Clement holds strong hand in Jaipur

There is plenty of talent signed on to run throughout Saturday's Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets undercard, but the Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational at six furlongs on the Widener turf course offers a talented and tough field of 10 for bettors to separate.

Trainer Christophe Clement captured this race last year with Pure Sensation after the 6-year-old gelding by Zensational hung on by a neck at the wire to outlast the hard-charging Disco Partner, who lost plenty of ground circling eight wide in the field of 13 turning for home. Pure Sensation set the course record after splits of 21.64 seconds for the opening quarter and a half in :44.06 before finishing with a final time in 1:06.76 over the firm turf.

This year Clement returns strong, saddling both as Disco Partner makes his first start for his barn after owner and breeder Patricia Generazio switched trainers this past October.

"I'd like to thank Mr. Generazio for spoiling me," Clement said. "The horses have been training great. One will be pretty close to the pace, and one will be in the back. They can both be competitive in a nice race. Last year Disco Partner ran a great race. He almost beat me. I wasn't training him then, so I was a little worried about him that day."

Pure Sensation had been shipped to run in the 2016 Longine's Hong Kong Sprint, but was scratched due to issues in his left front foot. He returned to the U.S., and was given time off before failing as the favorite in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint where he finished fifth. After another freshening he returned to the winners' circle in the Jaipur then won the Grade 3 Parx Dash and the $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint. A tough third in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint ended his 2016 season. Now off his 2017 debut in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint at Churchill the grey gelding looks to rebound.

Clement appreciates the success he's had partnering with Patricia Generazio and her husband Frank, a former trainer himself.

"I'd like to thank the great success of the homebred program of Mr. Generazio," said Clement. They were bred by him, as was the dam. It's nice to work for breeders that can be that successful."

Pure Sensation drew post 3 and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz. Disco Partner gets post 2 and Irad Ortiz Jr.

Jim and Susan Hill's Loose On the Town gives up experience to this bunch, but brings a lot of strong, staying speed which could prove tough in the final strides before the wire. The Speightstown gelding is perfect through two starts this year, but will be stepping up to graded competition for the second time since finishing a roughed up 11th in the Grade 1 King's Bishop at Saratoga, in only his third career start. The Brian Lynch trained 5 year-old has become a different horse since switching to grass.

"His winning form is good. He's in the makings of becoming a tough quality horse," Lynch said. "This is his next step forward. He might be tough for the competition. We're going to give them something to chase. They're going to have to run to beat him."

Loose On the Town will run from post 1 with Julien Leparoux aboard.

A Abdullaah Almaddah owned and Brad Cox trained gelding Green Mask is another who merits a ton of consideration as a top contender. A wide, strong late kick helped him to score by two lengths in the Turf Sprint at Churchil Downs after he missed by a neck to Holding Gold in the Grade 2 Shakertown at Keeneland. The Mizzen Mast gelding makes his 25th career start, and seventh at Belmont after just missing the nod in a three-way photo in the Belmont Turf Sprint, where he settled for third behind Pure Sensation. The Belmont Turf Sprint is the only race Green Mask has finished off the board since last year's Jaipur.

The 7 year-old gelding Undrafted will be making his 30th career start on Saturday, and second of 2017 after an allowance victory at Keeneland. Owned by Elizabeth Kumin and former undrafted NFL wide-receiver Wes Welker, now an assistant coach for the Houston Texans, the son of Purim is the winner of the 2014 Jaipur. Undrafted owns plenty of tough efforts against graded company highlighted by his victory in the Grade 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June of 2015.

Undrafted drew post 6, and will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

Rockingham Ranch's 5-year-old gelding Stormy Liberal will try to extend his four race win streak after three stakes victories over Santa Anita's downhill turf course led him to return and win the Grade 3 Daytona by a neck. The California shipper brought under the watchful eye of trainer Peter Miller will make his debut on the East Coast.

Stormy Liberal drew the 10 post, and will have Paco Lopez in the irons.