Fluffy Socks Makes Late Run To Take Sands Point At Belmont

Fluffy Socks wins the Sands Point at Belmont Park.

In the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont, Joel Rosario and Fluffy Socks gave trainer Chad Brown another stakes win over the Belmont Park turf, rallying late to win by a neck at the Elmont, N.Y., track.

From the opening strides of the 1 1/8-mile Sands Point, Higher Truth led the field of seven, controlling the pace with a one-length lead over Our Flash Drive. With fractions of :25.34 for the first quarter and :50.14 for the half-mile, the other Chad Brown trainee looked poised to take the race gate to wire. Behind her, Rosario held Fluffy Socks midpack, content to sit 4th or 5th until the stretch.

In the Belmont straight, Rosario took Fluffy Socks to the outside of front-runners Higher Truth and Our Flash Dive, with Runaway Rumour following. Fluffy Socks caught a tiring Higher Truth in the final sixteenth of a mile and then was able to hold off Runaway Rumour to win the G2 stakes by a neck.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.48. Find this race’s chart here.

Fluffy Socks paid $10.20, $5.60, and $3.00. Runaway Rumour paid $10.80 and $4.30. Higher Truth paid $2.10.

“Both horses ran really well. My other horse that set the pace [Higher Truth] ran well and she maybe just ran one too many dances this year. She ran in all three legs of the Turf Triple and she’s the only filly to run in all three legs. She was looking just a little bit tired there towards the end,” trainer Chad Brown said after the race. “Fluffy Socks is a barn and fan favorite with her name. She’s a homebred of Slumber from very modest beginnings, but she’s really a great racehorse and a beautiful filly that just keeps getting better. I’m real happy for Sol Kumin and all his partners and a shout out to his son, Sam, who named the horse.”

There wasn’t too much speed [in the race]. It looked like we would be a little forwardly placed because there wasn’t too much speed and she got the job done,” Rosario told the NYRA Press Office after the Sands Point. “Last time when I rode her at Del Mar [third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks] she kept coming and coming and just missed. It looks like she’s getting better.”

Bred in Kentucky by owner Head of Plains Racing, Fluffy Socks is by Slumber (GB) out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Breakfast Time. With her win in the G2 Sands Point, the 3-year-old filly has one win in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 10-4-3-1 and career earnings of $430,880.