Gazelle Handicap (gr. I) winner Exogenous survived a stewards' inquiry to earn her second straight grade I victory, winning Saturday's $750,000 Beldame Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park. After describing an "S" shape while weaving her way to the wire -- bumping Spain repeatedly in the process – Exogenous completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.20 on a fast track and finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Flute.
"If the 5 (Exogenous) doesn't bother us, we win the race. This is surprising," said Spain's trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.
Spain finished a head behind Flute.
"Victor (Espinoza, aboard Spain) said she had to check twice," the Hall of Fame conditioner added.
Flint "Scotty" Schulhofer, trainer of Exogenous, was nervous during the inquiry.
"I'm too nervous to think," he said while the stewards' decision was pending. "She was all over the place, but I don't think she bothered anybody."
It couldn't have helped soothe Schulhofer's nerves that a Bobby Frankel trainee's number (Flute) was second on the board while Exogenous' number flashed. Earlier this year, Frankel earned two grade I wins via disqualification within the space of minutes.
Flute's jockey Jerry Bailey was furious with the decision after the race. "They said they wanted to talk to me but they put up the official first and never gave me a chance to talk."
