Gural Runs Rose Quart at Belmont Park

Jeff Gural, who operates three harness racing facilities, will be represented in a thoroughbred race on Wednesday at Belmont Park when one of his yearling purchases debuts in the ninth race, a $60,000 maiden special weight for New York-bred fillies and mares at one mile on the turf.

"I have no idea what to expect, so I am hoping for the best," said Gural. "I have had partnership interests [in thoroughbreds] in the past, but never bought any yearlings. I really hope to race up in Saratoga one day since that is such a great place."

Rose Quartz, who sold for $50,000, is one of two yearlings Ribaudo purchased on behalf of Gural at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga NY Bred Preferred Yearlings sale. She is by Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap winner Rock Hard Ten and out of Diane's Birthday, who won a turf sprint stakes at Calder Race Course before going on to produce Arcadia's Angle, a Group 3 winner in France.

Gural said he met Ribaudo through his friend Marc Keller, who is one of Ribaudo's longtime clients.

"When the slot money came I figured New York-breds would race for big money, and I worry about future of harness racing in New York, so I told Bob to buy a couple of New York-breds," said Gural. "He picked two out and I wrote a check."

Ribaudo said he was initially reluctant to buy yearlings for Gural.

"[Gural] and his wife are lovely people," said Ribaudo. "They come to Saratoga every year, and they always say, 'Buy something, buy something.' And I always shove them off. He has 150 [standardbreds], why does he need two thoroughbreds? But we bought them two, and the other one [a Bernstein filly] is not here yet. [Rose Quartz] wasn't very expensive. She has a little grass in her pedigree, by Rock Hard Ten and out of a With Approval mare. I had her at Fair Hill over the winter. She was totally different on synthetic than she was on the dirt, so, hopefully that transpires when she runs Wednesday [on the turf]."

Ribaudo hopes Rose Quartz can carry the barn's momentum into Wednesday's race, with the trainer on Saturday having won a 6 ½-furlong maiden race with first-time starter Equilateral and finished second in an allowance with Stableford, who was making his North American debut. Keller owns both Equilateral, a 3-year-old who came from off the pace to prevail by three-quarters of a length, and Stableford, a 4-year-old who had one win in five starts in England prior to finishing 1 ½ lengths behind Mr. Jenney on Saturday.

"[Equilateral] was positive going into the race, a very nice filly," said Ribaudo. "She has a pedigree for the turf, but she had trained well enough on the dirt that we didn't hesitate to put her in on the dirt. She's going to stretch out. We'll do something in a progression. Sometimes it's bad when you break your maiden in your first start because you don't get to fool around in maiden races, trying distances. Now you have to step up to the next level and you're still experimenting, but she's on her way to longer races, either dirt or turf."

"Yesterday, turning for home, [Stableford] didn't switch leads," the trainer added. "With the soft turf and first time going a mile and a sixteenth, I figure he was getting a little tired, which is why I think he didn't switch leads. He always switches in the morning. That was the only negative. The positives were he was very professional in the paddock and in the post parade."