint-Cloud last September. Antonacci acquired Ashikidah for $465,728 at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale. “In France, with Francis, she always showed a sharp turn of foot,” Antonacci said. He added that the filly’s seven-furlong European races should translate well to races ranging from a mile to a mile and a sixteenth here, making her a perfect candidate to bring stateside.
Ashikidah, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. from post 3, has had two U.S. starts at Saratoga under Tyler Gaffalione in optional claiming races over a mile. She finished a strong fourth in her seasonal debut on July 9, overcoming an outside post eight to trail just behind stablemate Queen of Hawaii. On August 5, she broke from post 1 in a seven-horse field and settled nicely behind the pace. Gaffalione urged her at the top of the stretch, and she powered away to a 3/4-length victory over Grade 3 winner Tirupati, clocking a 1:35.71 finish and earning a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
Antonacci praised Gaffalione’s tactical ride in that win, calling it a marked improvement over her first U.S. performance where luck wasn’t on her side. “She’s a filly who continues to improve,” Antonacci stated. “Now that we’re out of conditions races, it’s time to test her in stakes company and see where she stands.” He also expressed enthusiasm about starting his first stakes runner at the new Belmont Park, praising the venue’s top-tier facilities and the excitement surrounding the meet.
Ashikidah is a daughter of More Than Ready mare Ashtaneh, with her third dam Asharna being a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Ashkalani.
Among Ashikidah’s rivals, trainer Chad Brown is sending Klaravich Stables’ two strong contenders—defending champion Oversubscribed, a 5-year-old Too Darn Hot mare (post 1, Flavien Prat), and Grade 1 winner Dynamic Pricing, a 5-year-old Night of Thunder bay mare (post 7, Manny Franco). Oversubscribed, who won the Listed Wild Applause at three and the Forever Together last year, finished second by three-quarters of a length to And One More Time in the Listed Plenty of Grace back in April and aims to extend her stakes-winning streak across seasons. Dynamic Pricing captured the Grade 1 Just a Game last June and also won the Grade 3 Beaugay and Listed Perfect Sting, holding earnings over $1 million through 15 starts. She has made three starts this year, including a close runner-up spot to City Girl in the Beaugay.
Also competing is Destino d’Oro, trained by dual Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox for Steve Landers Racing. The 4-year-old Bolt d’Oro filly enters with a three-race winning streak after a break of over six months. She has six wins from nine lifetime starts and nearly a million dollars in earnings. Destino d’Oro is a daughter of the Grade 1-placed Lion Heart mare Heart of Destiny, most recently winning the Grade 2 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay on March 7.
Cheyenne Stables’ 5-year-old Lope de Vega mare Ozara (post 5, Samuel Marin) brings a record of $679,939 in earnings and 19 starts with 8 wins, trained by Miguel Clement. Ozara won several stakes last year including the Monroe and divisions of the De La Rose and Ballston Spa. She kicked off this season with a victory in the Listed Miss Liberty at Monmouth but has placed sixth in three graded races since. She was acquired for $416,346 in the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and is out of Cercle d’Or, a half-sister to the multiple Grade 1 winner Golden Horn.
Rounding out the field are Pennsylvania-bred stakes winner Modarosa (post 6, Kendrick Carmouche) trained by Riley Mott and four-time winner Table Flirt (post 2, John Velazquez) representing Hall of Famer Bill Mott.
The Forever Together will be the eighth race on Sunday’s nine-race card, with first post at 1:10 p.m. Eastern. FOX Sports networks will provide daily coverage and analysis of Belmont’s fall meet. For full broadcast details, visit the NYRA website. NYRA Bets remains the official betting platform for Belmont and offers the best way to wager throughout the fall meet with its mobile app available nationwide.
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on September 16, 2026, where it appeared in the News section.
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Fan Take: This highly competitive field underscores the growing strength and depth of turf fillies and mares racing in the U.S. Ashikidah’s European pedigree and proven turf speed against established American stars could shape an exciting new chapter in international competition, drawing greater fan interest and elevating the sport’s global profile.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
