Belmont Spring/Summer Meet 2005

Commentator Stunning In Return
by Emily Hufford

Last year Commentator was a sensation, but faded out quietly after a loss - the only one of his career - in a stakes race at Gulfstream Park earlier this year. An injury was detected, and trainer Nick Zito brought Commentator back to the track on Wednesday at Belmont Park.

The result was stunning. Commentator won by 16 1/2 lengths in the freakish time of 1:20.23. His only competition in the race, the comebacking Roman Ruler, was scratched the morning of the race and breezed instead.

Commentator is owned by Tracy Farmer.

Lost in the Uproar
by Emily Hufford

Somewhere amdist the uproar surrounding Afleet Alex's breathtaking victory in the Belmont Stakes is the pure, raw talent of Lost in the Fog, who could be the nation's best three-year-old. With regular rider Russell Baze on the sidelines due to a broken collar bone, Lost in the Fog was sent to the track for the Riva Ridge Breeders' Cup Stakes with Edgar Prado aboard. He went to the lead and led gamely through forced fractions of 22:22, 44:45, and 1:08.73, when the good horse Egg Head rolled up to challenge.

At this point, Lost in the Fog had already dueled away from Going Wild and Middle Earth, and had every right to finally fold, but instead he kicked away again, winning by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:21.54.

"Beacon" Shines in Flash
by Emily Hufford

Two-year-old Beacon Shine, won the five furlong Flash Stakes (gr. III) on Friday at Belmont Park. Previously he'd run third in the Three Chimneys Juvenile at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard. A Florida-bred son of Montbrook, Beacon Shine is trained by Bill Mott (pictured with his horse).

Union Course and Speed of Sound finished right with Beacon Shine in a three-way photo finish for second and third.

Beacon Shine broke his maiden at Keeneland earlier this year.

Ghostzapper - Freak?
by Emily Hufford

There is no question that last year's Horse of the Year, Ghostzapper, is talented, even brilliant. The five-year-old horse looks to be impossible to beat, and only one horse, Saint Liam, has been able to push him in the last year.

Then again, Ghostzapper only runs four times a year. This year's Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo has already run five times this year alone, with start #6 looming in a week. Fellow three-year-old Afleet Alex has had eleven starts so far in his short career, the same amount as Ghostzapper, who is two years older. Almost as soon as Ghostzapper crossed the wire first in Memorial Day's Metropolitan Mile, trainer Bobby Frankel was announcing that the horse would not race in the July 2 Suburban Handicap.

To take nothing away from Ghostzapper's win, however. It was a typical you-can-hardly-believe-it-with-your-eyes kind of victory. Ghostzapper absolutely destroyed very excellent racehorses under a hand ride in his first start since October of last year.