The new Belmont Park opened last Friday, but we had to wait until this Thursday for our first start back in 3 years. It was June 23, 2023, when Shoppingatbloomies made our last start at the old Belmont and Front Man recorded our last victory there on June 17, 2023.
The wait to return to the Winner’s Circle at the new Belmont took no time at all. Kinetic and jockey Samuel Marin shot out of the gate from the 2 post, took the lead in the first 16th and led the field all the way to the finish line at 45-1.
In our third start off the claim, the longshot was overlooked after Knightsbridge and Skippylongstocking soundly defeated Kinetic in the Monmouth Park Stakes (Gr. 3) on July 18th as they those horses are now looking forward to the Breeder’s Cup Classic. In the second start, Kinetic couldn’t find a lane after the break in an Allowance Optional $100,000 Claimer at Saratoga on September 5th and never got in the mix.
This time in an Allowance Optional $80,000 Claimer, Samuel Marin gave Kinetic the exact trip needed for victory. Once the lead was secured, Kinetic kept a reasonable 1/2 length lead into the stretch with fractions of 23.67 and 46.43 to the half. Going into the stretch, the 7, Dilger, challenged for the lead running neck and neck up to the final furlong, but Kinetic was game, held onto the lead and pulled away for a 3 1/4 length win in 1:35.82. The longshot also returned $93.16 on a $2 win bet.
It was Kinetic’s 6th win in 14 career starts and second of 2026 for the 5-year-old gelding by Street Sense. For us, it was our 20th win at Belmont as we recorded 19 in the old building. Congratulations to trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci on the win and partners Sanford Goldfarb, Zilla Racing Stable and Greenberg Racing.