Belmont at Big A: Gun Song leads field of 8 for Mother Goose

Grade 2 winner Gun Song tops a competitive field of eight for Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile route for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont at the Big A.

Owned by Lee Lewis and trained by Mark Hennig, the daughter of Gun Runner enters from a valiant runner-up effort to division leader Thorpedo Anna in the Cotillion (G1) on Sept. 21 at Parx. There she stalked just off the pace and improved to a half-length lead at the stretch call. She dug in determinedly under Hall of Famer John Velázquez and fought to the wire but could not fend off Thorpedo Anna and was defeated by a neck to earn her first Grade 1 placing. She was awarded a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, according to Daily Racing Form.

“That was a huge effort,” Hennig said. “I’ve always felt like she’s got a lot of ability, if she puts it all together on the right day. She came close, but Anna is tough and found a way. If someone could have just held her inside there a little longer, we might have pulled off a stunner.”

Gun Song is readying for her ninth start this year and looks to add to a strong campaign that has included her first graded score in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) in May at Pimlico and a victory in the Cathryn Sophia in August at Parx. She also was a narrowly beaten second in the Monmouth Oaks (G3) in July.

The chestnut filly posted her final work in prep for the Mother Goose with a half-mile breeze in 49.0 seconds Friday over Belmont Park’s dirt training track.

“All set and everything is good. She breezed over the weekend and came out of that great,” Hennig said.

As much as Gun Song has accomplished as a sophomore, Hennig said he believes even greater things are on the horizon for his star filly.

“She’s really blossomed. We were saying this morning she’s still growing and getting taller and taller,” Hennig said with a laugh. “I look forward to next year with her. She’ll really mature a lot mentally. She has this year, too, and it’s been fun to watch.”

Gun Song was a $400,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale March auction of 2-year-olds in training and is out of graded stakes-winning Mr. Greeley mare Nicole H.

Velázquez retains the mount from post 5.

In search of his first Mother Goose win, dual Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Brad Cox will saddle Godolphin’s multiple graded-stakes-winning Kentucky homebred Tarifa. She will go from post 3 with jockey Flavien Prat.

The dark bay daughter of Bernardini was last seen finishing third in the Cotillion 3 1/2 lengths behind Thorpedo Anna and Gun Song after a stalking trip engineered by Prat.

Tarifa looks to notch her third graded conquest this year after wins in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) in February and the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in March ahead of a distant ninth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). She was away from the races until August, when she returned with a runner-up effort in the seven-furlong Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park, her last start before the Cotillion.

Tarifa is out of unraced Awesome Again mare Kite Beach. Her third dam is reine-de-course broodmare Cee’s Song, who produced Hall of Famer and breed-shaping stallion Tiznow.

Repole Stable’s graded-stakes winner Life Talk, in post 6 with Kendrick Carmouche, seeks her first trip to the winner’s circle since taking the Demoiselle (G2) over the same course and distance in December.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the daughter of Gun Runner began her campaign with two off-the-board efforts in stakes company before a five-month respite. She returned last out with a strong off-the-pace effort in the listed Seneca Overnight on Sept. 21 at Churchill Downs to finish a half-length back in second to stablemate Miss Justify.

The stalk-and-pounce effort was engineered by Júnior Alvarado, who held her 3 1/2 lengths off the pace in fifth of eight through the first half-mile before rousing her with a four-wide bid into the lane to come up just shy of victory. She equaled a career-best 84 Beyer for the performance, matching the Demoiselle.

“I thought her comeback race was very good, and she’s been training well since then,” Pletcher said. “I thought it indicated that she’s come back well from the little break that we gave her, so it was good to see her finish that way. She already has a mile-and-an-eighth win at Aqueduct, so it should suit her well.”

Pletcher said the talented bay has benefitted from her time away from the races.

“She just got a little bit light and needed a little bit of time, and I think it paid off,” Pletcher said. “She’s gained weight and looks really good.”

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out a pair of contenders in Klaravich Stables’ Headline Numbers from post 7 with Irad Ortiz Jr. and Pretty Ana from post 4 with Dylan Davis.

The undefeated Headline Numbers, whose two starts came against elders, enters on the heels of a 1 1/8-mile, optional-claiming effort in August at Saratoga that saw her cross the finish line a half-length back of Camera. She was elevated to victory after a stewards’ inquiry ruled Camera impeded another rival at the top of the stretch.

The daughter of Gun Runner was impressive in her July debut at Aqueduct, romping by 11 3/4 lengths under Prat in a one-mile maiden when closing strongly from sixth of seven to sail clear in the stretch.

A $325,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, Headline Numbers is from the family of multiple graded-stakes winner Curlin’s Approval.

Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Pretty Ana makes her stakes debut off a close third-place finish against elders in a local 1 3/16-mile optional claimer Sept. 20. There she stalked and pounced to challenge for the lead near the three-quarters call but could not get past stubborn pacesetter No Mo Candy and was defeated by three-quarter lengths while headed out of place by Dancing Dean.

Pretty Ana, who made her first five outings for Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, is by Quality Road and out of Giant’s Causeway mare Quiet Giant, making her a half-sister to Hall of Famer Gun Runner. Her lone win in seven outings came in a second-out graduation going 1 1/16 miles in February at Fair Grounds.

Completing the field are the graded stakes-placed Call Another Play from post 2 with Javier Castellano for trainer Michael Trombetta as well as allowance-level winners Dorothy’s Dreams in post 1 with Keiber Coa for conditioner Anthony Ferraro and Linda Rice-trained Just Music in post 8 with Eric Cancel.

The Mother Goose is race 10 on Saturday, one of three graded stakes slated for the 11-race card. The day also includes the $250,000 Forty Niner (G3) as race 8 and the $175,000 Bold Ruler (G3) as race 7.

The first post is at 12:10 p.m. EDT. The Mother Goose starts at 4:51 p.m. EDT.