Aqueduct Saturday Stakes Previews: Grade 3 Withers,
By Mary Eddy —-
Arctic Arrogance seeks breakout win in G3 Withers
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Chester and Mary Broman’s graded stakes-placed New York homebred Arctic Arrogance will make his second attempt at securing a graded triumph in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Withers, a prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will award the top-five finishers 20-8-6-4-2 qualifying points, respectively, towards the prestigious Grade 1 test on May 6 at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Linda Rice, Arctic Arrogance will be making this third appearance in a Kentucky Derby points race at the Big A, looking to break through after valiant runner-up efforts in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen on December 3 and the one-mile Jerome on January 7. He is currently 12th on the leaderboard with eight points.
The son of Frosted displayed his talents on debut with a pacesetting one-length score in a state-bred maiden in September over a muddy and sealed main track at Saratoga Race Course. He followed with a similar frontrunning trip in the Bertram F. Bongard in September at Belmont at the Big A against state-breds, finishing second to upset winner Jackson Heights.
Arctic Arrogance made his open company debut in the Remsen, where he set the pace under returning pilot Jose Lezcano and battled gamely down the lane with Dubyuhnell to come up a half-length shy of victory. He traveled in second position throughout in the next-out Jerome, finishing a half-length back of the frontrunning winner Lugan Knight.
Rice said she is hopeful a return to nine furlongs will benefit the grey colt.
“He ran well in the Remsen as a 2-year-old, so you would think at this point that the mile-and-an-eighth will be good for him,” Rice said.
Arctic Arrogance will sport blinkers for the first time in the Withers after wearing them for his last few morning workouts.
“Lezcano breezed him in them,” said Rice. “We felt with the blinkers, he went on by himself rather than being reluctant to leave other horses. It’s going well.”
Rice had previously indicated that Arctic Arrogance has proven to be a challenge to keep fit into his races, including the Jerome when he missed a scheduled work leading into the race. Rice said fitness is not a concern this time.
“Not this time around,” said Rice, who won the 2020 Withers with Max Player. “We didn’t have any weather and didn’t miss any works.”
Arctic Arrogance will emerge from post 3.
LC Racing’s Pennsylvania homebred Ninetyprcentmaddie [post 1, Abner Adorno] will look to notch his first open-company stakes victory on the heels of a game runner-up effort in the seven-furlong Parx Juvenile on January 3 at its namesake track.
Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the son of Weigelia broke from the inside post in the field of eight under Paco Lopez and dueled for the early lead before settling in third at the half-mile call. He angled out down the stretch under strong urging from Lopez, but settled for second 2 3/4 lengths in arrears of the victorious Recruiter.
Reid, Jr. said that while the inside post hampered Ninetyprcentmaddie in his last start, he is confident Adorno can secure outside position with added ground.
“I have no doubt it hurt him last time,” said Reid, Jr. “Paco got him back outside and he made a nice second run. I look forward to getting him a chance to settle on the outside and see what happens. Going a mile and an eighth, he should be able to do it very comfortably and he should be on or near the lead.”
The Withers will be both the first start beyond sprint distances and outside of Parx for Ninetyprcentmaddie, whose lone stakes victory was a wire-to-wire 3 1/2-length score in the Whistle Pig against fellow Pennsylvania-breds in August.
The bay colt’s breeding suggests he should relish a stretch out, with his full-sister, Ninetypercentbrynn, earning all four of her lifetime victories around two turns for Reid, Jr.
“I think he’ll handle it fine,” said Reid, Jr. “His big sister was a natural route horse. He’s got a great head on his shoulders and a grinding way of running, so I think he’ll handle it well.”
Ninetyprcentmaddie made his final preparations for the Withers on Saturday at Parx, covering a half-mile in 49.83 seconds.
“He had a sensational breeze the other day,” said Reid, Jr. “He went 49 and change and did it like breaking sticks. He came out of it real well.”
Mr. Amore Stable’s New York homebred Andiamo a Firenze enters from a distant fifth-place finish in the aforementioned Jerome for trainer Kelly Breen. There, he stalked the pace under Kendrick Carmouche, but failed to fire after racing in the two-path around the turn, finishing 10 lengths in arrears of Lugan Knight.
Andiamo a Firenze is in search of his first victory since the Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in August sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga. He scored the 5 1/2-length victory after a prominent trip under Irad Ortiz, Jr., notching both his first triumph against winners and his first stakes coup. That effort came on the heels of a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Sanford in July at the Spa and a debut maiden score in June at Belmont Park.
The dark bay son of Speightstown, who is a three-quarter sibling to multiple Grade 1-winner Firenze Fire, earned another stakes placing in October at Finger Lakes Racetrack when defeated a nose by Acoustic Ave. in the New York Breeders’ Futurity. There, he finished one length ahead of the filly Stonewall Star, who exited that effort to win the Key Cents in November and the Franklin Square on January 22 at the Big A.
Carmouche retains the mount from post 4.
Gary and Mary West’s Kentucky homebred Hit Show was scratched from Saturday’s Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park and rerouted to the Withers by trainer Brad Cox.
The grey son of Candy Ride arrives from a strong 3 1/2-length in a one-mile optional claimer on December 17 at Oaklawn, closing from 3 1/2 lengths off the pace to notch his first victory against winners. He showed great improvement from his previous start, an even fourth-place finish after bobbling at the start traveling 1 1/16 miles in November at Churchill Downs. He was an impressive debut maiden winner sprinting seven furlongs in October at Keeneland, earning the 5 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:25.80.
Manny Franco has the call from post 5.
Completing the field are Seacoast Thoroughbreds of New England’s stakes-winner General Banker [post 2, Eric Cancel], who finished third in the Jerome last out for trainer James Ferraro; and trainer James Chapman and Stuart Tsujimoto’s Prove Right [post 6, Jose Gomez], who finished a close third in the Grade 3 Nashua in November at Aqueduct.
The Withers is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s nine-race card, which also features the $100,000 Ruthless for sophomore fillies in Race 3. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct winter 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 winter meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
Girl Trouble streaks into $100K Ruthless
By Keith McCalmont
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Swilcan Stable and LC Racing’s multiple stakes winner Girl Trouble brings a three-race win streak into Saturday’s $100,000 Ruthless, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the New Jersey-bred daughter of Fast Anna enters from open-lengths stakes scores at Parx Racing in the six-furlong Future Stars Filly Division on November 29 on a fast track and the seven-furlong Parx Futurity on January 3 over a sloppy and sealed surface. She launched her streak at the Bensalem, Pennsylvania oval with a prominent eight-length romp over muddy and sealed going in an optional-claiming sprint on November 1.
“It was nice to get those races out of her own stall at her home track,” Reid, Jr. said. “I think she really matured and she’s ready to go back out on the road again. The seven-eighths is well within her range.”
Girl Trouble, who sports a perfect in-the-money record of 7-4-2-1, made her first two starts at Monmouth Park, graduating at second asking in a restricted maiden tilt in July. She returned to action in September at Parx with a troubled runner-up effort in an optional-claimer after stumbling at the start and followed with a distant third going one mile in the White Clay Creek in October at Delaware Park.
Girl Trouble has been first or second at the second point of call in each of her last three starts with Paco Lopez in the irons, but Jose Lezcano will take over from post 4 on Saturday with Lopez slate to ride in a pair of graded stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
“She speed pops them and lays right close and in the last couple, she’s improved her position from there,” Reid, Jr. said. “When her and Paco hooked up she became a different horse. We’re going to use Jose Lezcano this time and I hope we’ll get the same results.”
Reid, Jr., who also sends out Ninetyprcentmaddie in Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers, has an exemplary stakes record here of 6-2-1-2 dating to November 6, including wins in the Discovery in November with Eloquist and the Grade 3 Go for Wand in December with Dr B.
“We love going up there and getting that New York money,” said Reid, Jr. “The last few months it’s worked out very well for us and it goes to show the quality of horses we have. The owners are doing the right thing and just a lot of things have come together to make that work out.”
Reid, Jr. said a good result Saturday could see Girl Trouble try longer distances again in the future.
“This is the first step in hopefully stretching her out a bit,” Reid, Jr. said. “She has a great head on her shoulders. She trains very comfortably every day, and I think that will show up in her afternoon work.”
Girl Trouble, a $15,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale purchase, has banked $202,500. She is out of the Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, who is a half-sister to stakes-winner Alydiva.
Happy Face Racing Stable’s undefeated multiple stakes-winner Malibu Moonshine [post 5, Jose Gomez] has utilized off-the-pace tactics in each of her three wins.
Trained by Charlton Baker, the Maryland-bred daughter of Bourbon Courage graduated in September at Pimlico Race Course traveling six furlongs over a sloppy and sealed main track. She followed with a pair of seven-furlong stakes scores at Laurel Park in the restricted Maryland Juvenile Filly over muddy and sealed going on December 3 and the open-company Gin Talking on December 30 over fast footing.
Malibu Moonshine breezed in August at Saratoga Race Course but Baker re-rerouted the talented chestnut to Pimlico where she romped on debut by six lengths over the off going.
“She was breezing really good and I took her to Saratoga and planned to run her there, but she wasn’t quite ready,” Baker said. “So, I opted to run her in Maryland for the first time. She’s always run pretty decent.”
Baker said Malibu Moonshine’s late-running style belies her sharp morning breeze efforts.
“I was surprised when she ran the first time because she worked so good and like she would be tactical, and I thought she would show a little more speed,” Baker said. “I knew she wasn’t a speed horse, but I thought she would want to break and get herself going and sit third or fourth. I thought maybe she didn’t enjoy the slop and that’s why she did that the first time, but she did it the last two times, too. That’s her style and that’s what works for her.”
Malibu Moonshine is out of the stakes-placed Malibu Moon mare Sunday in Malibu, who is a half-sibling to stakes-winner Retaliation.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle two contenders in Senior Prank [post 2, Manny Franco] and Interpolate [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] as he vies for his first Ruthless win.
Spendthrift Farm’s Kentucky homebred Senior Prank enters from a gate-to-wire debut score traveling six furlongs over good going here on January 7. Piloted by Manny Franco, the Into Mischief bay dueled gamely for the lead through splits of 23.34 seconds and 47.55, and responded well down the lane to hold off the late charge of the more experienced Spelterini, stopping the clock in 1:12.79.
Senior Prank, out of the multiple graded-stakes placed Thundering Sky, has breezed back twice over the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile in 50.62 Sunday.
Klaravich Stables’ Interpolate, by Into Mischief, enters from a troubled fourth-place finish in the Parx Futurity where she was bumped and steadied at the start. She was a distant fourth in her August debut at Saratoga which was won by Chocolate Gelato, who captured the Grade 1 Frizette here in her next outing.
Interpolate graduated at second asking in October sprinting six furlongs at Belmont at the Big A, edging clear to a 1 3/4-length score over returning rival Royal Poppy. With Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, Interpolate tracked from second as Royal Poppy marked the half-mile in 47.53 before responding to her cue from Ortiz, Jr. and taking over from the three-path to stop the clock in 1:11.12.
The $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Tapit mare Keesha, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes placed Shumoos and multiple stakes-placed Steady On.
Adelphi Racing Club, Pavilion Racing, Zilla Racing Stables and Surrey Lane Stables’ Royal Poppy [post 1, Dylan Davis] drew off to notch her fifth-out graduation by six lengths in gate-to-wire fashion on December 15 at the Big A.
Trained by Ray Handal, the Classic Empire chestnut had hit the board in 3-of-4 previous starts before adding blinkers for her six-furlong maiden win that came on the heels of an even third in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden tilt on November 20.
“She needed some blinkers, but she was running so good that I didn’t want to get too cute,” Handal said. “But after that lackluster third, I said, ‘Now’s the time to make the change.’ She ran huge and I think she’s going to do really well and she’ll be tough in there.”
The $170,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the Macho Uno mare M’Dearest, who is a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes placed Riveting Reason and stakes-placed Bang Bang Bang.
The Ruthless is slated as Race 3 on Saturday’s nine-race card which also features the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers in Race 7, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds offering 20-8-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct winter 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 winter meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.