In many ways, Friday's $750,000 New York Stakes (G1) at Saratoga is a typical New York stakes on the turf. Chad Brown trains four of the nine fillies and mares in a 1 3/16-mile race he's won five times. And he'd have five runners if owner Peter Brant hadn't recently transferred Gezora to Bill Mott.
Brown is famous for running first and second in six-figure grass races, which is what he did May 1 at Churchill Downs in the 1 1/8-mile Modesty Stakes (G3). Although it was another Chad-Chad exacta, the "wrong" horse won, with Kathynmarissa, at 3-1, surging past 4-5 favorite Gezora in the season debut for both.
Not only did Kathynmarissa pull a mild upset, but she also did it by going last to first after a slow start. Brown expected her to be on or near the early lead, proving once again that nobody, not even a five-time Eclipse Award winner, knows what will happen when the gates open.
The New York is one of three Grade 1s on Friday at Saratoga, the day before the $2 million Belmont Stakes. The others are the Acorn Stakes and the Ogden Phipps Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In’’ race.
| 2026 Belmont Stakes Odds | ||
| Official post positions set following the post-position draw on Monday, June 1, 2026. | ||
| PP | Horse / Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitruvian ManAntonio Fresu · D. O'Neill | 30/1 |
| 2 | PowershiftLuis Saez · T. Pletcher | 12/1 |
| 3 | Chief WallabeeJunior Alvarado · W. Mott | 3/1 |
| 4 | RenegadeIrad Ortiz Jr. · T. Pletcher | 2/1 |
| 5 | OttinhoDylan Davis · C. Brown | 20/1 |
| 6 | Growth EquityManny Franco · C. Brown | 12/1 |
| 7 | CommandmentJohn Velazquez · B. Cox | 6/1 |
| 8 | Emerging MarketFlavien Prat · C. Brown | 6/1 |
| 9 | Golden TempoJose Ortiz · C. DeVaux | 9/2 |
Last Updated on 06/01/2026
There isn't much early speed in the New York, which might allow Kathynmarissa (5-2 favorite, post 8) to go to the front. But I'm guessing that the wily Flavien Prat will put Brown's Portfolio Duration (9-2, post 1) on the lead and try to set easy fractions. The transplanted Frenchman is a masterful judge of pace and brilliant at “waiting in front.”
John Velazquez replaces Prat on Gezora (3-1, post 9), last year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) heroine. She scored at 9-1 odds, going 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar, shocking heavily favored She Feels Pretty. Then she burned tons of money by losing 4-5. You just never can tell.
“I would venture to guess that it was due to not only the [six-month] layoff, but I think Gezora's turn of foot was dulled a bit by the ground,” Brown said.
She went the final furlong about 11 seconds, which is motoring, but Kathynmarissa blew past her in the final yards.
She's not the only former stablemate that Gezora will face. Last year, the four-time graded stakes winner and Cankoura (10-1, post 6) were trained in France by Henri-Louis Graffard, who took the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) with Daryz. In their only meeting, Gezora defeated third-place Cankoura by 1 1/2 lengths in the Prix de Diane (G1).
Cankoura is a homebred of the Aga Khan, whose racing manager, Nemone Routh, said: “Gezora is a great horse, and I have a lot of respect for her. She's a lovely filly, all heart and very classy.”
You hardly ever see a two-time Grade 1 winner with a different trainer in three consecutive races, but strange things happen at Saratoga.
The wild card could be Speed Shopper (8-1, post 3). She's 2-for-3 going 1 1/2 miles, has tactical speed, and closes well. The concern is that 1 3/16 miles is well short of her best trip, because she's 0-for-5 under 1 3/8 miles.
Best guess: Gezora will improve at a slightly longer distance (a sixteenth of a mile) and win her second start off the layoff.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
