Roger Cimbora, Jr.’s well-known New York-bred horse, Twenty Six Black, enters Sunday’s Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint at Belmont Park with a strong and reliable track record. This six-furlong turf race for horses aged three and older promises to be competitive, with the 6-year-old War Dancer gelding, trained by Horacio De Paz, aiming to improve upon the performances of his younger New York-bred siblings, A Little At First and Raise the Roof, who both finished second here last weekend. Both siblings are also trained by De Paz for Cimbora, Jr.
A Little At First, a 3-year-old full brother with two stakes placings, finished 1¼ lengths behind the 6-year-old Conman in a state-bred optional claimer at Friday’s 1 1/16-mile turf race, while 2-year-old Raise the Roof, by Tourist, rebounded from a rough start to finish just 1½ lengths behind Captain George in a mile-long state-bred maiden race Saturday. De Paz believes that, following the path of the accomplished Twenty Six Black, both younger horses are poised to continue improving.
De Paz emphasized how Twenty Six Black developed gradually through state-bred condition races before achieving stakes success, showcasing the value of the New York-bred program. “He didn’t win right away; he placed second and third before breaking through,” said De Paz, praising the horse’s consistent maturation and loyalty. He called Twenty Six Black a crowd favorite and a testament to patient training.
Twenty Six Black earned his first stakes victory in the restricted Disco Partner Stakes last August at Saratoga and followed that with a strong third in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint. He wrapped up the season with a win over Waralo in the New York Turf Sprint Championship last October. Returning this year, Twenty Six Black narrowly lost to Waralo in the Listed Elusive Quality at Belmont before placing fourth in the Grade 1 Jaipur at Saratoga. He bounced back in July with a 2¾-length triumph in the Listed Harvey Pack Stakes at Saratoga, besting Possiblemente, who later won the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint. His most recent start came in the Grade 2 Troy Stakes on August 9, where he finished fourth in a tight race.
De Paz acknowledged that the turf conditions in the Troy Stakes didn’t suit his running style, noting that the race favored other horses, but remained confident in Twenty Six Black’s abilities on a more even playing field. The horse consistently posts fast workout times, often recording bullet workouts on the Belmont dirt training track, a routine that has clearly been effective according to De Paz. “I don’t usually like working horses that fast, but with him it really pays off,” he said, adding that Twenty Six Black is in excellent shape and ideally suited to the six-furlong distance.
Manny Franco, the leading rider of the Belmont fall meet, will again ride Twenty Six Black from post position 2.
Trainer Ned Allard is entering a formidable duo from Delaware Park in Alogon and Card Trick. Alogon, owned by the Estate of Charles T. Matses, will be making his fourth consecutive appearance in this race, having placed fourth in 2023 and third in 2024, and secured a narrow win over Bold Journey last year. The 7-year-old California Chrome gelding boasts nearly $700,000 in earnings and recently won the Laurel Dash Stakes on September 12.
Card Trick, owned by C J T Stables, has been chasing a win since February 2025 when he won a turf route race under previous trainer William Downing. Now 5 years old, the Liam’s Map gelding has made 12 starts for Allard, including a strong third-place finish in the Listed Turf Sprint at Laurel Park in May, but was fifth in the recent Laurel Dash.
Winterhawk Farm’s Spirited Sol, an 8-year-old Soldat gelding now trained by Kevin Rice, arrives in excellent form with a string of 11 consecutive in-the-money finishes. Highlights include a six-furlong win on the synthetic track at Presque Isle Downs in July and a decisive 1¼-length victory in the Da Hoss Stakes on turf at Colonial Downs in early September.
Martha Nevins and Michael Pawasarat’s Jean Valjean is expected to set a fast early pace, coming off impressive gate-to-wire wins in recent stakes races at Penn National and Saratoga. Trained by Elizabeth Merryman, this 7-year-old Uncle Lino gelding has won 10 of 24 starts with earnings nearing $400,000.
Other notable contenders include the speedy Waralo, who finished third in the Grade 2 Troy Stakes and has two turf stakes wins at six furlongs; Let My People Go, the 2024 Karl Boyes winner trained by Mike Maker; and Egyptian Mau, a three-time winner making her return after placing fifth in the Grade 2 Giant’s Causeway Stakes in April.
The Belmont Turf Sprint is Race 7 on Sunday’s nine-race card, which also features the Grade 3 Winter Memories Stakes in Race 8. Post time is set for 1:10 p.m. Eastern. General admission to Belmont Park costs $7 if purchased in advance, granting access to grandstand seating, first-floor areas, and the backyard. For more details and ticket purchases, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.
Fans can watch daily Belmont meet coverage on FOX Sports. The full broadcast schedule is available at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule/. The official betting platform for Belmont Park is NYRA Bets, accessible nationwide via its app on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
This article was first published by Paulick Report on September 23, 2026.
Fan Take: This race highlights the depth and competitiveness of New York-bred horses, showcasing how regional breeding programs can produce stakes-caliber talent. For horse racing fans, seeing horses like Twenty Six Black and his siblings continue to excel reinforces the exciting potential for local breeding to influence the sport’s future and enrich the quality of turf sprint racing.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
