Belmont at Big A: Beautiful Love looks pretty in Jockey Club Oaks

Beautiful Love rallied to an impressive 1 1/2-length victory under Dylan Davis to capture Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, a 1 3/8-mile, inner-turf test for 3-year-old fillies at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

The victory by the Ireland-bred filly completed a Godolphin-homebred and Charlie Appleby-trained sweep of the New York Racing Association’s invitational turf series for sophomore fillies that saw Cinderella’s Dream, who was scratched from the E. P. Taylor (G1) at Woodbine, take both the Belmont Oaks (G1) and the Saratoga Oaks (G2).

Click here for Belmont at Aqueduct entries and results.

It also marked the eighth graded win for Appleby in New York this year. Nikki Jones, traveling assistant for Appleby, said the team was confident Beautiful Love would improve in her second U.S. start while stretching out significantly from her sixth-place effort in the 1 1/16-mile Lake Placid (G2) on Aug. 17 at Saratoga.

“Charlie had no doubts she’d see out the trip. She was great, and she has been good as gold,” Jones said. “She needed the race as well. We brought her here and thought she was fit, healthy and well and thought she'd do it, and she did.”

Lane Luzzi-piloted Macanga set an ambitious tempo opening up by as many as 10 lengths through splits of 23.39, 47.21 and 1:12.32 over the firm footing in front of the New York-bred Caldwell Luvs Gold with Justdeny tracking from third. Beautiful Love, off a step slow, was content to save ground in eighth position.

Macanga continued to show the way into the final turn through one mile in 1:37.45 with Beautiful Love advancing with purpose from eighth in front of only the favorite Lady Mary and the trailing Egyptian Candy.

Macanga clung to a precarious lead at the top of the lane as Mixologist made a rail run under Hall of Famer Mike Smith while Caldwell Luvs Gold and Justdeny battled side by side with Beautiful Love looming large and gaining ground with powerful strides down the center of the course.

Beautiful Love, full of run while racing eight wide, took command inside the final 70 yards and crossed the wire a much-the-best winner with a final time of 2:15.28.

Justdeny earned place honors by a nose over the game Caldwell Luvs Gold. Mont Saint Michel completed the superfecta with Lady Madonna, Mixologist, Americandreammaker, Lady Mary, Macanga and Egyptian Candy rounding out the order of finish. Miss Roberts was scratched.

Davis, who won three races on the card, said he knew his filly had a lot to do turning for home.

“It took a little bit from the three-eighths pole to get her into gear,” Davis said. “Once we got her into the stretch and into the clear, I started asking for some more from her, and she responded really nicely. I wasn’t even 100 percent on her. She got into gear maybe 80 percent, and I just kept her in good rhythm to the wire. I knew that we had it done.”

Davis said he kept his nerve while waiting for Macanga to come back to the field.

“With the front leader like that, lone leader, there’s a lot of guys that are going to want to be patient, and once someone starts moving, the whole pack moves,” Davis said. “Because I was in the two path, one path most of the way, I opted for the outside path and a nice, clear run all the way to the wire. She was able to get the job done.”

Jockey Júnior Alvarado said Danny Gargan-trained Justdeny performed admirably in her stakes debut to win the in-race battle with Caldwell Luvs Gold.

“We got to save ground every step of the way, and when I turned for home and tipped her on the outside, she gave me a good kick,” Alvarado said. “I got into a head to head with (Caldwell Luvs Gold) and kind of got caught by surprise when the other horse went by us on the outside. She ran a great race and was there for me. She was trying.”

Beautiful Love, by Siyouni, arrived in the U.S. from a pair of February starts at Meydan starting with a runner-up effort to eventual Grade 1-winning stablemate Cinderella’s Dream in the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic ahead of a six-length romp in a one-mile conditions race.

Beauitful Love's third dam Snow Bride produced Nijinsky-sired multiple Group 1 winner Lammtarra, who captured the 1995 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

With the win, Beautiful Love banked $192,500 while improving her record to 8: 3-2-1 and returned $9.20 for a $2 win bet.