Aqueduct Saturday Stakes Results

Posted On 27 Nov 2022

Astronaut delivers stellar gate-to-wire performance in G2 Red Smith

By Mary Eddy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The stars aligned for John M. B. O’Connor’s Astronaut to wire a talented field of 12 under expert handling from Kendrick Carmouche in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith, a 1 3/8-mile inner turf marathon for 3-year-olds and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, the 5-year-old son of Quality Road scored the second graded victory of his career and first for his conditioner after rejoining his stable in October. Astronaut, who began his career with Albertrani in early 2020, moved west to the care of trainer John Shirreffs for his 4-year-old campaign and claimed victory in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap going the Red Smith distance last August at Del Mar. He returned to Albertrani after making his seasonal debut in September at Del Mar and posted a game third-place finish last out in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 8 at Belmont at the Big A.

“I had him early on in his career before he went to California, and we always did like the horse back then,” Albertrani said. “He always looked like a horse that had talent. He had some good races out in California and I think that one race off the layoff set him up for his last two.”

Astronaut, who broke sharply from post 4, rushed up to claim the lead from Highest Honors to his inside and marked an opening quarter-mile in 24.81 seconds and a half-mile in 49.82 over the firm going. Astronaut maintained his advantage as the spread-out field passed the stands for the first time with a keen Cold Hard Cash holding second position over Highest Honors.

The Chad Brown-trained Highest Honors, under strong urging from Irad Ortiz, Jr., began his bid after three-quarters in 1:14.98 and came within striking distance of Astronaut at the top of the stretch, but the pacesetter had something left in the tank and kicked clear as the field passed the eighth pole and crossed the wire three lengths the best in a final time of 2:14 flat.

Highest Honors secured place honors 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Cold Hard Cash, who fended off the late bid of longshot Daunt by a neck. Balthus, Beacon Hill, Mooney Love, Shawdyshawdyshawdy, Soldier Rising, Temple, Reigning Spirit and Dynadrive completed the order of finish. Main-track only entrants Kinetic Sky and I Am the Law were scratched.

Albertrani said he was pleased to see speed from Astronaut after stalking in the Joe Hirsch.

“We were looking for the lead today. We stayed close last time and we thought we might be able to steal it on the lead today,” said Albertrani. “Kendrick did the right thing and made the right choice.”

Carmouche, who won four races on Saturday’s card, said Astronaut captured the victory with ease.

“The horse ran an amazing race last time in the Grade 1,” Carmouche said. “This time, I wanted to put him into the race and see if they would let me walk the dog a little bit and when he came off the bit around the second turn, I knew I was a winner. I just had to make sure I was still going easy. Tom Albertrani and the owner spotted this horse right and they made us a winner.

“He’s a very funny horse with his mouth, so once you get him on the bit it’s hard to get him off of it,” Carmouche added. “By the time the second turn came around, I dropped his head a little and he relaxed even better. Going into the backside, I knew it was to that point.”

Albertrani said he plans to bring Astronaut south and decide his next start from there.

“This horse has been in great form. John did a great job bringing him over to the East Coast here and I just put the finishing touches on him,” Albertrani said. “He’s been in good form and hopefully we keep him that way. Hopefully, we’ll move down to Tampa with him and be choosing between there and Gulfstream with him. We’ll see how he settles in when he gets there.”

Astronaut, who was bred in Kentucky by Anastasie Astrid Christiasen-Croy, banked $165,000 for his winning effort, boosting his total purse earnings to $511,860 through a record of 14-3-5-1. He returned $32 for a $2 win ticket.

Chad Brown, trainer of Highest Honors and fifth-place finisher Balthus, said the former gave his best effort.

“He was second best today, but I thought he got a very good trip,” said Brown. “I thought both horses got good trips. Balthus looked like maybe he didn’t handle the turf, he just didn’t fire today. Both horses I thought got great trips and great rides.

“I think both horses will go south for the winter,” Brown continued. “I’ll talk to each individual owner and see what they want to do and if they want to kick on to Gulfstream or just give them a break.”

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a nine-race card, featuring the $120,000 Tepin, the $150,000 Discovery and the $150,000 Autumn Days. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

–Greeley and Ben game to the wire in G3 Fall Highweight

By Keith McCalmont

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The 8-year-old Greeley and Ben, expertly piloted by Manny Franco for owner Darryl E. Abramowitz, made the grade in his 39th career start, staving off the late charge of Runninsonofagun to post a narrow neck score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Fall Highweight, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and upward, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Greeley and Ben was making his first start for trainer Faith Wilson, who notched her first career win in May 2021 at Monmouth Park, and provided the conditioner with her first graded score.

“I wish my kids [Chelsea and Christian] were here for this, but it’s a far drive from New Jersey every day that me and my husband [Carlos Cortez] take,” Wilson said.

Greeley and Ben, carrying 130 pounds, turned the tables on Runninsonofagun after finishing fourth to his familiar foe in the six-furlong Grade 3 Bold Ruler here in October. The Greeley’s Conquest gelding exited that effort to capture a six-furlong allowance tilt here on November 10.

“We loved him since he came to the barn and he’s just been getting better and better,” Wilson said. “The starter allowance was supposed to be a confidence booster for him last time. Since then, he’s been wild in his training so he was proud of himself since that last win going into here. We were pretty impressed with how he was doing.”

Bezos set the tempo in the Fall Highweight, surging to the lead through splits of 22.90 seconds and 46.67 over the fast main track with Jaxon Traveler tracking along the rail in second. Greely and Ben advanced from third position through the turn, cutting the corner into the stretch run to duel for the lead with Jaxon Traveler as Factor It In, a close third in the Bold Ruler, and Runninsonofagun took aim.

All four rivals were in with a shout in the final 70 yards but a game and determined Greeley and Ben stuck his neck out to prevail in a final time of 1:11.95. Runninsonofagun completed the exacta by a head over Factor It In with Jaxon Traveler another head back in fourth. Synthesis, Happy Farm and Bezos rounded out the order of finish.

Franco, who won the Notebook here Friday with Acoustic Ave, said he wanted a prominent trip.

“My main thing was I wanted to get him to break well and stay close,” Franco said. “I just hugged the rail the whole way around. In the stretch, the horse on the lead opened up the rail and my horse just went through and did the rest. He fought hard.”

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard the mutuel favorite Runninsonofagun, said he was proud of the effort from the John Toscano, Jr. trainee, who shared co-highweight honors of 132 pounds with Factor It In.

“My horse ran so good. It would be different if he could have leveled off and opened up on them, but he brings you there so easy thinking you’ve got so much horse,” Carmouche said. “But overall, the horse gave his best effort. I had him in the right place to win and the owners and the trainer would have liked to have won this one before we put him away for the season and start him over next year.”

The Fall Highweight was just the third graded attempt for Greeley and Ben, who was a close-up third in last year’s Grade 3 Whitmore at Oaklawn Park for his then conditioner Karl Broberg. The well-traveled gelding moved barns several times since that effort before being claimed for $40,000 by trainer Jeffrey Englehart from a winning effort in September at Saratoga.

Bred in Kentucky by Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust, Greeley and Ben banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 39-23-7-2. He returned $16.80 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a nine-race card featuring the $120,000 Tepin Race 6, the $150,000 Discovery in Race 7 and the $150,000 Autumn Days in Race 8. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

Bat Flip knocks one out of the park in $120K Central Park

By Ryan Martin

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Harrell Ventures and Starlight Racing’s Bat Flip brought a newfound turf affinity into his stakes debut and passed the test with flying colors, besting a field of nine juveniles in Saturday’s fifth running of the $120,000 Central Park going one mile over the Aqueduct Racetrack outer turf.

Bat Flip did not show much in his first two career starts this summer over the Saratoga Race Course main track. But a surface switch has made all the difference for the bay son of freshman stallion Good Magic, who completed the exacta behind graded stakes winner Nagirroc in his six-furlong turf debut on September 24 here before a last out graduation on October 23 going 1 1/16 miles over the Big A turf for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“He really took to [the turf] and I was really pleased with his last race stretching out, so we aimed for this,” said Pletcher, who saddled Never Surprised to a Central Park score in 2020. “I loved the way he finished, I loved the way he galloped out. Looks like a promising colt.”

Bat Flip broke from post 2 under Jose Ortiz, who hustled his charge into second position approaching the first turn with the Joel Rosario-piloted Dr. Settle’s Dream commanding the early tempo through an opening quarter-mile in 23.57 seconds over the firm going. Ortiz tipped Bat Flip to the outside of the pacesetter and was only a neck back in second through a half-mile in 47.15. Under no urging from Ortiz, Bat Flip inched his way up to even terms with a tiring Dr. Settle’s Dream as 7-5 favorite General Jim launched his bid from the four path.

Ortiz began to get busy aboard Bat Flip passing the three-sixteenths while General Jim battled to the outside of dual stakes-placed Dandy Handyman. Bat Flip had plenty left to keep them both at bay, and won by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:34.30. Dandy Handyman finished a head to the better of General Jim. Ramblin’ Wreck, Liar’s Poker, Calycanthus, Noble Huntsman, Let’s Go Big Blue and Dr. Settle’s Dream completed the order of finish. Sweetlou’sgotaces was scratched.

Bat Flip returned $11.20 for a $2 win bet and banked $66,000 in victory while boasting lifetime earnings of $147,750 and a record of 5-2-1-0.

The win was Bat Flip’s third straight race piloted by Ortiz, who described the colt as a “manageable horse.”

“He has speed and he can rate, also,” Ortiz said. “He’s not a horse that needs the lead. When he ran six furlongs on the grass, he let us know that he could come from behind and pass horses. When we stretched him out for the first time he broke well and I let him be and he went wire to wire. Today, he had a horse in front of him and he settled, which is great. I loved the trip today.”

Ortiz said when stablemate Calycanthus, piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., to his inside and Liar’s Poker, under Dylan Davis, to his outside broke so sharp, he had to coax his charge in order to gain position into the first turn.

“Dylan broke well and Irad broke well as well and they were right next to me, so I had to hustle a little bit to make sure I’m there,” Ortiz said. “The horse responded well and I was able to settle mid-turn and I put him outside Joel along the backside and it was a pretty nice trip after that.”

Pletcher said Bat Flip appeared to have plenty in the tank heading into the final turn.

“It looked like Jose had his hands full and looked like he had a lot of horse,” Pletcher said. “When he turned for home, you could see he was kind of still holding him together waiting to let him out, so I was glad to see him respond the way it looked like he was going to.”

Pletcher said the surface switch has proved beneficial.

“I just decided to give it a try,” Pletcher said. “We felt like he was training well enough on the dirt, but he always seemed like he was just not quite polishing things off the way we would hope. So, we decided to give him a try on the grass and it seemed like it made a big difference.”

Pletcher added that he would not rush to point Bat Flip to a next start but will take a look at the 2023 stakes calendar and map out a campaign from there.

Bred in Kentucky by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Bat Flip is out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Krazy Kathy – a full-sister to graded stakes winner and Pletcher alumnus Intense Holiday and a half-sister to turf graded stakes-winning millionaire Money Multiplier. He was bought for $350,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Indian Creek.

Live racing returns Sunday at the Big A with a nine-race card, featuring the $120,000 Tepin, the $150,000 Discovery and the $150,000 Autumn Days. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.