Aqueduct Winter Meet 2005

Bellamy Road Wows In the Wood
By Amelia Baldree

Bellamy Road wowed fans with his 17 1/2 length victory in Saturday's G1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racecourse. Ridden by Javier Castellano, the dark bay son of Concerto took the lead and dictated the pace wire to wire. Fractions were 23.13, 46.08, 1:09.84, 1:34.41 to win in track record-equaling 1:47.16. Owned by New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable, Bellamy Road is now a fourth serious Derby contender for trainer Nick Zito and stands at number 6 on the graded earnings list with $570,000.

"Boy, he was unbelievable today," trainer Nick Zito told Blood-Horse. "He just kept going. I hope he stays that way for four weeks, and he'll have a good shot (in the Kentucky Derby), too."

Bellamy Road will now train up to the G1 Kentucky Derby; he's had only two starts this year, both for trainer Nick Zito, he previously scored a 15 3/4 length allowance win at Gulfstream Park in March. As a 2-year-old, Bellamy Road scored a victory in the G3 Cradle Stakes at River Downs near Cincinnati, Ohio (pictured). His only loss came in the G1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in October where he finished seventh, at the time he was trained by Michael Dickinson.

Gutsy Scrappy T Wins Rescheduled Count Fleet
By Emily Hufford

Scrappy T has already shown that he is indeed "scrappy," and his victory in Saturday's Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct proved that once again. The three-year-old son of Fit to Fight has never been worse than second, and the Count Fleet was his first stakes race. Robert Bailes trains the gelding for Marshall Dowell, and Scrappy T was ridden by Alan Garcia.

Naughty New Yorker finished second and Tani Maru ran third. Scrappy T will run next in the Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct on February 12.