Nine juveniles are entered for Friday’s $135,000 Atlantic Beach Stakes at Belmont at the Big A, with eight for turf and one designated as main track only. The six-furlongs will be contested on the outer turf course with the rail set at 12 feet.
Ghostly Rose, a promising son of Battalion Runner, enters the race with black-type experience across multiple venues. Bred by St. Elias Stables LLC, the gray/roan colt, a $3,500 Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2023 Winter Mixed Sale purchase, showed early promise breaking his maiden at Gulfstream Park in June. His stakes campaign includes a fifth in the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park, a strong third in the Exacta Systems Rosie’s Stakes at Colonial Downs, and a recent fourth in the Hollywood Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Javier E. Gonzalez has enlisted Angel Serpa to pilot the Florida-bred for owner Diego Conde.
Joey Muscles, a chestnut colt by leading Florida sire Khozan, brings multiple stakes appearances to the Atlantic Beach. Bred by owner John Grossi and trained by Belmont Stakes-winning conditioner Jena M. Antonucci, Joey Muscles broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park on July 7. He has since competed exclusively in stakes company, running third in the Proud Man Stakes at Gulfstream on August 10, seventh in the Listed Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park, and most recently seventh in the Grade 3 Futurity Stakes at Aqueduct. Romero Maragh has been named to ride.
The field includes several intriguing contenders looking to rebound from graded stakes attempts. Warheart seeks improvement after finishing seventh in Keeneland’s Grade 2 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes, while Colonel Bob exits the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes where he finished eighth, a race that also featured main track only entrant Executive Order in seventh. Epitaph comes in from a solid third-place finish in the Grade 3 Futurity Stakes. All starters carry equal weights of 120 pounds in this compelling juvenile turf sprint.