Madaket Stables and Steven Bouchey’s New York-bred Caroline St. Beat made a striking impact with a decisive victory in the Grade 2 Nashville Derby on September 5 at Kentucky Downs, winning on short rest. The promising sophomore now aims to keep his momentum going in the $200,000 Hill Prince Stakes (G3), a 1 3/16-mile turf race for three-year-olds scheduled for Saturday at Belmont Park.
Under the guidance of trainer Miguel Clement, Caroline St. Beat, a son of Tiz the Law, has swiftly climbed the ranks from a state-bred maiden winner to a Grade 2 stakes winner in just five starts. He began his career impressively by winning a 1 1/16-mile race at Saratoga Race Course last August and closed out his juvenile season with a strong rally to win a one-mile state-bred event in November by 2 1/4 lengths, narrowly holding off Jaxer.
Returning in July, Caroline St. Beat finished a close second by a neck to Chummers in the state-bred Rick Violette Stakes after a gritty duel. Following this, he contested a Saratoga state-bred allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on August 29, then took on a tougher challenge a week later in the 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs. Despite expectations that he might head to Kentucky, he stayed in New York and impressively rallied from seventh to win by 1 1/2 lengths while earning the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the field at 92.
Trainer Miguel Clement credited the owners for their bold decision to race him on short rest, emphasizing the colt’s toughness, excellent appetite, strong bone structure, and impressive physical condition that make him well-suited for such challenges. Caroline St. Beat has been a consistent performer throughout his five starts, accumulating earnings of $1,175,875 — largely boosted by his lucrative Nashville Derby victory.
Bred by Lawrence Goichman, Caroline St. Beat was acquired for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale and is out of Myhartblongstodady, a multiple stakes-winning daughter of Scat Daddy. Jockey Manny Franco, who rode Caroline St. Beat in his first four races, returns to ride from post position 6.
Joining the field, Willow Pond Stable’s Lennox the Grey (post 4, ridden by Antonio Fresu) enters off a graded stakes win as well, having narrowly defeated The Big Con in the Grade 3 Old Dominion Derby on September 7 at Colonial Downs. Trainer Arnaud Delacour has been guiding this Liam’s Map gray, who boasts near-perfect form in three Colonial starts and recently earned a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure. Purchased for $130,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Lennox the Grey hails from a strong bloodline that includes multiple graded winners and is connected to this year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, Golden Tempo.
Owner Marc Keller and trainer Bobby Riabudo come into the race on a high note following their October 2 Bertram F. Bongard win with Scalene and will look for continued success with the Munnings colt Print (post 1, Ricardo Santana Jr.). Print last won an optional claiming race at Saratoga on August 29 with a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 88 and showed solid promise finishing fourth at the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes despite encountering a troubled trip. A Kentucky homebred out of the Grade 3-placed Artie Schiller mare Promotional, Print’s pedigree suggests he will handle the added distance well.
The remainder of the field includes several notable contenders: last-out Gio Ponti runner-up and stakes winner Third Coast (post 9, Jose Lezcano) trained by Tom Proctor; Old Dominion Derby third-place finisher Chambersville (post 8, Javier Castellano) trained by Ken McPeek; restricted Saranac (L) winner Heeere’s Johnny (post 3, Dylan Davis) under trainer Ray Handal; allowance winner Versailles Road (post 7, Edgard Zayas) for Todd Pletcher; and maiden winners Protect and Defend (post 2, Samuel Marin) and Bull Shoals (post 5, Kendrick Carmouche), trained by Shug McGaughey and Jena Antonucci respectively.
Fan Take: This race highlights an exciting crop of young turf talent with compelling backstories and pedigrees, signaling a bright future for turf racing in the sport. The Hill Prince Stakes could serve as a launching pad for these horses’ careers at the graded stakes level, promising thrilling competition ahead for horse racing enthusiasts.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
