Walter Wlodarczyk Photo

G2 Sands Point contender Style Points looks to continue recent Clement stakes success

by Keith McCalmont

Trainer Christophe Clement, who has won 11 stakes races since September 2, will look to add to his bounty with Style Points in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point, a nine-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Cheyenne Stable’s Style Points [post 6, Joel Rosario] will look to provide the veteran conditioner a third victory in this event following past success with Discreet Marq [2013] and Rutherienne [2007].

The Clement barn is on a tremendous run of form with his 11 recent stakes wins featuring graded scores here with Far Bridge on September 28 in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and this weekend with La Mehana in Friday's Grade 3 Waya and with Carson's Run in Saturday's Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational. Among the trophies lifted are victories in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby on September 7 at Colonial Downs with Deterministic and on September 20 in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters with Roses for Debra.

Style Points, an Oscar Performance bay, arrives from a dead-heat for victory in the nine-furlong Listed Virigina Oaks on September 7 at Colonial. There, she tracked from fifth position and took dead aim at the leading Deep Satin in a stirring stretch battle with the two horses hitting the wire together to share the spoils.

She has breezed back three times, including a half-mile effort in 50.50 seconds Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“She’s doing well, no problem. She came back the very next day from Colonial Downs after the Virginia Oaks and she’s been doing well since,” said Clement assistant Christophe Lorieul. “She had a good work a couple of days ago. Her work two weeks ago was just OK, but this week’s work was much better. She’s doing great here.”

Style Points has made a habit of close finishes, missing by a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Sweetest Chant in February at Gulfstream Park and winning a Keeneland allowance in April by a nose.

Style Points, a closing second in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks in March at Tampa Bay Downs, is out of the Clement-trained graded stakes-winning Ghostzapper mare Mystical Star. She entered the Virginia Oaks from a stalking third in the Christiana in July at Delaware Park.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will look for a record-extending sixth Sands Point win when he saddles a pair of contenders for owner Peter Brant in stakes-winner Spaliday [post 2, Manny Franco] and maiden winner Shade of Pale [post 3, Eric Cancel]. Brown’s past Sands Point winners include Ball Dancing [2014], Uni [2017], New and Improved [2019], Tamahere [2020] and Fluffy Socks [2021].

Brown is also in the midst of a hot streak, having won a trio of Grade 1 events on Saturday with Chancer McPatrick taking the Champagne at the Big A as well as Carl Spackler and Gina Romantica scoring at Keeneland in the Turf Mile and First Lady, respectively. He continued his torrid run Sunday here with a win in the Grade 2 Beldame by Raging Sea.

Spaliday, by More Than Ready, has posted both her wins at 1 1/16-miles, graduating at third asking here in May two starts before a rallying 1 1/4-length victory in the Boiling Springs on July 13 at Monmouth Park. She enters from a closing fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 17 at Saratoga Race Course when 1 1/2-lengths back of her victorious stablemate Grayosh, who is entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 QEII Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

“She has shown reason to believe she’s [graded] stakes caliber in her last couple starts and that she’s up for this,” Brown said.

Spaliday, a $310,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is out of the multiple Grade 1-winning New York-bred multimillionaire Dayatthespa, who was named 2014 Champion Grass Mare following her win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Shade of Pale, a homebred by Demarchelier out of the Dansili mare Pale Moon, graduated last out at third asking here against elders in a nine-furlong maiden special weight on September 15. There, she tracked from fifth position before taking command at the stretch call and edging clear to a 2 1/4-length score under Manny Franco.

“She’s a horse we always liked, and it took a while to get her to the races. I’m not sure I’ll run her, but I’ll take a look,” Brown said.

Gary Barber’s graded stakes-placed Mo Fox Givin [post 1, Dylan Davis] will look for a breakthrough performance for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

The Mo Town filly boasts a 12-2-3-2 record but only recently joined current connections after running a close second to the Casse-trained and Barber co-owned Dancing N Dixie in the one-mile Listed Tepin on June 29 at Churchill Downs.

Mo Fox Givin debuted for Casse in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Pucker Up on August 3 at Ellis Park, saving ground in fifth position down the backstretch under Cristian Torres but she was shuffled back to as far as eighth behind a wall of rivals and in need of racing room late in the far turn. Torres gave the filly her cue leaving the furlong grounds and bravely split rivals to close and finish fourth just two lengths back of the victorious Waves of Mischief.

The hard-trying Mo Fox Givin arrives from a last-of-12 effort under Luan Machado in the Listed Dueling Grounds Oaks on September 11 at Kentucky Downs where she was pushed wide into the first turn and nearly clipped heels with Sakura Blossom. Mo Fox Givin traveled well between rivals into the stretch run but was always in traffic and never fired.

“It was a horror story from the beginning, so I'm just throwing it out,” Casse said of the Kentucky Downs effort. “We've run her twice and both times it was tough - she had a rough trip at Ellis, too.

“We like her. She's a good, solid filly,” Casse added. “She just needs a little bit of luck - so far, it's only been bad.”

Mo Fox Givin picked up her graded placing with a closing second in the one-mile Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland just two starts after her most recent win in a one-mile optional-claimer in January at Santa Anita Park for her former conditioner Leonard Powell.

West Paces Racing, Pine Racing Stable and R.A. Hill Stable’s Justdeny [post 7, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] enters from a runner-up effort in the local 11-furlong Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational on September 14 for trainer Danny Gargan.

There, the Justify chestnut rallied from fourth-of-10 and 11 lengths off the ambitious pace of returning rival Macanga, to make a five-wide run down the lane and land 1 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Beautiful Love and a nose the better of Caldwell Luvs Gold.

Justdeny, a veteran of nine starts with a 1-3-1 record, graduated in June here against elders traveling 11 furlongs over firm footing. The $460,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Galileo mare Moving Moon. Her third dam, Offshore Boom, produced seven-time Group 1-winner Rock of Gibraltar, who finished second to Domedriver in the 2002 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Arlington Park.

Rounding out a talented group are the stakes-placed pair of Courbe [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and Macanga [post 4, Jose Lezcano] for conditioner Rick Dutrow, Jr. Audacious and Just Music are entered for the main-track only.

The Sands Point is slated as Race 5 on Saturday’s 11-race card which also features the $135,000 Floral Park in Race 7. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.