Cup Hopefuls Try Belmont Today

The Del Mar Debutante, which has produced five winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, including the last two, could be another red-letter prep this year.

The first four finishers out of the Del Mar race -- Wild Fit, Mystery Girl, River’s Prayer and Miss Norman -- are all contenders for the Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park on Oct. 29. River’s Prayer and Miss Norman will be running today in the $300,000 Matron at Belmont, which should give their trainers an inkling of how they stack up against the best on the East Coast.

India, who’ll be favored in the Matron, has yet to run in a stakes race, but won by 12 lengths against maidens and has already caused a lot of commotion. The daughter of Hennessy was sold for $400,000 as a yearling and then the filly’s owner, John Fort, recently sold her back to her breeders, Frank and Jane Lyon, for $2.05 million.

Victor Espinoza, who rode River’s Prayer at Del Mar, where Wild Fit beat her by four lengths, has the mount again today.

“This is a big filly, and she’s very masculine,” said Paula Capestro, who trains and owns River’s Prayer in a partnership. “I was very happy with her Debutante, but we’re still wondering if she’s top class.

“With the Breeders’ Cup being at Belmont, this will give us a chance to see if she likes the track. She’s better and fitter than she was going into the Debutante.”

Wild Fit and Mystery Girl are waiting for other opportunities. Wild Fit is scheduled to run in the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1, and Mystery Girl will run in either the Oak Leaf or the Frizette on Oct. 8.

Capestro will be at Woodbine near Toronto on Sunday, to saddle A To The Z in the $1-million Atto Mile. Leroidesanimaux, who has won seven in a row, drew the inside post in a field of nine.

In another Breeders’ Cup prep at Belmont today, Private Vow, coming off two wins at Saratoga, makes his stakes debut in the $300,000 Futurity.

Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., is running five stakes worth $825,000, topped by the $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic. The day’s richest race is a field of wannabes, including Shaniko, who was scratched rather than run against Saint Liam in the Woodward at Belmont. Shaniko, who’s trained by Todd Pletcher, this year’s leader on the national purse list, has been steady this year. Shaniko’s win at Saratoga was by 11 lengths, but the Classic will be his first 2005 try in stakes company.

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Afleet Alex galloped a mile and a half at Belmont for the first time since his cannon-bone surgery in late July. But his trainer, Tim Ritchey, seems to be running out of time as far as having the colt ready for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 29.

Afleet Alex, who hasn’t run since he won the Belmont Stakes on June 11, would need a prep race before running in the 1 1/4 -mile Classic. Third in the Kentucky Derby and winner of the Preakness, the 3-year-old suffered a hairline fracture on his left front leg after the Belmont. He had been jogging for two weeks before veterinarians gave Ritchey the green light to resume morning gallops.

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Closing Argument, second to Giacomo in the Kentucky Derby, has been retired and will start a stud career next year.

Closing Argument, who was ninth in the Preakness, finished with three wins, three seconds and two thirds in nine starts. He earned $986,984.