Aqueduct Racetrack Notes 11/15

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Aqueduct Racetrack Notes

Isle of Capri set for stakes debut in $135K Tepin
Smooth Breeze, Stone Smuggler and Roshiell My Belle in stakes for Abreu
Good Long Cry earns career-best 80 BSF for Thursday maiden romp
Allard enjoying Alogon’s Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship dead-heat win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor’s Isle of Capri leads a competitive field entered for Sunday’s $135,000 Tepin, a one-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, the daughter of Munnings enters from a visually-impressive gate-to-wire victory sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on September 11 at Kentucky Downs. There, she broke sharply under Tyler Gaffalione and was under pressure from Cheetah Lady in the early stages, but dismissed her foe at the half-mile call and drew off strongly to post the four-length score in a final time of 1:15.41.

Walsh said he was pleased with the effort from the $250,000 weanling purchase at the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

“She’s good and she’s been doing well; we’re looking forward to Sunday,” Walsh said. “She ran very impressive, so hopefully she can build on it. I think she was maybe a little sharper than what we thought – she was working well, but she broke sharp and ran very, very well. She’s a nice prospect for sure.”

As Isle of Capri stretches out for the first time, Walsh said he is unsure if she will be on the lead again, but is confident the filly can rate as well.

“We’re still learning about her and she’s still got a long ways to go, so we’ll see what happens,” Walsh said. “She can sit, too. That won’t be a problem.”

Bred in Kentucky by F and M Syndicate, Isle of Capri is out of the Verrazano mare Timely, a half-sister to stakes-winner Youreinthearmynow. She will emerge from post 4 in rein to Frankie Dettori and has been tabbed the 5-2 morning line favorite in the field of 10, plus three also-eligibles.

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Smooth Breeze, Stone Smuggler and Roshiell My Belle in stakes for Abreu

Trainer Jorge Abreu has a trio of upcoming 2-year-old stakes contenders at Aqueduct Racetrack including Smooth Breeze, Stone Smuggler and Roshiell My Belle. The barn looks to further juvenile success after Scottish Lassie captured the local Grade 1 Frizette in October ahead of a fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 1 at Del Mar.

Joseph Hinkhouse’s New York homebred Smooth Breeze is set for Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Central Park, a one-mile inner turf test for juveniles. The More Than Ready gray gets class relief after a fourth in the Grade 2 Pilgrim over 1 1/16-miles of yielding turf on September 28 here – that race’s top-two finishers were Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf contenders Zulu Kingdom [seventh for Chad Brown] and Noble Confessor [sixth for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher].

In the Pilgrim, Smooth Breeze tracked the pace under Ricardo Santana, Jr. and drifted out a couple of paths inside the final eighth when asked for more, missing show honors by a head to reopposing Early Adopter. Dylan Davis picks up the mount Saturday from post 8.

“He’s doing really well. He came out of that last race in pretty good shape,” said Abreu. “He ran against Chad’s horse who ran in the Breeders’ Cup and did not have the best trip, so I just hope Dylan, who came and breezed him, kind of knows him a little bit.

“He needs to be tucked in and make one run,” Abreu continued. “I’m not going to blame the distance, I think last time he was compromised with the pace and he got a little tired towards the end.”

Smooth Breeze is out of the winning The Factor mare Breezy Gal, making his second dam Trophy Gal, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Unbridled Humor.

NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and SunsetRidge Racing Stable’s New York-bred Stone Smuggler will contest Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents, a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred juvenile fillies. The Honest Mischief bay will have the tall task of facing the 3-for-3 With the Angels, a dual stakes-winner for trainer Linda Rice.

Stone Smuggler was second to With the Angels in her August debut at Saratoga, exiting to notch a 3 1/2-length win in the state-bred Lady Finger on September 23 at Finger Lakes Racetrack.

“She’s been doing very, very well. She’s been breezing well – unfortunately we are going to have to run against Linda’s horse, but we are ready,” said Abreu.

In the Lady Finger, Stone Smuggler led from gate-to-wire en route to the comfortable score. With the Angels, Sunday’s 3-5 morning-line favorite, has been on the lead at every point of call of her career.

About Stone Smuggler setting the pace like at Finger Lakes, Abreu said, “I’m going. It was a great performance. It was a really good performance out of her and she came out of it well. She has been breezing well and looks stronger. She has two races under her belt. Now I think it is time to face that filly.”

Bred by Eaton and Thorne, Inc., Stone Smuggler, out of the winning Bustin Stones mare Bustinattheseams, was a $57,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-Bred Yearling Sale.

AP Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Corms Racing Stable and Lucky Hat Racing’s Roshiell My Belle will look to notch her first stakes victory in Sunday’s $135,000 Tepin, a one-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies.

The Laoban dark bay graduated in her June debut for trainer Richard Estvanko sprinting five furlongs on dirt at Churchill Downs. She moved to grass in her next outing and finished fifth in the five-furlong Colleen in July at Monmouth Park. She then made her first and only start for Abreu, finishing fourth in a optional-claiming dirt sprint in September at Churchill Downs.

“I think she is a better grass horse than she is a dirt horse. She ran at Monmouth going five-eighths, and I don’t think she is quick enough for that,” said Abreu. “She’s been doing pretty well so hopefully we get a good trip. We shipped her to Churchill for an a-other-than – she was OK, she made a little run, I just think she is much better on the turf.”

Abreu said Roshiell My Belle’s rally from 7th-of-9 to win her debut by 2 3/4-lengths showed that she had raw ability.

“The way she broke her maiden first time out, turning for home at Churchill, she was not beating one horse, and she won by three, going five furlongs,” said Abreu.

Roshiell My Belle is out of the stakes-placed Smart Strike mare Strike Red, making her second dam Hummingbird Red, a half-sister to 2004 Canadian Horse of the Year Soaring Free.

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Good Long Cry earns career-best 80 BSF for Thursday maiden romp

Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson and Scott Rice’s Good Long Cry graduated with aplomb on Thursday at Aqueduct Racetrack, scoring by 6 1/4 lengths in Race 5, a 1 1/16-mile turf route for juvenile fillies.

The win came after four consecutive runner-up efforts in competitive maidens this year for trainer George Weaver, including to next-out stakes-winner Opulent Restraint in a September 1 tilt at Saratoga Race Course and to next-out stakes-placed Reining Flowers on July 28 over the same oval.

On Thursday, Good Long Cry rated three lengths off the pace under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and quickly overtook the lead when nudged along in the final turn. She drew off with ease in the lane to cross the wire first in a final time of 1:44.05, earning an 80 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory.

Weaver said he was pleased to see the daughter of Long On Value earn her first trip to the winner’s circle.

“She came out of the race well,” Weaver said. “We’ve liked her and I’m just happy for the horse. I think she’s been trying and running against some good fillies, and yesterday she gave a breakthrough performance.”

Good Long Cry is also entered in Sunday’s $135,000 Tepin here, but Weaver said she will likely scratch from that event. Weaver’s other Tepin entry, the maiden-winner Five G, is currently on the outside looking in as the second also-eligible.

A $53,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, Good Long Cry is out of the 10-time winning Street Cry mare High Cry, a half-sister to successful New York broodmare Elusive Rumour.

Weaver will look to further his Big A success on Saturday as he sends out Soontobeking in the $100,000 Notebook [Race 3] and the pair of Not for Hire and Super Swift in the $150,000 Central Park [Race 9].

Co-owned by Weaver with breeders Our Blue Streaks Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds, Soontobeking [post 3, Eric Cancel] enters the six-furlong Notebook from three consecutive placings in state-bred stakes, most recently finishing third in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow on October 27 here and earning a career-best 74 Beyer for the effort.

“He’s been good all year and he always shows up and tries,” Weaver said. “We’re looking forward to seeing him run.”

The bay colt graduated at second asking when in the care of trainer Mitch Friedman ahead of a return to Weaver to finish fifth in the Grade 3 Sanford won by Mo Plex in July at Saratoga. Soontobeking would come close to beating that same foe when defeated a nose in the six-furlong Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in August ahead of another runner-up effort in the Aspirant on September 23 at Finger Lakes Racetrack.

Windylea Farm’s homebred Not for Hire [post 6, Jose Lezcano] makes his first outing against winners in the one-mile Central Park on turf off an impressive debut graduation on October 27 here. The Not This Time dark bay led each step of the way in the six-furlong maiden turf sprint before kicking clear down the lane to win by five lengths under Jose Lezcano.

“He’s training well and I would imagine he’ll have a chance to win if he can handle the two turns,” Weaver said. “Worst case scenario is we find out whether or not he likes two turns.”

Not for Hire’s rivals include stablemate Super Swift [post 10, John Velazquez], a homebred for R.A. Hill Stable. The son of Vekoma ran a valiant second last out when facing open company in the local six-furlong Atlantic Beach on November 1, finishing four lengths behind Warheart.

“He deserves a shot here, too,” Weaver said. “He’s a leggy colt and I’m curious to see how he’ll do with the two turns.”

Weaver, who trained Super Swift’s sire to two Grade 1 victories, said he appreciates training progeny of his star pupil.

“We’re kind of partial to him since we trained him, and we’ve certainly enjoyed training the ones we have [by him],” Weaver said. “It’s been fun to see what a strong year he’s had as a freshman sire, and hopefully he can keep it going.”

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Allard enjoying Alogon’s Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship dead-heat win

Charles T. Matses’ Kentucky homebred Alogon dead-heated with Works for Me for the win in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship. Trained by Ned Allard, the 5-year-old California Chrome gelding entered from a third in the local Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint in October after taking the Listed Parx Dash in August at its namesake race course.

Allard said that Alogon has rounded into form, but he’ll likely get a break until embarking on a 6-year-old campaign. Upcoming turf sprint stakes would include the $100,000 Richard R. Scherer Memorial on December 21 at Fair Grounds, which Alogon is unlikely to contest.

“I think I’m going to give him a little break so we can take on a good long season next year. The only way I’d be able to run him again is if I went to New Orleans or Gulfstream Park and a trip like that, if it doesn’t work out so hot, it can have a tendency to knock them out a bit,” Allard said. “I spoke to the owner and it sounds like we’ll go ahead and give him a break and have him ready for the spring.”

Alogon’s last campaign ended with a third in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship. He returned in May with a third in the local Listed Elusive Quality before a Grade 1 attempt in the Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing in June at Saratoga Race Course.

“It worked out really well this year. He’s only going to be a 6-year-old, he’s still got a bright future. I was thrilled with this race,” said Allard. “It would have been better if we didn’t have to share it, but it could’ve gone either way. A win is a win and he was graded stakes placed the time before that, so he has done enough this year to get a little break.”

Last September, Alogon was defeated a head by next-out Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint-winner Nobals in the Da Hoss at Colonial Downs. Allard said that with this in mind and the way his year ended, he hopes Alogon can find a way to Del Mar for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup.

“The horse that won it last year only beat him a head at Colonial. When we didn’t run so well at Saratoga [this year in the Jaipur], that kind of discouraged us a bit. If things fall into place, you have to consider the Breeders’ Cup one of the times with this horse, if it falls at the right time,” Allard said.

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