Saratoga Maidens Presented By Keeneland: Switch From Turf to Slop was A-OK With Belgian

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – George Weaver, Javier Castellano and Belgian (Beau Laim) combined to make all the right moves Thursday that yielded an 11-length victory in the sixth race at Saratoga Race Course.

When a mid-afternoon downpour forced the $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds to be moved from the Mellon Turf Course to the main track, five of the nine horses entered were scratched. Weaver said he never considered taking Belgian, who he trains for Newtown Anner Stud Farm, out the contest.

“He's handy enough on the dirt,” Weaver said. “He's by Beau Liam. I thought he'd like a wet track.”

Weaver was right. Belgian had no trouble under the Hall of Fame jockey with the sloppy sealed track.

“The bottom line is the horse trained well enough in the dirt,” Weaver said. “Sometimes you have them on the turf, they take it off and you know the horse can't stand up on the dirt, and you just prefer not to try. This horse, I really liked him on the grass, but he's worked excellent on the dirt, also. So we left him in and we got to watch him kick some butt.”

Kick butt, indeed.

George Weaver | Sarah Andrew

Weaver said the colt has been impressive since Newtown Anner purchased him for $185,000 at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds. Bred in Kentucky by Springhouse Farm, Belgian is a gray out of Watch Smartly by Smart Strike.

“He's a beautiful horse,” Weaver said. “He worked great at the sale. We bought him, they shipped him to me, and he's been nothing but a class act the whole time. We've liked him all along. I guess you don't find out how good they are until you run them against graded-stakes horses, but we've liked him. He's an athletic horse. We've been looking forward to this day for a while.”

Castellano, who won a pair of races Thursday, followed the strategy that Weaver presented him: be patient.

“I told Javier, 'Look, we got the one-hole. There are horses that have already run that have got good speed,'” Weaver said. “'You've got to ask him for some position. He's a firster, but, hopefully, if you're within range of that of the speed, then I think you've got a good chance here. They're going to come back to you.' And they did.”

Belgian stalked Throckmorton (Caracaro) and Augustinian (Galilean) through a quarter in :22.27 and was second to Throckmorton after three-eighths. Castellano asked him for more at the five-sixteenths pole and he responded with a burst of speed along the rail. By the three-sixteenths pole he was in front and the rout was on. Belgian reached the wire in 1:03.68 and paid $6.60.

“Very straightforward horse. I really like the way he did it,” Castellano said. “Very professional in the post parade. He showed me a lot of talent. Mentally, a very mature horse. Everything he does the right way.

“Broke good out of the gate. I didn't want to hook the speed because the two horses had a race under their belts. My horse, it was his first time and I didn't want him to get tired.”

Belgian had plenty left in the stretch and easily extended his advantage.

“I like what he did,” Castellano said. “He was very professional. Cut all the corners, saved all the ground and finished very well. Very impressed.”

Weaver smiled as he considered the question of what's next for Belgian.

“We'll talk to the owners, and see how he comes out,” Weaver said. “I'd love to see him on the grass at some point, but he ran well enough today to throw some doubt on whether or not we should turf him or not.”

6th-Saratoga, $93,000, Msw, 8-14, 2yo, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:03.68, sy, 11 lengths.
BELGIAN (c, 2, Beau Liam–Watch Smartly, by Smart Strike), off at odds of 2-1 facing just three rivals in this scratched-down off-the-turfer, raced in an inside third through an opening quarter in :22.27. He cut the corner and shot through an inviting opening along the rail at the top of the stretch and splashed his way home to an 11-length victory over Augustinian (Galilean). He becomes the sixth winner for his freshman sire (by Liam's Map). Beglian is a half-brother to Frost Wise (Frost Giant), SW, $266,613; and a full to a Beau Liam colt of 2024 and a Beau Liam filly of this year. Sales history: $40,000 Ylg '24 FTKJUL; $185,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Newtown Anner Stud Farm; B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-George Weaver.

Belgian cuts the corner and dominates in R6 at Saratoga under @jjcjockey for trainer George Weaver! pic.twitter.com/A4ciT1bcdi

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 14, 2025

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