By Peter Fornatale

The Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Gezora heads a fascinating renewal of the Grade 1 New York Stakes, a race she enters having changed hands twice since her Del Mar triumph.

The daughter of Almanzor was guided to that career-defining victory by Francis-Henri Graffard, then briefly appeared under the care of Chad Brown before moving again to the barn of Bill Mott, who now saddles her with John Velazquez aboard. Brown, meanwhile, compensates for losing the champion by saddling four of the nine declared runners, deploying the Ortiz brothers and Flavien Prat across his battalion. 

The sole European raider is the Aga Khan's Cankoura, a lightly raced French-bred who finished third behind Gezora in the Prix de Diane and returns to Graffard's care for this transatlantic assignment.

#1 PORTFOLIO DURATION (GB)

J: Flavien Prat | T: Chad Brown

The least exposed of the Brown quartet, this Night of Thunder filly has just four career starts but has already shown the type of progressive profile typical of this stable especially with its turf fillies and mares. Runner-up in the Grade 2 Distaff Mile at Churchill last time, she closed into the stretch to be beaten a neck by Classic Q after racing six wide into the lane. Prior to that she won a Tampa allowance by nearly five lengths in a manner that suggested better things to come. 

The pedigree is all European quality — by Night of Thunder out of a Dansili mare, bred by Michael Wates — and the four-start career means there could be significant improvement still to come. Prat rides for the first time since that Distaff Mile placing and the Brown-Prat combination operates at an exceptional 26 percent strike rate since the start of 2025. Whether she is ready for Grade 1 company is the question, but the trajectory points upward and she must be considered at least a peripheral contender. 

#2 BELLEZZA (IRE)

J: Jaime Rodriguez | T: Miguel Clement 

The Moyglare Stud-owned Siyouni mare has undergone a transformation since crossing the Atlantic. Moderate in Listed company in Ireland for Ger Lyons, she has blossomed into a graded stakes winner at the longer distances stateside. Her victory in last year’s Grade 2 Flower Bowl over the Saratoga inner turf was a career-best, closing from the rear of the field to win by two and a quarter lengths, albeit with a good setup. 

She then ran creditably when sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, beaten only two and a half lengths by the reopposing Gezora. Her most recent effort in the Grade 3 Orchid at Gulfstream was disappointing, finishing sixth after being bumped at the start and flattening in the stretch. The 69-day absence is a slight concern given her best efforts have come with regular racing, and the step back from a mile and three-eighths to a mile and three-sixteenths may not play to her strength as a deep closer. 

#3 SPEED SHOPPER

J: Manny Franco | T: Will Walden 

A Quality Road mare who has put together an impressive run of form since finding her feet on turf last summer. Three wins from her last five starts include a dominant victory in the Grade 3 Bewitch at Keeneland last time, where she sat mid-pack before driving clear to win by a length and a quarter. She had previously won the La Prevoyante and a Turfway Park stakes over a mile and a quarter, showing consistency across different surfaces and distances. 

The concern is the class jump — those wins came in Grade 3 or ungraded company, and the figures sit below the best of these. Franco picks up the mount from Velazquez, who understandably opts for Gezora. She will be tested for class but has a chance to outrun her odds and would get at least a little appealing at double-digit odds. 

#4 LAURELIN (IRE)

J: Kendrick Carmouche | T: Graham Motion 

A Zarak filly whose record of five wins from eight starts includes a victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks over this course and distance last August. She arrives here off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont behind City Girl, who reopposes. That was her first start in nearly six months and she can be expected to move forward. 

Motion has had her working at Fair Hill and she’s clearly showing him the right signs to be entered here. The Irish breeding by Zarak out of a Cape Cross mare gives her strong bloodlines, and Carmouche has been aboard for all eight career starts, so he obviously knows her well. At 8-1 on the morning line, returning to the scene of her best race, she could be overpriced. 

#5 PRETTY PICTURE

J: Dylan Davis | T: Chad Brown 

This Three Chimneys homebred has three wins from five starts, including a resolute victory in an allowance at Keeneland last time where she came from off the pace to get up near the wire. Her second in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill in November, beaten a neck by the useful Lush Lips, gives her an in the frame chance. Brown saddles her for a first attempt at Grade 1 level and the sectionals she’s run early give her a chance to be near the front of this seemingly paceless affair. Not without a chance, but needs to improve a lot. 

#6 CANKOURA (FR)

J: Clement Lecoeuvre | T: Francis-Henri Graffard 

The Aga Khan’s representative and the sole European shipper in the field, this Persian King filly was third behind the reopposing Gezora in last year’s Prix de Diane at Chantilly when beaten just over two lengths. She won impressively at Deauville in August over ten furlongs before disappointing when favourite on her final start of 2025 at Saint-Cloud. She reappeared in May over the same course with a fourth-place finish, keeping on in the final furlong and looking like one who should improve. 

She’s been facing strong competition in France and her Prix de Diane placing in particular gives her a huge chance at this level. Lecoeuvre rides in place of Barzalona, which is a notable change, and the Graffard stable’s overall numbers in America are too small to draw firm conclusions from. The trip across the Atlantic and the unfamiliar surroundings add an element of uncertainty, and I’m not sure she can reverse form with the fav, but if she gets away at the 10-1 of the morning line, I’d want to keep her on side at least. 

#7 CITY GIRL (FR)

J: Irad Ortiz Jr. | T: Chad Brown 

A City Light mare whose form has taken a significant leap forward since joining Brown from a provincial French stable. She won the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont last time, getting up near the sixteenth pole to deny the reopposing Laurelin and Dynamic Pricing. Prior to that she had won a Tampa allowance in easy enough fashion but the figure wasn’t fast and she had a very easy trip. The booking of Irad Ortiz Jr. for a Grade 1 is notable and we know from the French form that the mile and three-sixteenths is within range. Another contender in a loaded race, but also another who must prove she can class up with the best of these. 

#8 KATHYNMARISSA

J: Jose Ortiz | T: Chad Brown 

The American Pharoah mare enters as the second favourite on the back of a tremendous closing victory in the Grade 3 Modesty at Churchill, where she swept past the reopposing Gezora in the final sixteenth to win by a length and a quarter from the rear of the field. That performance, coming from last of eight in a race with a strong pace bias against closers, was arguably the best effort by any horse in this field on recent form. 

She won a $1.6 million invitational at Kentucky Downs last September in similar style and was an excellent second behind She Feels Pretty in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita. The transfer from Richard Dutrow Jr. to Brown has not disrupted her form, and Jose Ortiz has been aboard throughout the current campaign. He is tactically astute and will certainly see the seeming lack of pace on paper and his mount has done well when ridden prominently in the past. That could prove her edge over the rival to her outside. 

#9 GEZORA (FR)

J: John Velazquez | T: Bill Mott 

The reigning Breeders’ Cup champion and rightful favourite, though it’s interesting to see her listed as the second choice on the morning line. The Almanzor filly won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar in November with a powerful late surge, coming from midfield to deny She Feels Pretty and Diamond Rain. That was her finest hour, and it came at the end of a campaign that included a dominant victory in the Prix de Diane and a creditable second in the Prix Vermeille. The trainer changes since — from Graffard to Brown to Mott — raise legitimate questions about continuity of preparation, though Mott is as accomplished as any trainer in the country with turf fillies and the most recent effort, a close second in the Modesty when caught late by Kathynmarissa, suggested the talent remains very much intact. 

Velazquez picks up the mount and brings his trademark patience and positional sense, which should suit a filly who has always been at her best when delivered late. The figures make her the clear top-rated and if the pace is genuine enough for her to utilise her finishing speed, she should prove very difficult to beat. The problem is that the pace here is uncertain, and her old trainer holds the keys to how it might be run. I’ll make a wild guess that the plan will NOT involve a pace that gives Gezora a setup.