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Fionn (outside) runs down Nitrogen to win the Belmont Oaks (NYRA/Coglianese)
Mary Eddy/NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – George Messina and Michael Lee’s Fionn ran down post-time favorite Nitrogen under a well-timed ride from Flavien Prat to win Saturday’s featured Grade 1, $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, a nine-furlong Mellon turf test for sophomore fillies, on Day Three of the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
“I didn’t know we had it, until obviously they posted the numbers, but I felt like she hit the wire [first],” dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox said. “At the wire, it looked like she had her nose down.”
The daughter of Twirling Candy was the second graded stakes-winner on the card for her sire after the 4-year-old Think Big took the Grade 3 Kelso in Race 10.
Fionn’s final time of 1:44.84 lowered the previous Mellon turf record of 1:45.06 set by In Italian in the 2022 Grade 1 Diana. The win also marked the fifth on the card for the red-hot Flavien Prat, who rode the filly for the first time in the afternoon. Impressively, this is the third consecutive July 4th weekend that has seen Prat post a five-win day, the last two coming on the Independence Day cards.
The reigning Eclipse Award-winning rider’s other wins on the card came in Race 3, the Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford, aboard Obliteration, in Race 5 aboard National Archive, in Race 6 with Embrace Time, and in Race 8 with Twisted Filigree.
“It’s great, honestly. It’s funny the Fourth of July the previous two years I had five winners and it’s one day late, but it’s all good,” Prat said, with a laugh.
“I’ve got great support. I’m riding good horses,” Prat added. “It’s always good to start the day with a winner. You win your first ride, and you get into a good rhythm and everything clicks. It gives you good mojo for the rest of the day.”
Prat secured his 43rd win of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, which includes statistics from the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the four-day July 4th Racing Festival that were both held at Saratoga. The victory clinched his first New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) riding title as he holds a nine-win advantage over Irad Ortiz, Jr., who is named in seven races on Sunday.
Fionn emerged from post 5-of-7 and brushed with Virgin Colada to her inside before settling about four lengths off the pace set by Opulent Restraint, who bounded to the front with Totally Justified and Nitrogen following through the opening quarter-mile in 23.12 seconds over the firm footing.
Opulent Restraint was well clear down the backstretch and through the half-mile in 46.75 before Nitrogen crept closer under Jose Ortiz to match strides with Totally Justified and Fionn steadily followed her run.
“Maybe a little bit closer than expected, but Flavien let her get some early position, which I think was good,” Cox said of the trip. “He kind of kept Nitrogen in sight, I thought that was key. Going up the backside, when they threw up the 46 and change, I thought, ‘we have something to run into here.'”
Totally Justified spun her wheels as three-quarters elapsed in 1:10.10 and Hall of Famer Joel Rosario was still a statue aboard Opulent Restraint. With Nitrogen bearing down on the outside of the pacesetter, Fionn was three-wide and growing closer with every stride.
A stubborn Opulent Restraint was reluctant to relinquish the lead to Nitrogen with the mile clocked in 1:33.14, but the heavy favorite inched past Opulent Restraint inside the final eighth with Fionn in hot pursuit.
Nitrogen gave her all as Ortiz implored her for more, but there was no denying the momentum of Fionn as she got her nose down first on the wire in the record final time.
“When we turned for home, I was riding her, and she wasn’t responding much but she swapped leads and leveled off nice,” Prat explained. “I tapped her a few times with the crop, and she responded at that point. I thought I was making a run, but I didn’t know if I was going to go by, but I thought she was making a good run.”
Opulent Restraint finished another three-quarter lengths back in third with the poor-starting May Day Ready finding her best stride late to rally for fourth. Warming, Virgin Colada and Totally Justified completed the order of finish.
Cox, who won his first Belmont Oaks, said Fionn’s victory over the streaking Nitrogen was legitimate.
“I guess she ended up going off second choice, that is the way I felt it looked on paper, but she stepped up and ran big today,” Cox said. “I was watching some replays this morning and I thought maybe Nitrogen has to stub her toe in order for us to beat her, but I think we beat her fair and square today. I think Flavien once again did a good job keeping her in his sight and needed the whole mile and an eighth to get by, and [it was a] big effort.”
Co-owner Michael Lee said the $75,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale has proven to be the bargain of a lifetime.
“It was outstanding. This is my first Grade 1 winner,” Lee said. “George [Messina] and I have been partners for just about two years and we have only owned a few horses, and this was a relatively inexpensive purchase for 75,000 dollars and I just can’t believe we are winning a Grade 1 right now.”
The next local spot in this division is the 1 3/16-mile Grade 2, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 9, which Cox said is a possibility for Fionn.
“It is back in around four weeks, so we’ll let her come out of it and see how she moves for it in the next few weeks,” Cox said. “She will definitely stay here, but that would be the logical spot.”
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse was pleased with the effort from Nitrogen, who suffered her first loss of the year after five consecutive stakes scores. Casse said he is still committed to targeting the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales at 10 furlongs on the dirt on August 16 here.
“He [Jose Ortiz] said when he asked her, she responded but the other filly kind of had the momentum on her. He felt like he had the horse on the lead all the time,” Casse said. “I said going in whether we win, lose or whatever, we have to go to the Alabama, probably moreso now. She ran well.”
Fionn doubled up on graded victories after a last-out score in the Grade 3 Regret in May at Churchill Downs. She has never finished off the board in seven outings, which also includes an additional stakes win in the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial in March at Fair Grounds Race Course. Bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms, Fionn banked $275,000 in victory while returning $14.40 on a $2 win wager.
Live racing resumes Sunday for Closing Day of Saratoga’s July 4th Racing Festival with a 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
