Beauty Reigns gets another opportunity to turn consistent graded stakes form into a breakthrough stakes victory when she lines up in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom at Belmont Park on Saturday, September 26.
The $250,000 sprint for fillies and mares is contested over six and one half furlongs on dirt. It is Race 4 on an eleven race card that also includes the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the Flower Bowl and the Vosburgh Stakes. First post Saturday is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
Beauty Reigns looks ready for another stakes test
Beauty Reigns has yet to win a stakes race, but her record says she belongs in this company. The Bill Mott trainee has finished in the top three in ten of fourteen career starts and enters from a closing third in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga on August 29.
That Ballerina effort followed an allowance victory at Saratoga in July, when Beauty Reigns defeated two rivals she will meet again Saturday, Senza Parole and Munnings Express. Junior Alvarado rides from post 6.
The four year old daughter of Into Mischief has also placed in the Grade 1 Test, giving her two top three finishes at the highest level. Saturday offers a shorter distance than the seven furlong Ballerina and another chance to add an important graded stakes victory to her record.
R Disaster returns to defend her title
Beauty Reigns will have to get past a proven Gallant Bloom winner. R Disaster returns for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. after winning this race last year by three and one half lengths.
R Disaster also won the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs in May and owns nine victories from seventeen career starts. Her latest race produced a sixth place finish in the Ballerina, the first time in her career that she finished outside the top three.
Jose Ortiz rides R Disaster from post 5. Her established speed and record at this level make her one of the central figures in the race.
Munnings Express and Senza Parole add depth
Munnings Express arrives after winning the Johnstone at Saratoga in her stakes debut. The Linda Rice trainee has never finished outside the top three in twelve starts, with six victories, three seconds and three thirds. Manny Franco rides from post 1.
Senza Parole gives Chad Brown another serious contender. She defeated multiple stakes winner With the Angels in an allowance race at Saratoga on September 2 and has four victories from ten career starts. Flavien Prat has the mount from post 2.
Paradise City gives Joseph a second runner. She won the Saylorville at Prairie Meadows in July before finishing fifth in the Ballerina. Dylan Davis rides from post 4.
Queen Jubilee completes the six horse field. She enters her first stakes race after an eight and one half length allowance victory at Colonial Downs. Edgard Zayas rides from post 3 for trainer Whit Beckman.
What to watch in the Gallant Bloom
The central question is whether Beauty Reigns can finally convert her strong graded stakes form into a victory. She has repeatedly shown that she can compete with accomplished sprinters, but R Disaster brings proven Grade 1 quality and the advantage of already winning this race.
Munnings Express is particularly interesting because of her consistency, while Senza Parole enters with recent winning form. Queen Jubilee is the least experienced stakes runner but comes into the race after the most decisive victory of her career.
The Gallant Bloom also gives Saturday’s Belmont card another high quality dirt sprint alongside the Vosburgh. With major turf races later on the program, the card offers a broad look at several divisions as the fall championship season approaches.
Gallant Bloom details: Saturday, September 26 at Belmont Park. Grade 2. Purse $250,000. Six and one half furlongs on dirt. Fillies and mares age three and older. Race 4. First post for the card is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
