Mother Goose Takes Saturday Spotlight At Belmont Park

Seven Sophomore Fillies Test Second Leg Of New York Filly Triple Tiara

By Margaret Ransom

This year marks the 62^nd running of the historic Mother Goose Stakes (GII), the second leg of the New York Filly Triple Tiara. Since Monomoy Girl, who won the Acorn Stakes (GI) back on June 9, won’t be in the Mother Goose gate, no filly will claim the tiara again this year. The last to do so was Sky Beauty (who also won the Alabama Stakes) in 1993.

The 1 1/16-mile Belmont Park main track test for 3-year-old fillies was not named for the fabled nursery rhyme, but rather for notable owner/breeder Harry Payne Whitney’s homebred, who is one of only 13 fillies in history to have defeated the boys in the historic Belmont Park Futurity.

Classic winner and Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra won this race by a record 19 ¼ lengths before being honored as the 2009 Horse of the Year and, in doing so, joined a list of winners that features some of the best sophomore fillies to have ever raced, including Dark Mirage, Shuvee, Chris Evert, Ruffian, Davona Dale, Life’s Magic, Mom’s Command, Open Mind, Go For Wand, Meadow Star, the aforementioned Sky Beauty, Serena’s Song, Ajina and, recently, Close Hatches and Untapable. To say the Mother Goose’s list of winners is star studded is an understatement.

Saturday’s weather forecast around the New York City area calls for… (more)