Sightseek Ends Career on a Belmont High Note

Sightseek would be a heavy favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, a race that escaped her last year, but trainer Bobby Frankel indicated Saturday that the 5-year-old mare would be retired for breeding after her easy victory in the $750,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.

“She’s a great [mare], I’m just glad she’s going home safe,” an emotional Frankel said in the winner’s circle.

The Beldame win, by 2 3/4 lengths with Storm Flag Flying and Society Selection finishing second and third, was Sightseek’s sixth without a loss at Belmont. Her final record was 12 wins and five seconds in 20 races, with purses of $2.4 million. She also won the Beldame last year.

Sightseek, bred and owned by Khalid Abdullah, a Saudi Arabian prince, paid $2.60, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 3/5. She was ridden by Javier Castellano, a substitute for Jerry Bailey, who has missed her last two races because of a broken wrist.

Sightseek, the 3-5 favorite, finished fourth as Adoration won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. The favorite in this year’s Distaff, at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30, could be Azeri, although she might run in the Classic that day instead. A decision will be made after Azeri, the 2002 horse of the year who missed last year’s Distaff because of a tendon injury, runs today in the $500,000 Spinster at Keeneland.

In other stakes at Belmont, which produced several Breeders’ Cup contenders, the undefeated Proud Accolade won his third in a row and first stake, winning the $500,000 Champagne over favored Afleet Alex, who ran second; favored Balletto won the $500,000 Frizette; and Mr O’Brien, a shipper from Pimlico, took the Kelso Handicap.

The Santa Anita-based Corey Nakatani, who through the courts is fighting a 30-day California suspension that dates back to March, rode Balletto and seemingly has to choose between that horse and Sweet Catomine for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“It’s a nice position to be in,” Nakatani said.

Nakatani rode Sweet Catomine to victory in the Oak Leaf at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.

A candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile emerged at Keeneland, where Consolidator won the $500,000 Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity. Consolidator, owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis of Newport Beach and trained by Wayne Lukas, paid $13.80 as favored Bellamy Road finished off the board.

The Lewises paid $1.25 million at auction for Consolidator, a son of Storm Cat who had only a win over maidens in his five previous tries. Lukas has won a record 17 Breeders’ Cup races, nine of them with 2-year-olds.

Rafael Bejarano, who leads the country with almost 400 wins, rode Consolidator. Also at Keeneland, the Frankel-trained Nothing To Lose won the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile; and Mustanfar was best in the $150,000 Sycamore.

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Musical Chimes, the only filly in the field, fought her way between horses in the final strides to win the $250,000 Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Musical Chimes gave trainer Neil Drysdale his fourth win in the stake. The last time Drysdale won the race, in 2000, his War Chant went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Drysdale said that Musical Chimes’ Breeders’ Cup possibilities were unclear. He was unable to run the 4-year-old last Sunday in the Lady’s Secret Handicap because of congestion.

Singletary, the favorite, finished third, but is still expected to run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Buckland Manor ran second.

Musical Chimes, who paid $10, won the John Mabee Handicap at Del Mar before finishing fourth, beaten by less than a length, in the Beverly D at Arlington Park in her last start. No distaffer had won the Oak Tree Mile, which was first run in 1986.

“Arlington was a disaster,” Drysdale said. “There was no pace, and we found ourselves on the lead, where we didn’t want to be.”

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Not far from Keeneland, Windsongs Legacy became the first horse to sweep trotting’s Triple Crown since Super Bowl in 1972 when he won the $393,300 Kentucky Futurity in consecutive heats at the Red Mile in Lexington, Ky. Windsongs Legacy’s first two wins in the series came in the Hambletonian and the Yonkers Trot.... Jerry Bailey, sidelined since he broke his wrist in a fall from a ladder at his Florida home Sept. 1, will resume riding Wednesday at Keeneland. Bailey, who has won a record 14 Breeders’ Cup races, has at least two mounts -- Pleasantly Perfect in the Classic and Kela in the Sprint -- at Lone Star.