High hopes for Rubilinda in Wild Applause

Rubilinda will try to follow her striking debut victory by jumping directly into stakes company Saturday at Belmont Park in the $100,000 Wild Applause, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.

Trained by Chad Brown, Rubilinda will be favored over five rivals based on her last-tofirst win, but Saturday’s race is a more difficult assignment. She will be stretching out from six furlongs to a mile, facing tougher, more seasoned opponents, and there is not a lot of early speed in the lineup if she ends up trailing again early.

Rubilinda was visually impressive in her May 27 win, covering six furlongs over “good” turf in a rapid 1:08.72 and earning a solid 82 Beyer Speed Figure. She became the first North American winner for her sire, the mighty Frankel, a two-time European Horse of the Year who was undefeated in 14 career starts over three seasons.

Rubilinda didn’t break alertly in her debut, commenced a sharp bid on the turn, went to the inside for the drive, worked her way to the outside in midstretch, then drew off smartly to win going away by 3 1/4 lengths. On the flip side, the field she beat seems modest.

But her time stands up well: It was 0.72 seconds faster than D’ Eloquent needed to win a first-level New York-bred allowance two races earlier over the same inner turf.

The Wild Applause will be a good test for Rubilinda, and we will learn more about her Saturday.

Lull, trained by Christophe Clement, and Bellavais, conditioned by Jimmy Toner, both come out of the $100,000 Soaring Softly at Belmont on May 20.

Lull was reserved off the pacesetters in the sevenfurlong race, which was held over an ultra-firm Widener turf course that was playing fast. She bid outside of Morticia throughout the final furlong, just missing by a nose after exchanging several bumps and brushes. The final time was 1:19.93.

Bellavais raced just behind Lull early, then ground it out in the stretch to finish threequarters of a length farther back, lasting for third by a nose over Con Te Partiro, who rallied from last. Con Te Partiro came back to win a stakes at Royal Ascot in her next start.

There really isn’t a true front-runner in the Wild Applause, and it seems like the lead is there for Lull to take. If she does, she may control the race. If she declines, expect a tightly packed group and slow fractions.

Bellavais rallied from 10th to win the $100,000 Ginger Brew at Gulfstream Park in January. The second- and third-place finishers both came back to win first-level optional-claiming races. In her start prior to the Soaring Softly, the Appalachian at Keeneland, Bellavais finished fifth, beaten four lengths by La Coronel, who was entered to run at Royal Ascot on Friday.

Toner, who trained 1999 champion female turf horse Soaring Softly, describes Bellavais as an overachiever.

“She gives you everything she’s got every time,” Toner said. “She’s very small, compact, and not a lot was expected of her. She has exceeded our expectations. We are very happy with her.”

Toner points out that Bellavais’s competitive fire was on display during the stretch run of the Ginger Brew when she got hit in the face by the whip of the runner-up’s rider.

“She tried to retaliate,” Toner said. “She reached over and tried to bite her. Her heart makes up for her lack of size.”

That fighting spirit may serve her well Saturday.

Defiant Honor eyes Lake George

Defiant Honor, who returned from a seven-month layoff to score a sharp first-level allowance victory at Belmont Park on Wednesday for Toner, will be considered for the Grade 3 Lake George on opening day of the Saratoga meet, July 21.

The $150,000 Lake George is a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-yearold fillies.

Defiant Honor is by Speightstown and out of the Honor Grades mare Honor Bestowed, and is a full sister to Recepta, whom Toner and the Phillips family, which operates Darby Dan Farm, tragically lost to laminitis last November.

Recepta, who was 5, fractured her pelvis while training at Saratoga last summer, developed laminitis, and had to be euthanized. A winner of five of 17 starts and just under $700,000, Recepta won the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at 4 and finished second in three Grade 1 stakes: the Diana and Just a Game in her final two starts and the Matriarch at Del Mar in November 2015.

“Recepta was special,” Toner said.

Defiant Honor is now 2 for 4 in her career. She finished second in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante at Del Mar last November.