Bellamore (center, star on blue cap) battles eventual winner Going to Vegas (#3 inside) and Family Way (#7 outside) for third in the Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita October 8, 2022. (Benoit Photo)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Kaleem Shah’s dual Grade 1-placed Bellamore seeks her first stakes conquest in Friday’s $150,000 Turnback the Alarm, a nine-furlong test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The 5-year-old daughter of Empire Maker was last seen making her first start for trainer Carlos Santamaria with a game third-place effort in the Grade 1 Spinster on October 8 at Keeneland. There, she raced in fifth down the backstretch and put in a bid into the final turn but could not reel in the victorious Grade 1 Personal Ensign-winner Idiomatic and settled for show honors 6 3/4 lengths back. The effort was awarded a 90 Beyer Speed Figure and saw her finish 4 1/2 lengths ahead of reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Nest.
“She gave a great performance and ran very well,” said Santamaria. “I was pretty happy with the way she ran. She had had three months since her last race, and we just wanted to hit the board. I was like, ‘If I can run third, I’ll be super happy.’ She came out of it great, and I think she’ll be tough in here.”
Santamaria said the Turnback the Alarm is likely to be Bellamore’s final career start as she is catalogued as Hip 211 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on November 7.
“She’s entered in the sale and before her last race, we were thinking maybe that would be her last race, but she came out so good, we decided to go to this one,” said Santamaria. “The plan right now is to run in this race and retire her.”
Bellamore made her first two outings for trainer Chad Brown in 2020 before moving west to the barn of Simon Callaghan and graduating last February in a one-mile tilt over synthetic at Golden Gate Fields. She went on to pick up two wins against optional claiming company before moving up to the stakes ranks on the turf and finishing third in the CTT and TOC at Del Mar and a close third in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita Park. She completed her campaign with a third in the Grade 3 Falls City on dirt at Churchill Downs.
This year, the dark bay kicked off her season with placings in the Latonia over the Turfway Park synthetic and the Grade 2 Santa Maria over the main track at Santa Anita. After a fading fifth in the Grade 1 Gamely on turf, she returned to the main track to cross the finish line second in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Ellis Park where she finished three-quarter lengths behind Pauline’s Pearl and a neck ahead of A Mo Reay but was disqualified and placed behind the latter.
Santamaria, who worked for Callaghan for several years and helped condition the Shah co-owned multiple Grade 1-winner Bellafina, said his relationship with the connections led to him training Bellamore for the final stretch of her career.
“She has a lot of ability and after she ran at Ellis Park, they decided to send her over to me,” said Santamaria. “I worked for Simon for a few years and worked with a lot of Kaleem Shah’s horses, so that’s why he gave me the opportunity to run her in my name.”
Bellamore earned a 102 Equibase Speed Figure for her allowance win by a 1/2 length over multiple-stakes winner Eddie’s New Dream at Del Mar July 22, 2022.
Bellamore has turned in two bullet works at Churchill Training since her Spinster effort, most recently covering five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Friday under jockey Martin Garcia, who has ridden her in six of her starts.
“Martin has been on her the past couple of works, and he just loves her,” said Santamaria. “She’s pretty fit and she’s been breezing really fast.”
Bellamore is a half-sister to stakes-winner Victory Formation and was a $350,000 purchase at the 2020 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Jose Lezcano has been tasked with the ride from post 1.
Flurry Racing Stables’ Interstatedaydream [post 3, Trevor McCarthy] enters from rallying 2 1/2-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Twixt on September 30 at Laurel Park when closing from 6 1/2 lengths off the pace. Trained by Brad Cox, the multiple graded stakes-winning daughter of Classic Empire has finished on-the-board in 12-of-13 lifetime outings and vies for the fifth stakes score of her career.
The 4-year-old bay notched graded wins last year in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico Race Course and Grade 3 Indiana Oaks at Horseshoe Indianapolis, adding to placings in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland and the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga Race Course.
This year, Interstatedaydream has displayed versatility in her running style, taking the Allaire Dupont Distaff in wire-to-wire fashion in May at Pimlico ahead of three rallying efforts that included her Twixt score and two other stakes placings.
Out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Babcock, Interstatedaydream was a $175,000 purchase at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and is a half-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Emmeline. Her second dam, Captivating, was named the Canadian Broodmare of the Year in 2013 and, in addition to Babcock, produced multiple graded stakes-winner Uncaptured and multiple stakes-winner and producer Dancing Raven.
LC Racing, Cash is King and Gary Barber’s Morning Matcha [post 4, Mychel Sanchez] steps back into open company after making her last two starts against fellow Pennsylvania-breds at Parx Racing. Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the 4-year-old daughter of New York sire Central Banker arrives off a close runner-up effort in the Plum Pretty on September 23 where she launched a strong rally from last-of-9 but could not catch the victorious One More Kelly.
The multiple graded stakes-placed bay boasts field-best earnings of $812,990 and earned a Grade 1 placing when finishing a closing second to Society in last year’s Cotillion at Parx. She owns three additional graded placings and two stakes scores for a record of 22-5-7-6, and has won at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs to one mile and 70 yards.
Completing the field are KimDon Racing’s Tizzy in the Sky [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche], who enters off a local optional claiming victory by 9 3/4 lengths on October 4 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; and Juddmonte’s dual-winning homebred Fireline [post 5, Feargal Lynch], who finished second in the optional claimer won by Tizzy in the Sky last out for trainer Chad Brown.
The Turnback the Alarm is slated as Race 3 on Friday’s 10-race card, which also features the $150,000 Discovery in Race 9. First post is 12:15 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
