Hullabaloo Ray Ray is rapidly turning Belmont Park into his personal proving ground. The Glen Hill Farm colt followed his October breakthrough with a 9 1/2-length allowance victory Sunday, again leaving Jose Lezcano with little more to do than keep him focused through the final furlong.
The performance was even more authoritative than the margin suggests. According to the official race chart, Hullabaloo Ray Ray tracked the pace three wide, took command just beyond the quarter pole and opened daylight while under only a light drive. The 1-9 favorite completed a one-mile dirt test in his third start, adding a second win after finishing second on debut and scoring a 4 1/4-length victory in his next start.
The colt's rapid development is no surprise to anyone who watched that October effort. Thoroughbred Daily News identified him as a TDN Rising Star after that win, noting his patient ride from Lezcano and his ability to accelerate once set down by trainer Tom Proctor. The son of Jackie's Warrior was a $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky weanling purchase, and his female family includes stakes winners Laughing Boy and Star of Wonder, as well as major winners Shedaresthedevil and Leading Change.
Sunday's other standout was Inflect, who supplied trainer Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables with a one-two finish in a one-mile turf maiden special weight. The Uncle Mo filly sat near the back before producing the strongest finish, sweeping past the field and drawing away by 5 1/4 lengths. TDN reported that stablemate Sellonthenews closed well for second, but Inflect quickly separated herself in midstretch and earned Rising Star recognition.
That combination of patience and acceleration matters on the Belmont turf course, where a juvenile can lose ground early and still win decisively only with a sustained move. Inflect's second-start improvement also gives Brown options: she has now shown she can settle, handle a mile and finish, a profile that could support a stakes attempt rather than another routine maiden spot.
Dreamlike provided the day's older-horse punctuation in the seventh race, rallying three wide before taking control and pulling away by 5 1/2 lengths. The six-year-old Gun Runner gelding needed 26 starts to reach four victories, but his latest effort was among his most convincing. With Hullabaloo Ray Ray supplying the headline and Inflect adding a promising new name, Sunday's Belmont card produced two sharply contrasting signals: a proven juvenile building toward better company and an unbeaten-on-the-day filly whose turf ceiling is only beginning to come into focus.