It's Lubash vs. Kharafa Again in Ashley T. Cole

Familiar foes Lubash and Kharafa, who between them have won the past three editions of the Ashley T. Cole, square off again in the $125,000 turf race, the first of two stakes for New York-breds on Sunday at Belmont Park.

 

Joining the Ashley T. Cole, to be run as race 3 on the card, will be the $125,000 John Hettinger for state-bred fillies, also at 1 1/8 miles, which will be run as the eighth race.

 

Kharafa and Lubash, both multiple stakes winners, will be meeting for the 11^th time in their careers, dating back to 2013, when they finished second and third, respectively, a half-length apart behind King Kreesa in the Kingston.

 

In the nearly 10 miles of races since then, they have been separated by a length or so in the vast majority. In their sole meeting this year, Lubash prevailed by a length in the Kingston in May at Belmont; in 2014, Kharafa beat Lubash by 1 ¾ lengths in the Mohawk and by a length in the Kingston, while Lubash won an optional claimer at Aqueduct by a neck and took the Ashley T. Cole by a neck over King Kreesa, with Kharafa another 3 ¾ lengths back in third.

 

Lubash, the 9-5 program choice for the Ashley T. Cole, is 3-0-1 from four starts this year, having won the West Point at Saratoga Race Course and an allowance in addition to the Kingston.

 

"He's a really, really, really fun horse," said trainer Christophe Clement of the 8-year-old Lubash, who joined his barn in 2012. "He's gotten into a rhythm now, which is probably the best he has ever been. He's sound, and he tries hard more than ever. He got loose on me right before Saratoga and I didn't think he was going to make it back to the races, but thank God I was wrong and he came back and ran a good race [in the West Point] at Saratoga.

 

"All the credit goes to the owner [Leonard Pivnick], who has been really patient," he added. "He was a good horse when I got him; it [just] takes me a while to get it right."

 

Lubash, who has been off the board only once in 25 starts for Clement, that being a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Poker in 2013, drew post position 7 and will have the services of regular rider Junior Alvarado.

 

Clement also has entered Barry Schwartz's Iron Power, fourth to winner Red Rifle in the Grade 2 Bowling Green Handicap at Saratoga last time out. Jose Ortiz has the mount on Iron Power, 5-2 on the morning line, and the pair will leave from the rail.

 

Kharafa, a 6-year-old gelded son of Kitalfa, will be making his first start since a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Oceanport on August 2 at Monmouth Park, in which he was checked hard around the first turn and wound up seventh as the favorite. The 6-year-old gelded son of Kitalfa originally was scheduled to run in the West Point, but was scratched when a virus went through trainer Timothy Hills' barn at Monmouth Park.

 

"We're going in feeling very positive," said Hills. "He's kind of a Belmont Park specialist [6-5-1 from 14 starts on the Belmont turf] and he really loves this turf course. A mile and an eighth is a bit of a stretch for him, but with the right pace scenario he should be fine. We're looking forward to running him."

 

Javier Castellano will be aboard Kharafa, 2-1 on the morning line, when he leaves from post position 6.

 

Rounding out the field are More Zen Tea and Runaway Posse, making their stakes debut for trainers Joe Orseno and Bill Mott, respectively, and Ocala Jim, who will likely run only if one or more of the favorites come out, according to trainer David Donk.

 

Empire Dreams and Readthebyline are entered Main Track Only.

 

Donk will be represented in the Hettinger by the William Punk, Jr.-owned pair of Selenite and Chrysolite, who were third and sixth, respectively, behind Hettinger favorite The Tea Cups in the Yaddo on August 28 at Saratoga.

 

Selenite, the 3-1 second choice, has performed consistently facing New York-breds and was graded stakes-placed this year when third in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay in May.

 

"It's a very wide-open, competitive race," said Donk. "I think if you run this race seven or eight times you're going to have seven or eight different winners. Selenite ran well to be third last time out, while Chrysolite was kind of bottled up in the stretch. She's OK and deserves the chance to run. On the grass, you have to get the trip."

 

Selenite drew post position 11 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. named while Chrysolite, 15-1 on the morning line, will leave from post poition 3 under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

 

The Tea Cups, the 5-2 program choice, made her stakes debut a memorable one when she stormed from last for a 9-1 upset of the Yaddo, in which 1-2 favorite Discreet Marq was fifth. Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the 5-year-old Hard Spun mare took an optional claimer at Belmont in her first start of the year and next was beaten a neck and a nose for second in an allowance at the Spa.

 

Luis Saez will be aboard The Tea Cups when she leaves from post position 2.

 

Completing the field are Yaddo runner-up Old Harbor along with the seventh, eighth and ninth-place finishers, Unbelievable Dream, Invading Harbor and Carameaway;  Saythreehairmarys, fifth in the Saratoga Dew last time out; and Freudie Anne, most recently fourth in the Fleet Indian at the Spa. Flipcup and Kate Is a Ten were entered but will run only if the race comes off the turf.