Arzak shakes off challenge from Magic Mischief for victory. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Michael Trombetta has entered a pair of turf sprinters for 5 1/2-furlong graded stakes events during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, including multiple graded-stakes winner Arzak in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing in Race 9 and last-out stakes-winner Future Is Now in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions in Race 9.
Sonata Stable’s Arzak [post 2, Jaime Torres, 7-2ML] will look to keep the ball rolling after his successful seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Shakertown at Saturday’s distance on April 6 over good turf at Keeneland. The one-length score over returning foe Mischief Magic, who is among an overflow field, came in his first start since a sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November at Santa Anita Park.
“It is a hugely competitive race. It is basically a Breeders’ Cup race,” said Trombetta regarding the Grade 1 Jaipur. “We are hoping he can show up and have a good performance. I think he’s pretty versatile, the only thing that would be an unknown would be if we get a lot of rain, like yielding or something, but other than that he seems to handle whatever we throw at him.”
Before last year’s Breeders’ Cup attempt, the 6-year-old Not This Time horse upset a Saratoga allowance in August and the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in October. The chestnut seemed to return to his 4-year-old form, where he captured Woodbine Racetrack’s Grade 3 Jacques Cartier before a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Highlander there.
“He just put it all together at the second half of last season. It was nice to see that we were able to do that,” said Trombetta.
The Jaipur offers a ‘Win and You’re In’ berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint which will be contested at five furlongs in November at Del Mar.
Bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, Arzak, out of the Tapit mare Delightful Melody, boasts a record of 25-8-3-1 with $824,019 in earnings,
R. Larry Johnson’s Maryland homebredfilly Future Is Now [post 5, Paco Lopez, 8-1ML] looks to make the grade after a 2 1/4-length closing score in the The Very One on May 17 over good turf at Pimlico Race Course. The 4-year-old Great Notion bay was awarded a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the five-furlong stakes score.
“Yet again, a very, very good race. We are all going to try and take a shot to beat the favorite [Roses for Debra, 6-5ML],” Trombetta said. “My filly is in good form and I’m excited to run her.”
Future Is Now had previously finished fifth versus males in the King T. Leatherbury on April 20 at Laurel Park. Usually on or near the lead, as seen when second in the Captiva Island in March at Gulfstream Park, she employed new tactics when rallying from 2 1/2 lengths off-the-pace to her last-out The Very One score.
“She has a good turn of foot. What she did the other day was nice, she rated off the pace and made a run late,” Trombetta said. “It was good, she had not done that before, so that was good.”
After winning her debut when sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in August at Colonial Downs, Future Is Now has assembled a record of 10-4-1-0 with $214,935 in earnings, all at seven-furlongs or less with eight efforts coming over the grass.
