Frank’s Rockette should make lead

ELMONT, N.Y. – The speedy Frank’s Rockette looks like the horse to catch and beat in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride Stakes for 3-yearold fillies at Belmont Park.

With only a five-horse field, the Victory Ride, at 6 1/2 furlongs, was carded as the third on an 11-race card that begins at 1:15 p.m.

At 2, Frank’s Rockette was twice second in Grade 1 stakes, finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind Perfect Alibi in the Spinaway at seven furlongs and 2 3/4 lengths behind Wicked Whisper in the Frizette at a mile.

Thus far this year, Frank’s Rockette has run exclusively in six-furlong races, winning the Any Limit Stakes by seven lengths at Gulfstream and an allowance by 3 1/2 lengths at Churchill. In between, she finished second to Kimari in the Purple Martin Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Kimari came back to finish second in the Group 1 Coronation Cup against males at Royal Ascot.

“In the last race she had a little bit of class relief,” trainer Bill Mott said of Frank’s Rockette. “The time before at Oaklawn, Wesley Ward’s filly beat her and we had no excuse.”

Since returning to New York, Frank’s Rockette has turned in a couple of sharp workouts, including a halfmile move last Sunday in 46.79 seconds in company with Tacitus, who is running later on Saturday’s card in the Grade 2 Suburban.

Frank’s Rockette looks like the primary speed breaking from the rail under John Velazquez.

Center Aisle showed speed out of the gate but quickly settled into a stalking position when she won her debut as the 3-5 favorite in a field of 12 on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. The race produced three next-out maiden special weight winners.

In her second start, Center Aisle had a terrible trip when she finished fifth at 3-5 in a Churchill Downs allowance on May 22. She broke poorly, got pinched back to last, rallied wide, and lugged in while finishing fifth.

“She was compromised by a real bad break in her last start at Churchill, made a nice little run, and has come back and trained really well locally, so I think it’s worth a shot,” trainer Chad Brown said.

Trainer George Weaver would like to see Center Aisle put some pressure on Frank’s Rockette early as that would help his late-running filly

Up in Smoke. A Florida-bred daughter of The Big Beast, Up in Smoke is 4 for 4 sprinting, including a victory over the highly regarded Boerne in the Game Face Stakes on June 6 at Gulfstream.

“She’s gotten better and better,” Weaver said. “Before she ran, she hadn’t done any great things in the morning. Once we ran her, the light bulb came on. Sometimes strange things happen in a short field. We’re glad to be participating and hopefully we can overcome any advantage Frank’s Rockette might have.”

The field is completed by Reagan’s Edge, an off-the-turf allowance winner May 16 at Churchill, and Miss Peppina who returns to dirt – a surface she won over first out at Saratoga last summer – after running 10th in a turf sprint last out.