Notes

- Another winner for Kiaran McLaughlin at Belmont on Wednesday; his current stats at the meeting read 18-7-2-0. Truman's Gold was once a promising two-year old in training who brought a winning bid of $650,000 at auction, and debuted as a 5-2 favorite at Saratoga in 2006. On Wednesday, he was claimed by Steve Asmussen for $35,000; expect to see his new connections run him back for 45K in about a week.

Sabre Baby won the third, perhaps a hint to bet on the Sabres, who managed to extend their series with Ottawa to a 5th game last night. Steppenwolfer showed some promise in his grass debut with a very late rally for second.

Two-year old racing makes a late debut in New York this year; generally you see a couple at the Big A, and I'm already getting bitterly nostalgic just mentioning that track. Wesley Ward has an entrant here; the trainer has won with six of the eleven first-time juveniles he's run this year. Cannonball is a Ramsey home-bred, by Catienus, out of a mare by the Classic winner Skywalker. Ascot Hall is by the first-year sire Aldeberan; he sold for $200,000 as a yearling. Trainer Anthony Dutrow his at 22% with first-time two-year olds over the last two years. And Pletcher has the morning line fave with the filly Brooke's Valentine. This daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus ran third in her debut at Keeneland, and the two horses that finished in front of her, as well as the fifth place horse, have come back to win; the race winner Rated Fiesty beat the boys in the G3 Kentucky BC.