Aqueduct Racetrack Notes 03/31

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Aqueduct Racetrack Notes

Rice leaning towards G2 Wood Memorial with Arctic Arrogance
New York-bred Today’s Flavor breezes for G1 Carter H.
Runninsonofagun takes another swing at G1 glory in Carter H.
Drew’s Gold on the bubble for G3 Bay Shore
Aqueduct spring meet Week 2 stakes probables

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Linda Rice reported that she will likely enter Chester and Mary Broman’s New York homebred Arctic Arrogance in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The nine-furlong test is the final local Kentucky Derby qualifier, awarding a total of 100-40-30-20-10 points to the top five finishers.

Arctic Arrogance, by Frosted, was also under consideration for the seven-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore on the same day, but Rice said the Wood is the most likely landing spot in order to keep any Kentucky Derby aspirations alive. Arctic Arrogance is currently 33rd on the leaderboard with 16 points, which were accrued with a string of three local second-place finishes in the Grade 2 Remsen on December 3, the Jerome on January 7 and the Grade 3 Withers on February 11.

“We’re leaning towards the Wood, actually,” Rice said. “If you don’t run in the Wood, you can’t keep the door open for the Derby. Mr. Broman and I spoke about it [Thursday] and we would like to keep the door open. He’s trained well going into this race, so we’ll give it a shot in the Wood.”

Never worse than second in six lifetime starts, Arctic Arrogance was a 4 1/2-length winner of the Sleepy Hollow on October 30 at Belmont at the Big A. He is out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Modest Maven, who also produced stakes-placed Overstep. His third dam, multiple stakes-winner Big Dreams, produced dual Champion Sprinter and Hall of Famer Housebuster.

In Sunday’s $100,000 Top Flight, Rice will saddle Ronald P. Stewart’s Mommasgottarun, who enters off a 3 1/4-length victory going a one-turn mile in a local optional claimer on March 17. The daughter of Maclean’s Music raced with blinkers on in her last effort.

Claimed by Rice for $50,000 out of a December 31 claiming event going seven furlongs from trainer Robert Falcone, Jr., Mommasgottarun has won 2-of-3 starts under her current conditioner’s care. She crossed the wire second in her debut for Rice – a nine-furlong optional claiming test on January 12 – but was elevated to first.

“With the blinkers she was pretty aggressive into a fast half,” Rice said. “She got a little tired late, but hopefully she’ll settle down again. We know she can get the mile and an eighth, she’s done that pretty nicely.”

Bred in Ontario by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Mommasgotta run is out of the Tiznow mare Love in Tokyo, whose dam Lisa T. is a half-sister to 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. She hails from the prominent bloodlines of influential matriarch La Troienne.

Eric Cancel will ride from post 5.

Rice still has her sights set on the $200,000 Bouwerie on May 29 at Belmont Park with undefeated stakes-winner Downtown Mischief, but said she will consider shipping the bay daughter of Into Mischief to Keeneland for the Grade 2, $400,000 Beaumont on April 16.

A Lady Sheila Stable New York homebred, Downtown Mischief is out of the Speightstown mare Downtown Mama, a three-time winner campaigned by the same connections and a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Alpha Kitten.

***

New York-bred Today’s Flavor breezes for G1 Carter H. presented by NYRA Bets

Reddam Racing’s Today’s Flavor will make his graded stakes debut in the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets on April 8 amidst a four-race win streak for trainer George Weaver.

The 5-year-old son of Laoban, bred in the Empire State by Joseph Calvo, breezed a half-mile in 50.28 seconds over Belmont Park’s dirt training track Friday, a move Weaver said he was pleased with.

“He’s training well,” said Weaver. “The work went perfect and it was just what we wanted.”

Today’s Flavor has been perfect in his four starts since transferring to Weaver from the barn of Doug O’Neill, beginning with an 8 1/2-length romp to break his maiden at fifth asking in a state-bred sprint on November 27 at the Big A. He followed with a pair of open-lengths scores against state-bred allowance company before stepping up to open company for a 6 1/2-length victory last out on February 18. He has finished first or second in 7-of-8 lifetime outings, including runner-up efforts in his first two starts in California to subsequent graded stakes-winners Laurel River and Essential Wager, respectively.

“He’s just a real talented horse and he was running against some tough horses in California,” said Weaver. “He’s just getting confident. This is obviously a much tougher race, but he deserves a shot to see what he can do. He’s been impressive every time.”

Weaver also plans to run Grade 1-placed Pass the Champagne in the seven-furlong Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap on April 7 at the Big A for her third start off an 11-month layoff. The daughter of Flatter was last seen finishing a close fourth in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie on February 18 at Laurel Park.

“She’s been doing well and she ran OK in the Barbara Fritchie,” said Weaver. “We want to give her another shot and we like the distance. We’re hoping she steps it up a little bit.”

Pass the Champagne was a close second to subsequent dual Champion Malathaat in the 2021 Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland where she had a two-length advantage at the stretch call but was caught in the shadow of the wire by her foe and defeated a head. She went on to finish a distant 12th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks before two lengthy respites with a February 2022 optional claiming victory at Gulfstream in between.

Owned by R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, BlackRidge Stables and James Brown, Pass the Champagne is out of the stakes-winning Distorted Humor mare Champagne Taste and is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Miss Kentucky.

***

Runninsonofagun takes another swing at G1 glory in Carter H.

Runninsonofagun, who has gone from claim to fame since being haltered for $40,000 by trainer John Toscano, Jr. in December 2021, will look to attain Grade 1 glory in the seven-furlong $300,000 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Runninsonofagun turned in his final work for the Carter on Friday, covering five furlongs in 1:00.80 over Belmont Park’s dirt training track.

“He worked today and went solo because he’s so fast and nobody else can stay with him, so I can’t work him in company,” Toscano, Jr. said, with a laugh. “I want to try the Carter because the ‘3-other-than’ comes up on April 20, but if I wait for it and it doesn’t go, where am I going to go with him?”

Owned by Karen Zimmerman, the aptly named Runninsonofagun put together a stellar campaign last year that included a third-place finish in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in August at Saratoga Race Course and on-the-board efforts in four other graded events. He made the grade in October when defeating older horses with a determined nose victory in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler before wrapping up his season with a runner-up effort to Greeley and Ben in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap on November 26.

The son of Gun Runner returned from a three-month layoff on March 4 at the Big A with a game second-place finish to Little Vic in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap in which he sported blinkers with a small slit cut into them. Toscano, Jr. said adding the slit was beneficial to the 4-year-old bay, who is often involved in tight photo finishes.

“It worked out well, because he wasn’t seeing the other horses before and when we put the slits in, he fights now,” said Toscano, Jr. “When he won the Bold Ruler, he looked like he was beat, but then when he was challenged, he took off again and got up at the wire. He ran a hell of a race in the Tom Fool.”

Runninsonofagun boasts a consistent 12-for-13 in-the-money record with total purse earnings of $434,700. He sold for just $16,000 at the 2021 Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale.

***

Drew’s Gold on the bubble for G3 Bay Shore

Drew’s Gold, trained and co-owned by James Chapman with Stuart Tsujimoto, exited his 4 1/4-length score in the six-furlong $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield on February 11 here with a virus and could miss his targeted start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores on April 8.

Chapman said the Violence dark bay, who is undefeated in three career starts, is scheduled to work Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track provided forecasted rain doesn’t hamper their plans.

“He’s doing good now, but he came out of the Winkfield with a bit of a virus and we gave him a little bit of time,” Chapman said. “Out of his win, I had two or three horses that got sick and he was one of them.

“I’ve missed a couple works,” he continued. “He’s supposed to work tomorrow, but it’s supposed to rain. The schedule is a little messed up.”

The Kentucky-bred overcame slow starts in his first two outings, taking a restricted maiden tilt in May at Churchill Downs, returning eight months later to score in an optional-claimer on January 28 at Laurel Park. The $25,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase made every pole a winning one under Jose Gomez in the Jimmy Winkfield, stopping the clock in a final time of 1:13.09 to equal a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure.

Chapman has taken his time with the talented colt.

“He’s a late foal. After that first race, he had a tibia issue that set him back and then everything was good,” Chapman said. “As good as he’s been and as much time as we’ve taken with him, I just want to do right by the horse.”

The long-term goal for Drew’s Gold is the seven-furlong Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 10 at Belmont Park. Should the Bay Shore not work out, Chapman said the six-furlong $150,000 Gold Fever on May 12 could be a viable alternative.

“He needs to get a good work in,” Chapman said. “Long term, I’d rather do right by the horse and the Gold Fever sets up perfect for the Woody Stephens. Seven-furlongs is a tricky distance when everything is not lined up 100 percent and I don’t want to get the horse beat.”

However, Chapman said he would not make any decisions until seeing Drew’s Gold post his first recorded breeze since the Jimmy Winkfield.

“We let him cruise an easy three-eighths the other morning, so he has that under him,” Chapman said. “He’s been training super, but I wanted to make sure he’s all cleared up before I did anything with him.”

Drew’s Gold, out of the multiple stakes-winning Vindication mare Frolic’s Revenge, is a half-sibling to stakes-winner American Frolic.

***

Aqueduct spring meet Week 2 stakes probables

Friday, April 7

G3 Distaff Handicap

Probable: Funny How (Ray Handal), Gerrymander (Chad Brown), Pass the Champagne (George Weaver), Rossa Veloce (Rob Atras)

Possible: Meraviglioso (James Ferraro), Prodigy Doll (Phil Schoenthal)

Saturday, April 8

G1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets

Probable: Bold Journey (Bill Mott), Expressman (Todd Pletcher), Get Her Number (Peter Miller), Little Vic (Juan Carlos Avila), Repo Rocks (Jamie Ness), Runninsonofagun (John Toscano, Jr.), Today’s Flavor (Weaver), White Abarrio (Saffie Joseph, Jr.)

G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino

[offering 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points]

Probable: Arctic Arrogance (Linda Rice), Classic Catch (Todd Pletcher), Clear the Air (William Walden), Crupi (Pletcher), Dreamlike (Pletcher), General Banker (James Ferraro), Hit Show (Brad Cox), Lord Miles (Saffie Joseph, Jr.), Mr. Swagger (Juan Carlos Avila), Shadow Dragon (Bill Mott), Slip Mahoney (Cox)

Possible: Transect (Paulo Lobo)

G3 Gazelle

[offering 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points]

Probable: Capella (Brad Cox), Frosty O’Toole (Pletcher), Gambling Girl (Pletcher), Occult (Brown), Promisher America (Handal), Shidabhuti (Brown)

Possible: Crypto Mama (Kelly Breen)

G3 Bay Shore

Probable: Arrebato (Naipaul Chatterpaul), Daydreaming Boy (Louis Linder, Jr.), Drew’s Gold (James Chapman), Gilmore (Brendan Walsh), Run Cory Run (Joseph, Jr.)

Possible: Arctic Arrogance (Linda Rice), Toxic Gray (Michael Miceli)