Aqueduct Stakes Preview: Saturday Ladies Handicap, Sunday Ruthless

NYRA RELEASE —-

Highway Star seeks second consecutive stakes win in Saturday’s Ladies Handicap; Yorkiepoo Princess leads Sunday’s Ruthless

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Fresh off an impressive victory in her graded stakes debut, Chester and Mary Broman’s Highway Star will headline a five-horse field in Saturday’s $100,000 Ladies Handicap for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at one mile and 70 yards on the inner dirt track at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Highway Star posted a career-high 85 Beyer Speed Figure in defeating High Ride Road by a nose in the Grade 3 Go for Wand on December 3 at the Big A. The newly turned 4-year-old has won her last three starts for trainer Rodrigo Ubillo, including a victory in the New York Stallion Series on November 13.

The ultra-consistent New York-bred is 5-0-1 in seven career starts and will carry 117 pounds. Set at 2-1, Highway Star will depart from the rail with Angel Arroyo in the irons.

Wonder Gal, for trainer Leah Gyarmati, will carry the high weight of 118 coming off a third-place finish in the Go for Wand. Treadway Racing Stable’s dark bay mare will start her 5-year-old campaign looking to build on a 2016 year in which she ran in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, finishing 10th on November 5 at Santa Anita Park.

Installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite, she will leave post 4 with Jose Ortiz, the 2016 NYRA year-end leading rider.

Always On My Mind, at 116 pounds, will make her second career stakes start after winning against allowance company November 24. Owned by John Gunther, the 4-year-old, fourth in her stakes debut in the Remington Park Oaks in September, drew the outside post at 5-2 with Manny Franco on the call.

Chorus Line, for trainer Edward DeLauro, will make her stakes debut after winning against allowance company on December 1. The 4-year-old is the low weight at 113 pounds, leaving post 3 at 6-1 odds. Samuel Camacho, Jr. will ride.

At 15-1 on the morning line, Jet Majesty will round out the field from post 2. The 6-year-old David Jacobson trainee, carrying 114 pounds, will be on a quick turnaround after finishing second in an optional claimer on January 2. Eric Cancel will have the mount.

On Sunday, Danny Chen’s Yorkiepoo Princess will look for her second stakes win in the $100,000 Ruthless for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. The Florida-bred Kantharos filly rebounded from a 10th-place finish on the turf in the Chelsey Flower in October with a 2 ¾-length win last time out of the six-furlong Furlough on November 24.

With a pair of wins from five lifetime starts, Yorkiepoo Princess will look to bring her talents to the inner track for the Eddie Barker barn. Jose Ortiz has the mount from post 5.

Chen and Barker will also team up with Kissin Cassie, a first-out maiden winner who was most recently fourth in an allowance contest November 23. Dylan Davis is set to ride the Florida-bred High Cotton filly from post 3.

Set to make her first stakes start is Banty’s Girl for trainer and co-owner Robert Masiello. By Shackleford, Banty’s Girl broke through in her fifth start with a 1 ¼-length, maiden special weight victory on the muddy and sealed inner track December 18. Alan Garcia will ride from post 2.

Trainer Jeffrey Englehart will saddle maiden runner Alice B Winkle, a well-beaten third in the Furlough last time out. By Gone Astray, Alice B Winkle will depart from post 4 with Antonio Gallardo in the irons.

Bookending the field are a pair of debut winners, Bride Street and Waves of Blue. Bride Street, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin for Stonestreet Stables, registered a half-length maiden victory on the Aqueduct main track November 27. Rajiv Maragh will be aboard the chestnut daughter of Street Cry, set to break from the outside post.

Waves of Blue will venture north from her Gulfstream Park base for owner Niall Brennan and trainer David Fawkes. A $210,000 2-year-old-in-training purchase, the Quality Road filly held on for a 1 ½-length debut win on a sloppy and sealed track on December 11. Franco will ride from the inside post.