Aqueduct Racetrack Notes 02/05

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Aqueduct Racetrack Notes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Juddmonte’s fourth generation homebred maiden winner Jungfrau could target a rescheduled edition of the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack, now to be run on Saturday, February 11. The son of Arrogate is also possible for the following Saturday’s Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, according to Juddmonte General Manager Garrett O’Rourke.

The Withers is a local qualifier on the Road to the Kentucky Derby awarding the top-five finishers 20-8-6-4-2 qualifying points, while the Risen Star carries point value of 50-20-15-10-5. Both are nine-furlong events.

“We’ve talked about the Risen Star and the Withers. I don’t know which one it’s going to be yet, but both are in play,” O’Rourke said.

Jungfrau, a gray or roan son of Arrogate, broke his maiden on New Year’s Eve at Gulfstream Park going 1 1/16 miles, finishing a nose behind Expect More but was elevated to first via disqualification. Passing the quarter pole, Expect More floated outwards into the path of an advancing Jungfrau, who still managed to find another gear in the stretch drive and hit the finish line in tandem with his foe.

The victory came after a pair of fourth-place efforts at maiden level on the NYRA circuit, finishing 3 1/2 lengths behind subsequent graded stakes winner Champions Dream on debut in September at Saratoga Race Course. In November, he finished 5 1/4 lengths in arrears of possible Withers aspirant Classic Catch going nine furlongs at the Big A.

Jungfrau is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who swept the exacta in Saturday’s Derby-qualifying Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park with Rocket Can and New York-bred Shadow Dragon.

“He was the deserved winner last time because he was the one that did everything professionally,” O’Rourke said. “In the stretch, the horse that finished ahead of him to the wire swung out and gave him a big old bump which knocked him off his momentum. But he came back and was only beaten a nose and found another stride.”

O’Rourke said he believes Jungfrau will end up being a router.

“He runs and looks like a two-turn type of horse,” O’Rourke said. “He’s a big, strong galloping horse. When he was an early 2-year-old, the exercise riders really liked him. He was just a bit quirky in his first couple of starts. He was a bit green, stopping and going. Bill says he’s perfectly sound, he’s just been a bit goofy I think.”

Boasting strong Juddmonte-influenced bloodlines, Jungfrau is out of the Tapit mare South Bank, whose dam Special Duty was a three-time Group 1 winner. His second dam Quest to Peak is a full-sister to seven-time Grade 1-winning main track distaffer Sightseek and a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes winner Tates Creek, a dual Grade 1-winner on turf. She is a direct descendant of reine-de-course broodmare Chris Evert.

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Chapman seeks Saturday stakes sweep with Prove Right and Drew’s Gold

Graded-stakes placed Prove Right will stretch out to nine furlongs for the second time in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers, a Kentucky Derby qualifier offering 20-8-6-4-2 points to the top-five finishers.

The Withers was originally scheduled for February 4 but was re-scheduled after racing at Aqueduct was canceled Friday and Saturday due to extreme cold and sustained high winds. The Withers will be re-drawn on Wednesday and could include a couple more horses in addition to the initial field of six that included Prove Right along with Ninetyprcentmaddie, General Banker, Arctic Arrogance, Andiamo a Firenze and Hit Show. Possible Withers additions include Classic Catch, Jungfrau and Thirsty John.

Trained and co-owned by James Chapman with S Tsujimoto, Prove Right boasts a record of 11-2-1-2 with starts at distances ranging from 4-to-9 furlongs, including a strong third in the one-mile Grade 3 Nashua here in November.

The $15,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, who has already banked nearly 10 times his auction price, followed the Nashua with a distant off-the-board effort in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen here on December 3 over a sloppy and sealed track before wheeling back on eight day’s rest to win an optional-claiming sprint at Laurel Park.

“He’s always a really good-feeling hose, so we’ve taken different shots with him,” Chapman said. “He ran a really good race in the one-turn mile and the next race it was muddy and he was looking at the grandstand when they broke. If he gets shut off or in a little trap, he just throws his head up and throws a fit. But that [the Remsen] was a tough race, and he came right back and won real easy going short.”

The Justify bay exited his Laurel score to finish a distant last-of-5 in the Turfway Prevue on January 7, sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs over the synthetic.

“He had a little mucus,” Chapman said. “But I just don’t think he liked it [Tapeta]. He just pinned his ears and didn’t like it. He likes a deep racetrack.”

Chapman said he expects the well-bred bay should handle the added ground being out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Joe’sgoldenholiday, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner Goldencents.

“He’s supposed to run further than six furlongs. He has decent pedigree behind him,” Chapman said.

Chapman and Tsujimoto will look to complete a Saturday stakes sweep here with the undefeated Drew’s Gold, who is expected to enter the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores.

The Violence bay graduated on debut in May at Churchill Downs sprinting five furlongs in a key restricted maiden tilt that saw the runner-up, Undalay, and third-place finisher, Top of My Game, win at next asking.

Drew’s Gold returned to action on January 28 at Laurel Park and registered an 83 Beyer with a 3 3/4-length score in a 5 1/2-furlong optional-claimer.

“He’s a really nice horse,” Chapman said. “He had a little setback after his first race – it was just baby stuff, but I gave him more time than he actually needed.”

Chapman indicated a good effort Saturday could propel Drew’s Gold to the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile for sophomores on March 4 which offers 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

“I don’t want to stretch him out second time back and if he’s what I think he is, there’s that mile race in March,” Chapman said.

The $25,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, out of the multiple stakes-winning Vindication mare Frolic’s Revenge, is a half-sibling to stakes-winner American Frolic.

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Say Florida Sandy runner-up Market Alert eyes Haynesfield; Law Professor on target for Oaklawn’s G3 Razorback

Michael Dubb’s stakes-winning Market Alert could come under consideration for the $100,000 Haynesfield, a one-mile test for older New York-bred horses, on February 20 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Rob Atras, Market Alert was last seen posting a game runner-up effort to the multiple stakes-winning Wudda U Think Now in the seven-furlong Say Florida Sandy on January 8. There, the chestnut son of D’Funnybone was ridden by Kendrick Carmouche and went head-to-head with his pacesetting foe around the turn, but came up three-quarters of a length shy after a valiant stretch battle.

Atras said the seasoned gelding, who often shows a reluctance to enter the gate, gave a strong effort despite his pre-race antics.

“He ran a great race,” said Atras. “He’s a tricky horse and has lots of quirks – he’s difficult to train. But his last race went well and Kendrick gave him a great ride following the pace the whole way.”

Market Alert is in search of his first win for his connections after being haltered for $62,500 out of a fourth-place effort in November. He earned three stakes placings for previous conditioner Jim Ryerson before earning his first stakes coup in the state-bred Saginaw in July at Belmont Park. Bred by Wellspring Stables, Market Alert has banked $416,120 through a 25-5-3-5 record.

Next weekend, Atras will look to secure the fifth graded stakes victory of his career as Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Law Professor takes aim at the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap on February 18 at Oaklawn Park.

The 5-year-old son of Constitution was an emphatic winner in his seasonal debut in the Queens County on January 7 here, romping to a 7 1/2-length victory from off-the-pace in the nine-furlong test for older horses. The effort garnered a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Law Professor has breezed back twice, most recently covering a half-mile in 50.97 seconds last Sunday over the Belmont dirt training track.

“Right now, we’re pointing him to the Razorback,” Atras said. “He’s going to breeze tomorrow and he’s been breezing well. We haven’t done too much with him because the weather has been a little screwy.”

Law Professor came into Atras’ care last summer after making his first 10 outings for trainer Michael McCarthy, including a Grade 2 score in an off-the-turf edition of the Mathis Mile last December at Santa Anita Park.

He made a winning debut for Atras in September, scoring a half-length victory in the restricted Tapit over the turf at Kentucky Downs before posting a strong runner-up effort to multiple graded stakes-winner Life Is Good in the Grade 1 Woodward on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A. He closed out his campaign with an even fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland.

Atras is also considering a start in stakes company for Frank Catapano and Nicholas Primpas’ Honey Money, who was an impressive four-length winner of a one-mile state-bred optional claimer on December 29 here. Honey Money is possible for next Sunday’s seven-furlong Broadway, but Atras said a one-turn mile may be a better fit for the daughter of Central Banker.

“We aren’t quite sure yet,” Atras said. “We wanted a ‘2X’ at a mile and an eighth and we entered in a ‘3X,’ but that race was canceled. Now that we are so close to the Broadway, we are considering it. I think a mile is probably a little better for her. There’s a ‘2X’ later on in the month, too, so we’ll see.”

Honey Money’s victory came in both her first start for Atras and her first start at the mile distance since May when she posted a three-length allowance victory at Belmont. Her other outing for Atras was a game runner-up effort in a seven-furlong starter allowance on December 11.

Atras said he believes Honey Money is more effective when she can ease into a race.

“We had the idea to not rush her and let her get settled,” said Atras. “Her last two races, she seemed to run well like that, so we want to keep that going.”

Bred in the Empire State by Klaravich Stables, Honey Money is a full-sister to the multiple stakes-winner Sassy Agnes. Her dam, the unraced Stormy Atlantic mare Bullish Sentiment, is a full-sister to Grade 3-winner Stormy’s Majesty.