Fierceness scoring the Alysheba. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Baeza Arrives at Saratoga for G1 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Notes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Derrick Smith, Repole Stable, Michael Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier’s multiple Grade 1-winner Fierceness turned in his final breeze for the June 7 Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap when covering a half-mile in company with Tuscan Sky on Friday over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma training track. The Met Mile offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
The 4-year-old City of Light bay posted his third work since winning the Grade 2 Alysheba on May 2 at Churchill Downs, covering the half-mile in 49.74 seconds before galloping out in 1:02 and 3/5, according to NYRA clockers.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said the work was what he was hoping to see from the 2023 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.
“I thought it was great. He’s a very impressive horse to watch breeze and it seems like he does everything so effortless,” Pletcher commented. “He shipped in, and everything has gone according to plan. We got in three breezes and we’re just trying to keep him in as good of shape as he was going into the Alysheba.”
G1 Met Mile contender FIERCENESS (outside) worked a half-mile in 49.74 in company with Tuscan Sky this morning. Read more about the work – with comments from trainer Todd Pletcher – in today’s NYRA notes: https://t.co/rfRp3WJOeq pic.twitter.com/Ws6Dh1g61f
— Mary Eddy (@singmysongbird) May 30, 2025
Bred by Repole Stable, Fierceness returns to the scene of two memorable victories last summer in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers over subsequent Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna and the Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun over eventual Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Sierra Leone.
In the Met Mile, to be contested out of the Spa’s Wilson Chute, Fierceness will meet a stacked field that is likely to include 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic victor White Abarrio, Group 2 Godolphin Mile-winner Raging Torrent, and the peaking Just a Touch, among others.
FIERCENESS is getting his spa day on…at the Spa! pic.twitter.com/lIvapHUDnH
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) May 25, 2024
One horse Fierceness is doubtful to face in the Met Mile is his stablemate Mindframe, who is most likely heading to the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 28 at Churchill for owners St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable.
The Constitution dark bay also worked on the Oklahoma just moments after Fierceness, covering a half-mile in 50 seconds flat in company with Valentinian. Mindframe was last seen winning the Grade 1 Churchill Downs at its namesake course on May 3 in a breakthrough victory after finishing a close second to Dornoch in last year’s Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets here and the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell at Monmouth Park.
Morning workouts at the Oklahoma Training Track! FIERCENESS (outside) breezing 4F with stablemate and potential #BelmontStakes contender MINDFRAME. pic.twitter.com/xCdEkZ0KmT
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) May 26, 2024
“I thought it was very good also,” Pletcher said of Mindframe’s work. “I’ll get with Mike [Repole] and St. Elias and we’ll make a final decision, but we’re probably leaning towards the Stephen Foster. He’s a really fun horse to train.”
@acacia_clement caught up with @PletcherRacing for updates on FIERCENESS and MINDFRAME. Hear about their progress and plans leading up to the Belmont Stakes! pic.twitter.com/oY4GpvMllg
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) May 25, 2024
Pletcher later sent out the pair of Grand Sonata and Bulldoze to work a half-mile in company over the Oklahoma turf as they each target engagements at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
“They both went really well,” Pletcher said. “They seemed to both get over it nicely. We got a good gallop-out from Grand Sonata, which we were hoping for since he’ll be in the two-mile race.”
Grand Sonata, a course-record winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Turf Cup in September at Kentucky Downs, is pointing to the two-mile Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup on June 6 while Bulldoze, a nine-furlong maiden-winner in March, is targeting the Grade 3, $300,000 Pennine Ridge on June 7.
Other recent workers for Pletcher include dual Grade 1-winner Locked, who on Wednesday posted his first work since an even fourth to Fierceness in the Alysheba. The 4-year-old son of Gun Runner is targeting the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban presented by Subourbon on July 4 here, and worked a half-mile over the Oklahoma in 53.53.
On Thursday evening, co-owner Mike Repole took to the social media platform ‘X’ to poll the racing community on the possibility of starting two-time winner Uncaged in the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.
“Repole Nation what do you think,” Repole said in the post. “Could be a 6-horse field.”
Uncaged, co-owned by WinStar Farm, was last seen finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 10 at Belmont at the Big A.
Pletcher said Bobby Flay and James Ventura’s Sir Barton-winner Crudo is “not completely ruled out” of the Belmont Stakes.
“I hope to work him tomorrow and make a decision after that,” Pletcher said.
Baeza Arrives at Saratoga for G1 Belmont Stakes
C R K Stable and Grandview Equine’s multiple graded stakes-placed Baeza arrived at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday evening to prepare for his upcoming start in the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 7, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by John Shirreffs, the 3-year-old McKinzie colt arrived at 8:45 p.m. from California along with the Doug O’Neill-trained Raging Torrent, who is a top contender in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar.
BAEZA has arrived in Saratoga!
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) May 30, 2025
The half-brother to @KentuckyDerby winner MAGE and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner DORNOCH is here ahead of this year’s Belmont Stakes, presented by @NYRABets! pic.twitter.com/3pYLFTR4a3
“He looks pretty bright coming off the van,” said Shirreffs on Friday evening.
Baeza graduated at third asking in a one-mile maiden special weight on February 14 at Santa Anita Park. He followed with a three-quarter-length second on April 5 in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, which was won by eventual Grade 1 Preakness Stakes-winner Journalism.
Last out, Baeza exited the outermost post 19 in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and closed from 15th and 11 lengths off the pace to finish third after a troubled trip in the Classic event won by Sovereignty by 1 1/2-lengths over Journalism, who was a neck better than Baeza. The top-three finishers from the Kentucky Derby are all currently in Saratoga and likely to square off once more in the Belmont Stakes.
Baeza stretching out before the $500,000 (GI) Santa Anita Derby. The half-brother to Kentucky Derby champion Mage and Belmont Stakes champion Dornoch, this regally bred son of McKinzie hopes to follow in his family’s footsteps and punch his ticket for the Kentucky Derby.… pic.twitter.com/3BwYlNBdCZ
— Santa Anita Park (@santaanitapark) April 4, 2025
“I thought he ran really well,” Shirreffs said of the Derby effort. “If you were to run it another time and with a little bit better luck…if he gets an opening a little sooner and gets to make his move a little earlier, it could have been a whole different story.”
Shirreffs said the Belmont Stakes should be an enticing spectacle for racing fans.
“I’ve watched Journalism all winter and we raced against him in the Santa Anita Derby – he’s a very nice horse,” said Shirreffs, who sent out Tiago to a third-place finish in the 2007 Belmont Stakes. “I hadn’t seen Sovereignty until I saw him in the paddock, and he was a very impressive physical presence there. So, I think that’s three really nice horses.”
Shirreffs, who will look for a second Classic score following Giacomo’s upset score in the 2005 Kentucky Derby, indicated that following a Friday walk day, Baeza would return to regular training and also visit the paddock to get better acquainted with the Spa.
“We’ll give him a chance to see everything, get a feeling for where he is and find his way to the track to develop a little security for him for him to know where he is at,” Shirreffs said.
Baeza, out of 2024 Broodmare of the Year Puca, is a half-brother to last year’s Belmont Stakes-winner Dornoch and 2023 Kentucky Derby-victor Mage. The $1.2 million purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale looks to follow in Dornoch’s footsteps to become half-siblings to win consecutive Belmonts, like Jazil and the filly Rags to Riches from 2006-07. Baeza has banked $648,500 via a 5-1-2-1 record.
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