Aqueduct Racetrack Notes

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Master Piece earns 99BSF from G2 Red Smith score
Integration to put his undefeated record on the line in G2 Hill Prince
Stewart Manor victress Toupie could see dirt in her future
G2-winner Evvie Jets to return for 2024 campaign
Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet Week 3 stakes probables

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Multiple graded stakes winner Master Piece registered a 99 Beyer Speed Figure from his triumph in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith going 11 furlongs on the Aqueduct Racetrack inner turf.

Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., Master Piece equaled the number he earned when capturing last year’s Grade 2 Eddie Read at the nine-furlong distance at Del Mar for his former conditioner Michael McCarthy. The 7-year-old Chilean-bred son of Mastercraftsman ended a seven-race losing streak with his come-from-behind performance in the Red Smith, fending off a late inside rally from multiple Grade 1-placed Soldier Rising to win by a neck.

“He looks good this morning, looks like he’s happy,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He was good yesterday, that’s for sure. He certainly liked that grass course. He got everything his way. It was a beautiful trip, and a great ride. All good stuff and I hope it happens again.”

Master Piece, a gray ridgling, joined Dutrow, Jr.’s stable earlier this summer following a pair of third-place finishes at Gulfstream Park graded stakes level for his previous trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. He made his first start for Dutrow, Jr. when second in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claimer on July 4 over a yielding Widener turf at Belmont Park before finishing a distant tenth in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on August 12 at Colonial Downs.

Dutrow, Jr. said the turnaround in form could be due to the cooler autumn weather.

“When he came into us, he got sick and he had to be taken to the clinic for a few days,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “After we brought him back, he’s been doing well. Sometimes the hot weather gets to him. I think he reacts to it, so I was very happy to see him run in the cool weather. I feel that he really likes that a lot better. I hope that in his next few starts he gets to run under conditions that help him.”

Saturday’s winning performance could propel Master Piece to the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 27 at Gulfstream Park, but Dutrow, Jr. said he will speak to the ownership group before confirming any plans. Master Piece is owned by Michael Iavarone, Julia Iavarone, Nicholas Zoumas, Dino Baccari, Frank Argano and Peter Douglass.

“Right now, he’s just going to hang out where he is until we decide everything on him. We’ll go from there,” Dutrow, Jr. said.

The Red Smith conquest added to recent high-level prosperity for the Dutrow, Jr. barn, which also includes a victory in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita with White Abarrio. The 4-year-old gray son of Race Day earned a third career Grade 1 victory in the Classic which came three months following a score in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa, White Abarrio has his sights set on the Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

The following day, the Dutrow, Jr.-trained juvenile colt Where’s Chris captured Aqueduct’s listed Nashua at 19-1 odds by three-quarters of a length over dual stakes-winner Book’em Danno.

“All three of those horses that ran big were training big,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “We were very excited to watch the two white horses run. Chris was just filling in the race until he turned for home. We just had a lot of fun watching all three of them run.”

Dutrow, Jr. said he would consider the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen on December 2 going nine furlongs at the Big A for Where’s Chris, a son of Twirling Candy.

“He ran big the other day,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “Might as well look at it. The horse looks like he’s doing well.”

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Integration to put his undefeated record on the line in G2 Hill Prince

West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing’s undefeated graded stakes-winner Integration will make his New York debut in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Hill Prince, a nine-furlong outer turf test for sophomores at the Big A.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the Quality Road bay is perfect through two starts at Colonial Downs, drawing off to a 6 1/2-length score in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on August 12 and prevailing with a five-wide run over Grade 1-winner Program Trading in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Virginia Derby on September 9.

“His two races have been really good. He had a little break as there wasn’t really any place to run him that I like,” McGaughey said.

The $700,000 Fasig-Tipon Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase, out of the Grade 1-winning Scat Daddy mare Harmonize, has breezed back eight times over the all-weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center including an easy three-eighths in 39 flat Saturday.

“He’s been training well out there every week on the Tapeta and he seems to like it – we’ll see,” McGaughey said.

McGaughey will unveil a well-bred 2-year-old Saturday at the Big A in Corporate Power, a Curlin bay out of the Quality Road mare Road to Victory, who is best remembered for turning back Monomoy Girl in the 2017 Grade 2 Golden Rod at Churchill Downs. Corporate Power is also a half-brother to debut maiden winner Willakenzie.

Owned by Courtlandt Farms, the $925,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase has breezed extensively at Belmont Park – including four works from the gate – in preparation for his debut in the Saturday opener, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight sprint over the main track.

“He’s training good. I’m pleased with him and pleased to get to run him,” McGaughey said. “He worked good out of the gate here the other day. We’ve got into him pretty good.”

Stuart Janney, III’s multiple graded stakes-placed Kentucky homebred Limited Liability registered a 95 Beyer for a closing sixth-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 2 Red Smith over firm footing here.

The 4-year-old Kitten’s Joy grey rallied from 10th to finish 2 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Master Piece.

“He wasn’t beat that far, but he only ran in spots,” McGaughey said. “He’s on his way to Florida and we’ll see if we can’t figure him out.”

Limited Liability has banked $417,448 through a record of 13-3-1-5.

McGaughey did enjoy success Saturday at Churchill Downs when DATTT Stable’s Kentucky homebred Smokin’ T made the grade in the Grade 3 River City, a nine-furlong turf route for 3-year-olds and up.

With Hall of Famer John Velazquez up, the 4-year-old War Front colt settled in seventh but made an early move to take control at the stretch call and power through the wire a 1 3/4-length winner to register a career-best 97 Beyer.

“I was sure pleased with the way he finished up,” McGaughey said.

McGaughey said Smokin’ T could come under consideration for the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf on January 27 at Gulfstream Park.

“That could be something to think about. I keep wanting to give him a rest and he won’t let me. He left for Florida today,” McGaughey said.

Smokin’ T sports a record of 8-3-1-4 this year, including a win in the Fasig-Tipton Lure in August at Saratoga.

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Stewart Manor victress Toupie could see dirt in her future

Trainer Graham Motion reported that Wertheimer and Frere’s Kentucky homebred Toupie, winner of last Saturday’s $120,000 Stewart Manor for juvenile fillies going six furlongs over the Big A outer turf, could return to the main track sometime in the near future.

Toupie, a daughter of Champion and Champion-producing sire Uncle Mo, was an eight-length debut winner on July 1 going five furlongs over the Laurel Park main track. She made her next three starts on turf, following with a runner-up effort to No Nay Mets in the Rosies on September 9 going 5 1/2 furlongs at Colonial Downs before stretching out to two turns for the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 9 at Keeneland, where she finished a well-beaten 10th under Flavien Prat ahead of her recent coup.

Although a surface change could be in the cards for Toupie, Motion indicated that she will likely remain around one turn.

“I probably jumped the gun by stretching her out at Keeneland and that didn’t work out at all,” Motion said. “Flavien felt pretty strongly that we should shorten her up again, which we did and it worked out great. I think I’ll keep her short for now, but I’d really like to try her on the dirt. She trains well on the dirt, so it’s possible she could show up going short on the dirt next time out. We’re so limited sprinting on the grass with 3-year-old fillies.”

Motion said he will keep Toupie in training through the winter with eyes on a likely next start in Florida.

“I’m inclined to keep going with her at the moment, which may end up being in Florida,” Motion said.

Toupie is out of the Tapit mare Amertume, who was graded stakes-placed on turf. Her third dam is Grade 1-winner and black type producer Honest Lady, whose dam Toussaud produced Grade 1-winner and influential sire Empire Maker as well as Grade 1-winners Chester House and Chiselling.

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G2-winner Evvie Jets to return for 2024 campaign

The Estate of Robert J. Amendola’s Evvie Jets, who recorded her best season yet with a Grade 2 win and purse earnings of $379,338 from six starts, was withdrawn from the recently concluded Keeneland November sale and will return for a 6-year-old campaign.

Michael Amendola, son of the late Robert Amendola, said that after a family discussion the Twirling Candy bay is wintering at In Front Training Center in upstate New York and will return to the care of trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci and his brother and assistant Ilkay Kantarmaci in time to launch a spring campaign.

“The consensus was to keep it going for another year,” Amendola said. “My mom had a lot of influence in wanting to continue to run and we felt my Dad certainly would have wanted her to run one more year, so here we are.”

Evvie Jets has become a fan and barn favorite since being haltered for $80,000 in September 2021, posting a record of 16-6-5-1 since for purse earnings of $689,708 led by wins in last year’s Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont at the Big A and a memorable head score in the Grade 2 Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa in August at Saratoga Race Course. During this stretch, she also captured the Plenty of Grace at the Big A and the Perfect Sting at Belmont.

She made her Grade 1 debut last out, overcoming a slow start from the outermost post 8 to land third in the First Lady at Keeneland when less than four lengths back of the victorious Gina Romantica, who headed her Chad Brown-trained stablemate In Italian for the win. Evvie Jets earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“If only we’d had a better post. When you look at the head on, the gate was so far off the rail,” lamented Amendola. “That certainly didn’t help her chances. I’m not saying we’d have got up to win, but if we could have looked In Italian in the eye…Gina Romantica had that opportunity and just ran right by her. Still, we were real happy with that performance.

“She came out of the race great – we sent her to In Front Farm about an hour south of Saratoga,” Amendola continued. “She’s been there the last two winters and she’s doing great. Hopefully, she’ll have a good 6-year-old campaign and she can get that Grade 1 notch on her belt.”

Evvie Jets launched her storybook season with one-mile stakes scores in the Plenty of Grace and Perfect Sting surrounding an off-the-board effort in the Grade 3 Beaugay when returning on shorter than usual rest at 1 1/16-miles.

She failed to fire her best effort when sixth in the Spa’s restricted one-mile De La Rose on August 2, but Amendola said Kantarmaci was adamant the bay had more to give and insisted on bringing her back in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Ballston Spa just three weeks later.

“I have to take my hat off to Matt [Mertkan] and Ilkay for selecting that race,” Amendola said. “She had been doing well and we were expecting a big performance in the De La Rose but didn’t get the outcome that we’d like. When she came back to the barn it was like she hadn’t run, so the next morning we decided we were going to run in the Ballston Spa.”

Manny Franco picked up the mount for the Ballston Spa and utilized a perfect ground-saving trip, rallying stoutly up the rail to take command with an eighth of a mile to run and stave off multiple graded stakes-winner Fluffy Socks to secure a head win in a field that included divisional stalwarts Gam’s Mission [4th], Technical Analysis [5th] and Consumer Spending [6th]. The sparkling effort earned honors as WinStar Farm’s Ride of the Meet.

“That was a really nice field,” Amendola said. “And for that to happen at Saratoga – a place we spent most summers when I was growing up – and to win a Grade 2 up there was really special.”

The Amendola family currently have allowance winner Arrio in training with the Kantarmacis and also own a Central Banker weanling out of the 10-time winning Jump Start mare Jump for Joy. Arrio, a 5-year-old Paynter gelding, is a turf specialist entered next week at Laurel Park and there are tempered hopes for the weanling.

“We enjoyed her mom’s competitiveness and did well with her. If she has her mom’s heart, we’ll have fun with her,” Amendola said.

But there is little doubt that Evvie Jets is the queen of the barn.

“We’re circling those big races in the spring and fall at Keeneland,” Amendola said. “We’d love to get that Grade 1 in her. Hopefully, we have five or six starts for her this year and each one will be more exciting than the last.”

A half-sister to multiple stakes-placed Forever Mo, Evvie Jets is out of the Consolidator mare Natchez Trace, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Vermilion and stakes-winner Perfectly Clear. Evvie Jets boasts a career record of 23-7-6-3 for purse earnings of $770,868.

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Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet Week 3 stakes probables

Saturday, November 18

$100,000 Key Cents

Probable: Alley’s Song (Brad Cox), Ashburn Alley (Tom Morley), Cara’s Time (Mitchell Friedman), My Mane Squeeze (Mike Maker), My Shea D Lady (Carlos David), Unicorn Cake (Jeremiah Englehart), Valentine Gift (Robert Ribaudo)

$100,000 Notebook

Probable: Always a Warrior (Carlos David), Detective Tom (Michelle Nevin), Trust Fund (Todd Pletcher)

$150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship

Probable: Alogon (Edward Allard), Dancing Buck (Michelle Nevin), Fore Harp (Butch Reid, Jr.), Nothing Better (Jorge Duarte, Jr.), Our Shot (John Terranova), Thin White Duke (David Donk), Wit (Todd Pletcher)

Grade 2, $250,000 Hill Prince

Probable: Equitize (Chad Brown), Freedom Trail (John Terranova), I’m Very Busy (Chad Brown), Integration (Shug McGaughey), Laurel Valley (Mike Maker)

Possible: Be Of Courage (John Pregman, Jr.), Classic Catch (Todd Pletcher)

Sunday, November 19

$120,000 Central Park

Probable: Blue Creek (Keri Brion), King Kontie (Ollie Figgins III), Uncle Truly (Jonathan Thomas), Walley World (Chad Brown), Wine Collector (Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon)

Possible: Quokka (Tom Albertrani), Tocayo (Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon)

$135,000 Forever Together

Probable: Chili Flag (Chad Brown), Cigamia (Graham Motion), Faith In Humanity (Chad Brown), Malavath (Christophe Clement), Regal Realm (Jonathan Thomas), Tass (Jorge Abreu), Willakia (Graham Motion)

Possible: Western Lane (Keri Brion)

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