Aqueduct Stakes Advances

By Brian Bohl/Heather Pettinger/Najja Thompson —-

Inaugural runnings of Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship and Forever Together bolster Saturday’s card

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Ironhorse Racing Stable’s Bucchero will be running for the first time since a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint as part of a field of 11 3-year-olds and up in Saturday’s $125,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship.
Contested at six furlongs on the Big A’s new outer turf course, the race’s inaugural edition will feature Bucchero looking to win for the third time in four starts after capturing the Brickyard on September 14 at Indiana Grand Race Course and rallying to win the Grade 2 Woodford on October 7 at Keeneland.
That set up the Tim Glyshaw trainee’s appearance in the Turf Sprint, where he finished just a half-length behind Disco Partner for third in his Grade 1 debut on November 4 at Del Mar.
Regular rider Fernando De La Cruz will make the trip and ride the French bred from the outside post.
Robert Evans’ White Flag recorded three straight wins, including edging Big Handsome by a neck in the Allied Forces on September 10, before running third in his first graded stakes start in the Grade 2 Nearctic on October 15 at Woodbine.
Trained by Christophe Clement, White Flag has two wins and a third-place finish in three career starts at the Turf Sprint Championship distance.
“White Flag is training well and came out of the race in Woodbine in good shape,” Clement said. “There isn’t supposed to be rain, so the weather should be good. I’m excited to see him run over the weekend. The distance should be good for him.”
Joel Rosario will ride the 3-year-old War Front colt from post 3.
Conquest Panthera ran fourth in dropping down in class against optional claimers on November 12 at Woodbine. The 5-year-old Kitten’s Joy gelding will now be returning to stakes company for the first time since a fourth-place finish in the Woodford. Trained by Mark Casse, Conquest Panthera earned a personal-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his win by a neck over Dowse’s Beach at seven furlongs in the Grade 2 Play the King on August 19 at Woodbine.
Dylan Davis will have the call from post 5.
After dropping down in class to win an optional claimer October 5 at Belmont at six furlongs, Blind Ambition will look to replicate his sprinting success, which he showed in a half-length win in the 5 ½-furlong Quick Call on August 9 at Saratoga.
A 3-year-old Tapit colt, Blind Ambition is trained by Todd Pletcher and will break from post 8 in tandem with Jose Ortiz.
A group of veteran horses rounds out the field, including Spring to the Sky, an 8-year-old multiple stakes winner who is set to make his 47th career start, drawing post 6 for trainer Bruce Brown, and Dowse’s Beach, a 6-year-old who was second in the Play the King for trainer Brad Cox, who will leave from post 10.
Snowday, who ran third in the Belmont Turf Sprint for trainer J.W. Thompson, will break from post 1; Dubini, trained by Kathleen Demasi, will exit post 7; and a pair of Jason Servis trainees in Summation Time and Rainbow Heir will round out the field from posts 9 and 4, respectively.
Ready for Rye, who is also entered in the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight on Thanksgiving Day for trainer Tom Albertrani, is cross-entered as well and drew post 2.
Summer Revolution and Cerro are entered for the main track only.
Also on Saturday, trainer Chad Brown will send out a pair of contenders in Elysea’s World and Penjade to lead a field of seven in the first running of the $150,000 Forever Together for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf, kicking off the day’s stakes action in Race 4.

Last time out, Elysea’s World and Penjade finished a respective third and fourth behind fellow Brown trainee Off Limits in the Grade 3 Athenia on October 28. Elysea’s World, a 4-year-old filly by Champs Elysees, has hit the board in seven starts in 2017, including runner-up finishes in the Grade 2 Hillsborough and Grade Canadian, and is still looking for her first win of the year. Prior to the Athenia, Penjade, a 4-year-old French-bred daughter of Air Chief Marshal, put together a three-race win streak facing allowance company, including a half-length victory at Belmont in September.

Owned by Sheep Pond Partners and All Pro Racing, Elysea’s World will be ridden by Joel Rosario from post 3. Penjade will break from post 5 bearing the colors of Amerman Racing with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

Athenia runner-up My Impression will try for her third win over the Big A turf for owner-breeder Stuart S. Janney III and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Winner of the 2016 Winter Memories at Aqueduct, the 4-year-old Sky Mesa filly posted a 1 ½-length victory in the One Dreamer in September at Kentucky Downs before finishing a neck short of Off Limits in the Athenia. My Impression will be ridden by Jose Ortiz from the outside post.

Also entered in the Forever Together are Not Taken, a half-length optional-claiming winner last time out for the John Terranova barn; Winter, trying turf for the first time in 16 months for trainer Cal Lynch; Jason Servis-trained Bishop’s Pond, making her first start since finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Beldame Invitational on September 30 at Belmont; and Sweet Sandy, exiting a fifth-place finish in the Brookmede at Laurel Park for trainer Danielle Hodsdon.

Senior Investment returns to dirt for G3 Discovery

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Set to make his first start since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby, Fern Circle Stable’s Senior Investment will headline a field of six in the Grade 3, $200,000 Discovery for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

One of three stakes races on the card, the Discovery will be joined by inaugural running of the $125,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs and the $150,000 Forever Together for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

By Discreetly Mine, Senior Investment has two wins from eight starts with one third-place finish this year. Under the care of trainer Kenny McPeek, Senior Investment broke his maiden in his fourth career start as a 2-year-old at Fair Grounds. Kicking off his 3-year-old campaign with back-to-back victories in optional-claiming races at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park, he stepped up to stakes competition finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. In his second stakes try, Senior Investment upset the Grade 3 Lexington at odds of 11-1 and went on to finish third in the Grade 1 Preakness before running fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

He switched to the turf this summer, finishing 10th in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby and followed with a fourth-place finish in the Ontario Derby on October 15 over the Tapeta course at Woodbine.

“His year has been really solid overall outside of the Belmont Derby,” said McPeek. “We just wanted to try him on the turf, but he’s done everything right and been a solid 3-year-old. He’s run well previously on the dirt and he’s shown plenty of ability such as his effort in the Lexington. He does usually come from off the pace and his running style is his running style so we’ll let Jose Ortiz figure him out. He’s been training into this well and we’re looking forward to running to build towards the future going towards a 4-year-old campaign.”
Ortiz will ride from post 4.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin will enter two horses with True Timber for Calumet Farm and Spieth for Godolphin Racing. A son of Mineshaft, True Timber has yet to reach the winner’s circle this year but has a pair of second and third place finishes from seven starts. He will stretch out in distance for the Discovery coming off a second-place running on October 13 at Belmont Park in an allowance race. Previously, he ran third in the Sir Barton on May 20 at Pimlico. A gray colt by Bernardini, Speith broke his maiden in impressive fashion on August 16 at Saratoga Race Course, winning by 6 ¼ lengths to record a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. He followed up to run third in an allowance race on September 16 at Belmont Park and most recently ran second on November 4 at Aqueduct.

With Luis Saez aboard, True Timber will leave from post 3 Speith will leave from the rail with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons.

Rounding out the field is Bonus Points for Three Diamonds Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher. The Majestic Warrior colt enters the Discovery off a victory in the Maryland Million Classic on October 21 at Laurel Park. Can You Diggit is also entered for Chester and Mary Broman and trainer Jimmy Jerkens.