Cambier Parc upsets stablemate Newspaperofrecord in Wonder Again

Newspaperofrecord went off Thursday a 1-9 top choice, but a fellow Chad Brown trainee bested her, with Cambier Parc running down the favorite late in the stretch on the inner turf at Belmont Park to win the Grade 3, $200,000, Wonder Again Stakes.

Cambier Parc paid $12.40 to win. Kelsey’s Cross was third, following Newspaperofrecord.

Under jockey Jose Ortiz, Cambier Parc went 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.34. She stalked Newspaperofrecord, who broke to the lead and set moderate fractions of 23.96, 48.58, 1:12.48 and 1:35.07, before passing on the outside and winning by 1 1/4 lengths.

Cambier Parc now sports two Grade 3 victories, having also claimed the Herecomesthebride Stakes on March 2 at Gulfstream Park. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is trained by Brown and campaigned by OXO Equine LLC.

"She broke good and relaxed nicely," Ortiz said. "Nobody else could keep up by the quarter pole and I got an easy, perfect trip. At the top of the stretch, I didn't know if I was going to get there because Newspaperofrecord is a really good filly, but when I saw that she didn't get away from me, I thought I had a shot passing the eighth pole.

"In the last eighth of a mile, my filly was just better."

Newspaperofrecord has been out twice as a 3-year-old and has finished second both times. The 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf champion was also run down in the stretch May 3 by Concrete Rose in the Edgewood Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.

"This is the second time she's gotten passed in the stretch after drawing off," Brown said of the Irish-bred Newspaperofrecord. "Last year, against a different kind of horse – lightly raced horses – they weren't going to catch her. Now, she's gotten run down by two really good horses.

"Opening up a big lead in the stretch might not be the logical thing to do anymore. We'll try different things with her."

The Wonder Again serves as a local prep for the July 6 Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1).