Carson’s Run , Legend of Time , and Deterministic —1-2-3 in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) Aug. 11 at Saratoga Race Course—square off over 1 3/8 miles while facing four other 3-year-olds in the Oct. 5 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes (G3T).

The $500,000 race on turf is the first of four graded stakes Saturday during the Belmont at the Big A meet, followed by the Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes (G3T), the Frizette Stakes (G1), and the Champagne Stakes (G1). The Jockey Club Derby goes off as the fifth race on the 12-race card at 2:13 p.m. ET.

Racing is being conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack due to ongoing Belmont Park construction to rebuild and modernize that facility.

West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey’s Carson’s Run , also a grade 1 winner last year in the Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, is likely to start as a mild favorite after defeating Legend of Time by three-quarters of a length in the Saratoga Derby. Deterministic was another three-quarters of a length back in third.

Since the Saratoga Derby, Carson’s Run and St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker, and Vicarage Stable’s Deterministic have raced once apiece. Carson’s Run was second in the lucrative Aug. 31 Nashville Derby Invitational (G3T) at Kentucky Downs, and Deterministic captured the Virginia Derby (G3T) against a lesser field a week later Sept. 7 at Colonial Downs.

Dylan Davis, aboard for Carson’s Run’s Saratoga Derby victory, will return to the irons Saturday aboard the Cupid   colt after Joel Rosario rode him at Kentucky Downs. Rosario is on Deterministic, a son of Liam’s Map  . Both colts are trained by Christophe Clement.

He and the up-and-coming El Rezeen , a winner of two straight since adding blinkers and being stretched out to three-turn turf races by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, are the principal threats to the Clement duo.

Contentious Field in the Belmont Turf Sprint

Clement is also represented in the $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint at six furlongs with Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski’s multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Senbei . Third most recently in the Aug. 17 Select Stakes against open company at Monmouth Park going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, the chestnut Candy Ride   gelding now returns to Aqueduct, where he was an allowance optional claiming winner at six furlongs on grass July 6.

Colts Neck Stables’ Nothing Better , runner-up in the Select and a follow-up second in the Da Hoss Stakes, also has shown an affinity for racing at Aqueduct on turf. The Jorge Duarte Jr. trainee is a three-time winner from six local turf starts, including back-to-back renewals of the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in 2022-23. The Munnings   gelding is 10-for-26 overall on turf. 

Seven others are in the lineup, not counting a main-track-only entrant, though two—Axthelm  and Determined Kingdom —are cross-entered in Saturday’s Woodford Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. Determined Kingdom is an also-eligible in the latter race.