NEW YORK - Cacique continued his emergence as a leader in the turf division with a 1¾-length victory Saturday in the $500,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park.

Cacique, a 5-year-old who started his career in Europe, improved his record to two wins and three seconds in six U.S. starts this season since joining the barn of Hall of Famer trainer Bobby Frankel.

With Edgar Prado aboard, Cacique found an inside opening in the stretch and quickly accelerated to the front.

“Everything was beautiful,” Prado said. “I was looking for a place to go, and the horse just took off like a rocket. Out of all of his races where I’ve ridden him, this was his best kick.”

Prado rode Cacique in his last four, a span that also included a victory in Belmont’s Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap in June.

The latest win stamped Cacique as a leading contender for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.

“This might have been his best race yet,” Frankel said. “I’m thinking about the Breeders’ Cup.”

Go Deputy rallied to get second, finishing a nose in front of Showing Up.

Cacique earned $300,000 for Juddmonte Farms as he ran the 1 3-8 miles on the good course in 2:15.68.

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Cacique paid, the 8-5 favorite, paid $5.40, $2.80 and $2.20. Go Deputy returned $3.70 and $2.90. Showing Up paid 2.90 for show.

Cosmonaut was fourth followed by Relaxed Gesture, Crown Point and Ramazutti.

The Man o’ War was the richest of three Grade 1 races Saturday at Belmont.

Pine Island followed her victory in the Alabama at Saratoga with a one-length win over Teammate in the $250,000 Gazelle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. She ran the 1 1-8 miles in 1:48.93 on the fast track and paid $4.10 to win.

Magnificent Song made it a clean sweep by the favorites in the three stakes with two-length win over Take the Ribbon in the $246,000 Garden City Breeders’ Cup Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf. She paid $7.70 to win in the 1 1-8 mile race run in 1:48.48.