Aqueduct: Friday Stakes Recaps

Front-running Mrs. Danvers earns first stakes victory in G3 Comely

By Brian Bohl

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Allen Stables’ Mrs. Danvers surged to the front out the gate and closed even stronger, drawing away for a 6 1/4-length victory for her first career stakes score in Friday’s 71st running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Comely for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time, the trainee of Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey broke sharp from post 6, with jockey Jose Lezcano keeping his charge at the front of the eight-horse field with the opening quarter-mile in 24.30 on the main track rated fast.

Project Whiskey, off at 15-1, challenged Mrs. Danvers along the backstretch, with the duo separated by a head as the half-mile went in 48.69. But Lezcano kept Mrs. Danvers pressed heading around the final turn, where she stayed near the rail while expanding her lead when straightened for home, powering to the wire in a final time of 1:50.09.

Making just her second stakes appearance, and first since running fifth in the Grade 1 Test on August 8, Runhappy Travers Day, at Saratoga Race Course, Mrs. Danvers won for the second straight outing, building on her victory by a neck against older allowance company in a one-turn mile on October 25 at Belmont Park.

“We were anxious to get her stretched out. It’s just been kind of difficult to do so,” McGaughey said. “This is what we felt like she wanted to do. Watching some of her allowance races, I wasn’t sure I was running her right. It looked like she was going to win and then she wouldn’t win.

“I think this is naturally what she wants to do is run this far,” he added. “Being on the lead today definitely helped. I don’t think it’s something she needs, but going down the line she’ll be forwardly placed.”

McGaughey added blinkers to the Tapit filly before her last start and has seen the Kentucky homebred improve to 2-for-2 since the equipment change. Mrs. Danvers’ dam, Gracie Square, is a half-sister to graded stakes-winners War Front, Teammate, North Dakota and Ecclesiastic. All are out of the stakes winning and multiple graded stakes-placed Rubiano mare Starry Dreamer.

“Anytime you can get a win with a filly with a pedigree like that, especially for the breeder, [Joseph Allen], it means a lot. He believed in this filly.”

Off at 7-2, Mrs. Danvers returned $9.50 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career record to 3-3-1 in eight career starts, increasing her bankroll to $211,800.

“She’s a nice filly,” Lezcano said. “Today, I let her break and run for the first quarter and she came back to me very nice. She was galloping along the whole way around. When I asked her to run, she jumped up in the bridle and took off.”
Ice Princess notched runner-up status for the second straight stakes appearance, building on her effort in the Fleet Indian against fellow New York-breds last month for trainer Danny Gargan. Returning to open company, Ice Princess was four lengths the best of Thankful for second.

“A couple horses made moves on the backside,” said Ice Princess jockey Junior Alvarado, who also won the Grade 3, $100,000 Gio Ponti aboard City Man and the $100,000 Forever Together on Feel Glorious on the card. “It was a strange move at that point of the race when everybody had their position, but I stayed with my plan. Turning for home, I moved out and picked up the pieces. We were second-best today.”

Toned Up, 2-1 favorite Gale, Miss Marissa, Project Whiskey and My Sweet Wife completed the order of finish. Makingcents and Pure Rhythm scratched.

Live racing resumes Saturday at Aqueduct with a 10-race card highlighted by the Grade 3, $100,000 Long Island for fillies and mares on the turf, the Grade 3, $100,000 Discovery for sophomores on the main track, the $100,000 Central Park for juveniles and the $100,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship for 3-year-olds and up. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

City Man prevails in $100K Gio Ponti

By Ryan Martin

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles’ City Man brought a winless record in three starts on grass to Friday’s $100,000 Gio Ponti, but broke through to earn a hard-fought victory in a dramatic stretch duel with Bodecream in the fifth running of the 1 1/16-mile event over the inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trainer Christophe Clement, the conditioner of the race’s namesake who earned the Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Horse in 2009-10, saddled City Man to his first stakes triumph since winning the Funny Cide last August at Saratoga.

The versatile son of Mucho Macho Man improved his record to 10-3-2-1 and added $55,000 to his bankroll, which now stands at $303,000.

Piloted by jockey Junior Alvarado from post 8, City Man secured a tracking position in third as the field passed the grandstand for the first time with 100-1 longshot Sail At Sunrise commanding the 10-horse field by 1 ½ lengths through an easy opening quarter-mile of 24.26 seconds over the turf course rated good.

With the half in 49.81, two-time graded stakes-placed Bodecream inched his way closer to the pacesetter as Alvarado waited patiently aboard City Man, who raced along the rail to the inside of horses in fourth as the field approached the far turn.

Alvarado angled his charge three-wide into the stretch and pursued command as Sail At Sunrise threw in the towel. With Bodecream to catch, City Man unleashed his bid in mid-stretch and the two horses remained on even terms through the final furlong. The last few strides came down to a head bob, but it was City Man who got his nose down first over a stubborn Bodecream in a final time of 1:44.88.

Bodecream finished another length ahead of late-closing post time favorite and two-time winner Price Talk, who rounded out the trifecta.

Ajourneytofreedom, Basquiat, Me and Mr. C, Starting Over, Doc Boy, Reconvene and Sail At Sunrise rounded out the order of finish. Fighting Seabee and Vanzzy were scratched.

City Man produced strong efforts in his previous three turf outings, when finishing a close fourth in last year’s Central Park at Aqueduct to subsequent graded stakes winner Pixelate and was fourth once more beaten less than a length in the Grade 3 Transylvania on July 11 at Keeneland to Field Pass. He was also a close second in an open company allowance event over the inner turf at Saratoga two starts back.

City Man arrived at the Gio Ponti off a runner-up finish against his New York-bred counterparts in the 1 1/8-mile Albany on September 4 at Saratoga.

“Every time Christophe Clement brings a horse over to race, it doesn’t matter the odds, they always seem to be fighting to win the race,” Alvarado said.

Alvarado said he had a good trip aboard City Man.

“He broke good and I helped him out of there a little bit and got myself a beautiful spot all the way around,” Alvarado said. “I tipped out right when I wanted it and he responded really well at the end. To be honest, I thought he could have won easy but sometimes he likes to wait on horses and hang and I think that’s what he did today. When he got to the last horse, he was waiting on him, but we got it done anyway.”

Clement did not rule out a return to the main track and could spin City Man back against New York-breds for the Alex M. Robb at nine furlongs on December 12.

“I’ll talk to the owners and If I can make it, I’ll try to make it,” Clement said.

Bred in the Empire State by Moonstar Farm, City Man is out of the City Zip mare City Scamper.

Live racing resumes Saturday at the Big A with a 10-race card, highlighted by the Grade 3, $100,000 Long Island going 11 furlongs for fillies and mares on the turf; the Grade 3, $100,000 Discovery for sophomores going 1 1/8 miles on the dirt; the $100,000 Central Park for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf; and the $100,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship for 3-year-olds and upward going 6 ½ furlongs on the turf. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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