Maiden Race of the Day: Belmont Park Race 2, Saturday, Nov. 7

Ten 2-year-old fillies go 1 1/16 miles on the Belmont Park turf in Race 2 on Saturday. It’s an $80,000 maiden optional claimer, and some of them are entered for the $75,000 tag. It’s built for bargains: when the condition was run on Oct. 9, only fillies whose last auction price was $65,000 or less could run without a tag. The field includes five fillies from that Oct. 9 race, two half-sisters to graded stakes winners and a $160,000 2-year-old sale purchase making her debut.

The Field at a Glance

The Spendthrift-bred had no sale recorded at Keeneland September 2025 (Vinery Sales, agent). Rudy Rodriguez bought her himself for $50,000 from Kings Equine at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale. Her best Beyer is a 43, and Rodriguez is 1-for-42 at the meet.

She has the best page in the race. Her half-brother Bring Theband Home won the Grade 2 Troy and the listed Harvey Pack at Saratoga, ran in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and has earned $521,531. Their dam, Tizatude, was a $1.05 million yearling in 2015 and sold for $500,000 at Keeneland November 2025. That speed shows best in sprints, though, and Souper Taylor’s top Beyer is a 44. Trombetta is 4-for-19 at the meet.

She started cheap. Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa sold her for $40,000 to Pride Group at Keeneland September 2025. In May, Margaux Farm sold her privately to owner Fred Allor for $50,000 at the Midlantic sale. On debut in a 6-furlong turf sprint, she weaved through traffic to finish 3rd at 9/1 and earned a 56 Beyer.

The second-start angle is there, if not huge. Over the last five years, Shug’s maidens have won 15% of their second starts, rising to 20% (and a $2.21 return for every $2 bet) when they stretch from a sprint to a route. He’s also hot, winning 9 of his 28 starts at the meet. Her dam, Famous Alice, placed in the Grade 3 Senorita on turf. The doubt is the sire: Charlatan’s runners win just 7% in turf routes, against an 11% average for all sires.

She was sold twice before she was 2:

• As a weanling at Keeneland November 2024: Taylor Made consigned her, and Hal Hatch, as agent, paid $70,000.
• As a yearling at Keeneland September 2025: Warrendale consigned her, and McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, as agent, paid $90,000.

Her half-sister Boardroom won the Grade 2 Royal North, the Grade 3 Seaway and the Grade 3 Whimsical at Woodbine. A Bolt d’Oro half-brother brought $135,000 at Keeneland this September.

Bourbon Madness ran 3rd at 33/1 on Oct. 9 with a late run from 6-wide (63 Beyer). Epicenter is a first-crop sire with 8% winners so far. Hennig’s barn is 1-for-28 at the meet.

This is the family to know. Patricia Moseley bred Award and also bred her half-sister Proctor’s Ledge. Proctor’s Ledge won the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill, the Grade 2 Lake Placid and the Grade 3 Lake George, ran 2nd in the Grade 1 Just a Game and earned $768,168. She was 7th at 16/1 on debut, then won her second start at Gulfstream at 49/1.

That debut-then-improve pattern runs through the family. Six of Archstone’s eleven foals are winners, they’ve earned $1.8 million between them and they win 18% in turf routes. Yet they’re 0-for-11 first time out.

Hunter Valley Farm consigned Award at Keeneland September 2025, and Jack Hirsch bought her for $60,000. On debut she finished 9th at 7/2 in a 7 1/2-furlong turf sprint at Delaware after stalking and making a bid. That sets up Motion’s best angle in the race: over the last five years his maidens have won 22% of their second starts, and 26% (with a $2.50 return for every $2 bet) when stretching from a sprint to a route. Oscar Performance wins 15% in turf routes. She isn’t entered for the tag.

Pope McLean’s Crestwood Farm consigned her at Keeneland September 2025, and Northway Bloodstock paid $130,000. Her dam’s 2025 Tapit colt was bought back at $185,000 this September. At that price she has to run for the $75,000 tag.

On Oct. 9 she was 8-wide turning for home and closed for 2nd at 7/1 (63 Beyer). That earned her the field’s top TimeformUS late-pace figure, a 98. Over the last five years, Brown’s maidens have won 30% of their third starts in turf routes (44-for-145), and he’s 26% with horses making their second start off a layoff of 45 to 180 days. Brown and Prat are 30% together at Belmont in 2025-26. First-crop sire Olympiad is 5-for-29 in turf routes.

Her sales history:

• As a weanling at Keeneland November 2024: Highgate Sales consigned her, and Marequest paid $65,000.
• As a yearling at Keeneland September 2025: no sale was recorded.
• As a 2-year-old at OBS April: Six K’s Training & Sales consigned her, she breezed an eighth in :10 flat, and Sleeper Thoroughbreds paid $160,000.

Her half-sister Vixen sold as a yearling for just $22,000. Vixen went on to win the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride and the listed Sweet Chant, ran 2nd in the Grade 1 Natalma and earned $569,071.

Since his Formulator record began in May 2025, Clement’s first-time starters have won 20%, and 24% (with a $2.97 return for every $2 bet) on debut at a mile or more. Flirty Minx has worked five furlongs five times, including a bullet in 1:01.1 on Oct. 15. The knock is Mitole, whose runners win just 8% in turf routes.

Indian Creek consigned her at Keeneland as a weanling and again as a yearling, and neither time was a sale recorded. In May, Lucan Bloodstock (Karl Keegan) sold her privately to owner Anthony Perri for $90,000 at the Midlantic sale. Her dam’s foals are 0-for-7 on debut. She was 6th at 50/1 on Oct. 9.

She sold for $45,000 twice:

• As a weanling at Keeneland November 2024, from Clarkland Farm.
• As a yearling at Fasig-Tipton July 2025: Warrendale consigned her, and Amanda Gillman bought her for Eric Bensussen.

Her debut is the one that stands out. She went off at 14/1 in a Saratoga maiden for fillies who’d sold for $65,000 or less and was last of 10 after a half-mile. She was still 8th and about 10 lengths behind the leader at the eighth pole, then came 4-wide and made up more than four lengths in the final furlong to get up for 2nd in the last jumps. She’s lost twice as the favorite since. At Saratoga on Sept. 3 she went 2- to 3-wide on both turns and rallied for 3rd at 5/2. On Oct. 9 she broke in at the start, was 9th turning for home, swung 7- to 8-wide and still closed from 9th to 4th at 9/5, behind a winner who was in hand on the lead along the rail. Her 69 Beyer is the best figure in the field, and this looks like a good spot for her to make amends. Green is 4-for-53 at the meet.

Her dam sold for $2,000 at Keeneland November 2025, and her top Beyer is a 46. Morley is 8-for-41 at the meet, but she needs a big jump.

The Common Race

Market Perception (2nd), Bourbon Madness (3rd), All Show (4th), Funny Words (6th) and Bobby’s Honour (11th) all ran in the Oct. 9 maiden at this level and distance, and the pace shape matters. Illustrating broke on top, got the rail and was in hand on the lead through fractions of :23.68 and :48.25 before drawing clear to win wire to wire. Behind her, the fillies who filled out the board all came from the back half of the field and lost ground:

• Market Perception was 11th of 12 early and swung 8-wide into the stretch before closing for 2nd.
• Bourbon Madness was 9th early and came 6-wide for 3rd.
• All Show broke in at the start, was 7- to 8-wide into the stretch and finished 4th as the favorite.
• Funny Words had the best trip of the group, tracking along the inside in 3rd, and weakened late.
• Bobby’s Honour stumbled at the start.

Illustrating has moved to Mike Maker’s barn and runs in an allowance at Churchill Downs the same afternoon. With her gone, the early speed on paper belongs to Funny Words and Instant Stardom, with TimeformUS early pace figures of 84 and 83. The question is whether either goes fast enough to set it up for the closers.

More handicapping from the Belmont meet: all of our Belmont Park coverage.