Gantry Sets Belmont Inner Turf Record

Gantry set a Belmont Park inner turf course record on Thursday, covering six furlongs in 1:06.87 winning race 8, a $52,000 optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up.

Making his 4-year-old debut and trying turf for the first time, Gantry, the 7-1 third choice, rated in fifth along the backstretch before commencing an inside rally on the far turn. The gelded son of Pulpit came off the hedge at the top of the stretch and shot past Higher Court – who headed a coupled entry that went off as the 3-5 favorite – in the final furlong to post a 3 ½-length victory under jockey John Velazquez.

Gantry, trained by Michael Hushion for owner Black Swan Stable, has now won two straight, having taken a Parx Racing maiden special weight by 3 ¾ lengths on November 8.

His career debut was in July 2009 at Belmont Park, finishing third in a race where the second-place runner, Discreetly Mine, went on to finish second in Belmont’s Grade 1 Champagne and later win the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga Race Course. Gantry also ran third in his second start, a race that included future multiple-graded stakes winner Exhi.

Overall, he is 2-0-2 from four starts, with $66,800 in earnings.

The new time improved the previous record, set by Weigelia on June 17, 2006, by 0.17 seconds.