Dale Desruisseaux Eyes First U.S. Stakes Score At Belmont

Woodbine-based trainer Dale Desruisseaux will look to pick up his first stateside stakes score this Saturday at Belmont Park.

He will send Highwaytothemoon to post in the $175,000 Carle Place, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for sophomores.

The race goes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Highwaytothemoon is a Ransom the Moon gelding owned by Domenic Dilalla.

The horse has outperformed expectations this year.

He began his season in April at Woodbine, winning a 5 1/2-furlong race on Tapeta against older horses by a neck.

That win came after stretching out from a shorter distance.

Desruisseaux then tried him at seven furlongs in the King Corrie Stakes in May.

Highwaytothemoon ran a prominent second in that race.

He followed that with a frontrunning win in the Queenston Stakes in June, facing fellow Canadian-breds.

“We didn’t even have him eligible for the Triple Crown up here over the winter because I always thought he was a one-turn horse, but he took us on a ride,” Desruisseaux said.

The trainer decided to test the colt at longer distances.

Highwaytothemoon stretched out to nine furlongs in the Plate Trial Stakes in July.

He won that race with a stalking score, again against Canadian-breds.

That set him up for the King’s Plate in August, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

The race was run at 10 furlongs.

Highwaytothemoon finished ninth after a troubled trip.

“He had a rough trip in the Plate,” Desruisseaux said.

“Turning for home, he got bounced around, and my jock said it took the air out of him. It didn’t give us a true feeling on the race, and that’s why we decided to go onto the next one.”

Desruisseaux gave the horse one more chance at a long distance in the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

That race was run over 1 3/16 miles on the dirt at Fort Erie.

Highwaytothemoon finished seventh, not threatening the leaders.

“I think he was that typical stereotype of a horse that you can get them to go long once,” Desruisseaux said.

“He showed us in the second leg that he didn’t want to go that far.”

The trainer also noted that the horse had a good trip in that race but simply did not fire turning for home.

After those two defeats, Desruisseaux decided to shorten the horse back up.

Highwaytothemoon entered the Sophomore Stakes on October 10 at Woodbine, run at 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta.

He ran a closing second in that race.

With jockey Jose Campos up, Highwaytothemoon saved ground in last of five after breaking from the inside post.

My Covenant led the field through a half-mile in 45.97 seconds.

My Covenant held a two-length advantage at the stretch call.

Highwaytothemoon cut the corner and took aim at the leader.

But My Covenant held on for a one-length victory, his third straight win.

The final time was 1:16.03.

“He was a little further back than I would have liked to see him last time,” Desruisseaux said.

Now the horse ships to Belmont Park for the Carle Place.

The race is a six-furlong sprint on the inner turf course.

It is restricted to 3-year-olds.

The purse is $175,000.

A stakes win in the United States would be a milestone for Desruisseaux.

He is based at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

But he will have a significant string of horses in New York this winter.

Highwaytothemoon is the first of those horses to run in a U.S. stakes race.

The horse’s versatility has been a key theme of his season.

He has won at 5 1/2 furlongs, seven furlongs, and nine furlongs.

He has won on Tapeta and on turf.

He has won from on the lead and from off the pace.

Desruisseaux believes the horse is best at one turn.

The Carle Place is a one-turn race.

The inner turf course at Belmont Park plays to speed.

Highwaytothemoon has shown he can handle turf.

He has not run on turf since his debut.

But his Tapeta form has translated to turf for many horses shipping from Woodbine.

The horse’s record this year stands at three wins, two seconds, and one third from eight starts.

His earnings exceed $300,000.

A win in the Carle Place would add another $105,000 to that total.

The race drew a field of eight horses.

Highwaytothemoon will need to handle the tighter turns of the inner turf course.

He will also face horses with more experience on New York turf.

But Desruisseaux is confident the horse is ready.

The race goes off as Race 7 on the Saturday card at Belmont Park.

Post time is scheduled for approximately 4:43 p.m. Eastern.

Desruisseaux has been training since 2015.

He has won over 200 races in his career.

Most of those wins have come at Woodbine.

He has started horses in the United States before but never won a stakes race.

Highwaytothemoon gives him his best chance so far.

The horse’s owner, Domenic Dilalla, has been a longtime supporter of the barn.

Dilalla bred Highwaytothemoon.

The horse was foaled in Ontario.

He is by Ransom the Moon out of the Quality Road mare Moonshine Bay.

Ransom the Moon is a graded stakes winner who stands at stud in Kentucky.

The Carle Place is named after a historic horse racing venue on Long Island.

The race was previously run at Aqueduct.

It was moved to Belmont Park for this year’s meeting.

Belmont Park is currently in the middle of its fall meet.

The meet runs through December.

Desruisseaux will have a full stable at Belmont over the winter.

That makes Saturday’s race a potential springboard for the rest of the season.

A win would announce that the Desruisseaux barn is a player in New York.

Even a strong performance would signal that the horses are ready for the winter campaign.

Highwaytothemoon has been training at Woodbine leading up to the race.

He worked five furlongs on the Tapeta on October 31.

He went in 1:01.20, the fastest of 12 horses at the distance that day.

That work was his final serious move before the race.

He will ship to Belmont Park on Friday.

The horse is expected to be ridden by jockey Jose Campos, who was aboard for the last race.

Campos has been the regular rider for the horse this year.

The Carle Place is a six-furlong turf sprint.

The turf course at Belmont Park is listed as firm.

The forecast for Saturday calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-50s.

That should be ideal conditions for turf racing.

Highwaytothemoon has not raced on turf since his debut in 2024.

But his pedigree suggests he should handle it.

Ransom the Moon was a Grade 1 winner on dirt but has sired turf winners as well.

The dam, Moonshine Bay, won on turf.

Desruisseaux has said the horse worked well on turf at Woodbine.

The inner turf course at Belmont is a tight, speed-favoring layout.

Horses with early speed have an advantage.