3-year-olds fillies go in the Soaring Softly Saturday at Belmont Park

By NY Hot List staff / May 26th, 2023

Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly drew a field of six 3-year-old fillies that are slated to race seven furlongs on the outer turf course at Belmont Park. Top turf trainers Chad Brown and Christophe Clement each have two entered in the seventh race.

Although the only stakes winner in the field is American Apple, the 6-5 morning line favorite is the Clement runner Love Appeals. American Apple ships up to New York from Kentucky for trainer Daniel Leitch. The daughter of American Pharaoh, who is third choice in the morning line, gave Leitch his first career graded stakes victory in the Matron at Aqueduct in October which sent her to the Breeders’ Cup.

“I think she’s getting better and the break after the Breeders’ Cup was the best thing for her,” Leitch said. “She came back better and stronger and I think the five and a half furlongs may be a bit short. Six and a half and seven furlongs are probably her best races.”

Leitch took the blinkers off American Apple for her two stakes starts this year.

“We took off the blinkers because we wanted to get her to relax and settle during the races and in her first two starts it’s really worked out so far,” Leitch added. “I think if we get a good trip, she’ll be tough. She’s been training lights out, so I’m very excited about her.”

The $175,000 Soaring Softly (G3), Belmont Park, Saturday, Race 7.

(1) Lady Beth won her debut by four lengths on the Tapeta at Gulfstream at 3-1 and now cuts back in distance as she moves onto the grass for Chad Brown. (2) Love Appeals has three starts on the turf this year for the Clement barn. Her first two starts were at Gulfstream Park where she won at first asking and then tried a stakes race and finished fourth. Most recently she won an allowance at Aqueduct going six furlongs. (3) American Apple is the only stakes winner in field taking the Matron (G3) at Aqueduct last year which led to a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. She will ship up to Belmont Park after a pair of stakes races in Kentucky in her two starts of the year that led to a fourth and then a second. (4) Queen Picasso was a debut winner at Gulfstream at 7-1 going two turns for Clement.

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