Trainer Christoph Clement sent a powerful three-player contender, namely defending champion Mutamakina, classification champion La Dragontea, and classification champion Sorrel. In Saturday’s 64th level 3 competition, the prize money was 400,000 US dollars. Long Island is at the Aqueduct Racetrack.
Clement is a three-time champion of the 12 furlong internal test for mares and mares 3 years and older. Last year when Mutamakina slid onto the railing and led the running stables to the wire at the last step, he achieved precision.
On Saturday’s engagement journey, Mutamakina won a pair of 10-furlong grading stakes at Woodbine Racecourse in Canada.
After achieving outstanding results in Level 2 dance Smartly on September 24, Mutamakina confronted La Dragontea in Level 1 EP Taylor on October 17, resisting the late confrontation from her stable partner, and finally went one to one. The advantage wins.
According to Clemente, Mutamakina has been training forward since his last victory, recording the four furlongs' movements in 50.10 seconds on the Belmont Turf on Saturday.
"She trained very well. I am very satisfied with her," Clement said. "She is a first-rate mare. She has never been so well-trained as she did when she came back from Canada. Her recent works have been excellent, and I am very happy to have her back."
Mutamakina is owned by Al Shira'aa Farms and comes from Danehill mare Joshua's Princess. Her second mare is the 1995 European Horse of the Year and Breeders Cup Mile Champion Ridgewood Pearl.
Dylan Davis made 3 of 3 shots on the 5-year-old Nathaniel Bay horse, who will break through from seventh.
Since being second only to Mutamakina in EP Taylor, La Dragontea was sold to Rosemont Stud at the Keeneland November auction for $1,375,000, but remained in Clement's barn. She is scheduled to shuttle to Australia next year.
"I am very happy that she returned to the barn. She will go to Australia next year and we will try our best to do our best for her," Clement said.
La Dragontea occupies a considerable position in EP Taylor, where she was at the highest point for the last time, then shuttled through the traffic and almost won. Before her last departure, the 4-year-old Lope de Vega dark bay pony was transported to Woodbine and showed a tracking strategy when she won the first Canadian level 2 game on September 18 and performed well.
As the two-time champion of NYRA circuit this season, La Dragontea won a 1 ¼ mile Belmont allowance in her North American debut on May 7th, passing every call with little urge in the stretch drive point. Five weeks later, her next effort at Belmont reduced her mileage to 1 1/16 mile, which left her in a difficult position.
Clement said: "Her US debut was very impressive when she won the allowance at Belmont." "We were very unlucky during the period after that. She was a very good horse. Little mare, and she never stops improving."
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride from the 4th post.
Clement’s team is Sorell. This is her first start because she got into trouble with the subsequent level 1 champion War Like Goddess in the Level 3 Orchid Competition at Gulfstream Park on March 27. Her first debut.
Owned by Augustin Stable and James Wigan of George Strawbridge, Jr., 4-year-old Dansili dark bay won three consecutive victories overseas for the British conditioner Sir Michael Stoute before moving to Clement.
"She ran very well that day, she could have won by traveling better," Clemente said of her efforts on Orchid. "We gave her enough time and she is recovering well."
Starting from the 8th position, Sorrel will be ridden by Manny Franco.
Trainer Chad Brown will send Orlando, and she regained her winning status when she participated in Zagora in Belmont on November 7. The 5-year-old daughter of Le Havre completed more than a dozen lengths in Del Mar last November, won the level 3 red carpet, and ended 2020 with a winning note.
Brown saw his third Long Island score, having previously saddled Goldy Espony [2015] and Lady Paname [2018].
Eric Cancel will start riding Orlando from post 2.
Four-time Long Island champion coach Graham Motion sent Harajuku of Flaxman Holdings to seek redemption after finishing seventh at Level 2 Sands Point with 9 Furlongs on October 16. This is Motion's first guardianship of his daughter, Deep Impact, before participating in the race for trainer Andre Fabre in France. She won third place in the 11 Furlong Jockey Club Oak Invitational held in Belmont in September, her first appearance in North America.
"She just went a little bit off," Motion said of her last effort. "I once questioned shortening her a bit, obviously the result is not what we want. This distance is more of what she wants to do."
Harajuku will leave at position 3 in Junior Alvarado.
Completing the field of competition is Summer In Saratoga [post 1, Luis Saez] – the last winner of Keeneland Level 3 Dowager, Candy Flower [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche], and multiple tiered betting rhythms Luck Money [post 6. Trevor McCarthy].
Long Island will be the ninth game of 10 games on Saturday, which also includes the $150,000 Discovery, the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship and the $100,000 Central Park. The first post is 11:50 AM Eastern Time.
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