Belmont Royale N, after three place finishes since debuting at Saratoga Casino Hotel last month, scored his first victory in the track's $22,603 Winners Over/Open Handicap Pace and highlighted a triple for trainer Melissa Beckwith on Saturday, April 18.
Hunter Hill (Leon Bailey) worked hard in the early going to take the lead, and after setting splits of :27 and :55.3, he was confronted by Belmont Royale N (Aaron Byron). Belmont Royale N overpowered the pacesetter, pacing a third quarter in :27.1 to reach that station in front in 1:23.2. The favoured Mydadsaid A (Jacob Cutting) gained around the final turn but proved to be no match for Belmont Royale N, who came home a 1-3/4-length winner in 1:51.4, by far the fastest time of the young season at the Spa. Mydadsaid A was the runner-up while longshot Hunter Hill held on to be third.
The winning nine-year-old son of Betterthancheddar-Royal Spin joined the stable of conditioner Beckwith after his Jan. 3 start at The Meadowlands and was off nearly three months before his Spa debut. Belmont Royale N, an earner of $458,952 in his career, is owned by Archie McNeil of Westborough, Mass. and Bill O’Donnell of Guelph, Ont. He is now 31-for-139 lifetime. The win price was $14.58.
His win was the first of back-to-back victories for the Beckwith-Byron combo on the matinee card as their Heisman Player ($2.92) recorded a decisive score in a race for $17,123 claiming pacers. That tandem wound up with a triple on the day when their Literl Lad Hanover ($3.92) overcame post eight to take the finale and record his fourth consecutive win. With the triple, trainer Beckwith narrowed the gap on standings leader Jaymes McAssey to two. She has racked up 47 wins at Saratoga this year with a win rate of 26.6 per cent.
Live racing continues at Saratoga on Sunday and will feature a $5,209 carryover in the early Pick Five. The wager starts in the first race and is a 50-cent bet. First post time is set for noon.
(With files from Saratoga Raceway)