All smiles: D’Funnybone wins Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park

D’Funnybone wins Belmont’s Futurity

NEW YORK — D’Funnybone rolled to an easy victory in the Futurity while Awesome Maria prevailed in the Matron for fillies Saturday as Belmont Park presented a pair of $250,000 stakes for 2-year-olds.

D’Funnybone, trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr. and ridden by Edgar Prado, improved to 3 for 4. He took charge midway on the turn, cruising to a 4¾-length win over Discreetely Mine with Thiskyhasnolimit third.

The Futurity, the follow-up to D’Funnybone’s 10½-length win in the Saratoga Special, has Dutrow somewhat reluctantly thinking about the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 7 over Santa Anita’s synthetic surface.

“I’d rather run him back here in the Champagne (Oct. 10) and then just stop on him for the year,” Dutrow said. “I’m not crazy about California and the Polytrack, but there’s a lot of excitement that goes with the Breeders’ Cup and how can you turn it down?”

D’Funnybone paid $2.90 to win as he ran the seven furlongs in 1:22.40.

In the Matron, Awesome Maria beat Touching Beauty by 2 3-4 lengths with Cornelio Velasquez aboard for trainer Stanley Hough.

Awesome Maria, 2 for 3, was timed in 1:23.07 in her stakes debut. She paid $9.50 to win.