Aqueduct: $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue, Great White Way Stakes Previews

Posted On 09 Dec 2024

Stone Smuggler seeks rebound in $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue

By Mary Eddy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and SunsetRidge Racing Stable’s New York-bred stakes-winner Stone Smuggler will look to regroup from a third-place effort in the state-bred Key Cents when taking on 11 rivals in Saturday’s $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired juvenile fillies will see Stone Smuggler stretch out one furlong from her last effort on November 17 here. The daughter of Honest Mischief attended the pace when a half-length back through the early stages under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and took a head advantage at the top of the lane, but could not fend off the late turn of foot from undefeated With the Angels and Nina Kay, finishing 2 1/2 lengths back of the winner and a half-length back of the runner-up. She earned a field-best 74 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We just got beat for second on the wire, and Irad gave her a good ride,” trainer Jorge Abreu said. “She was just facing better horses, and it’s not like she got beat a ton. She’s been pretty straightforward and has done everything the right way.”

Stone Smuggler seeks her second career stakes conquest after graduating in the state-bred Lady Finger two starts back on September 23 at Finger Lakes Racetrack, with returning rivals Mischief Lady and Idyll Gossip a respective second and third. The 3 1/2-length romp came in wire-to-wire fashion after she made the early lead for the first time. She improved from a distant second on debut to familiar foe With the Angels in August at Saratoga Race Course.

“For us, it was important and it was pretty cool,” Abreu said of the filly graduating in stakes company. “She looked like she had potential early on, and I liked her at Saratoga. Unfortunately, we had to run against that beast With the Angels. That’s one of the best 2-year-old fillies in the country right now.”

Abreu said he would be pleased to see Stone Smuggler assume the early lead again.

“I think that would be a good key for her to take the lead, and if she runs 23 [seconds] and change, then we’d probably be in with a good shot,” Abreu said.

Stone Smuggler worked Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track, covering five furlongs in 1:02 flat.

“She went with two other horses and she handled it fine,” Abreu said. “My only concern is, can she handle seven-eighths? In the past few races, she looked like maybe her distance is limited.”

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

Stone Smuggler is one of four entrants sired by promising young stallion Honest Mischief, who stands at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, N.Y. for a 2025 fee of $7,500.

Jose Lezcano has the call from the outermost post 12.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out a pair of contenders in stakes-placed Boston’s Phinest [post 7, Manny Franco] and the maiden Material Girl [post 11, Dylan Davis].

ERJ Racing and Madaket Stables’ Boston’s Phinest enters from a runner-up effort to With the Angels in the state-bred Maid of the Mist on October 27 here, finishing 3 1/4 lengths back after stalking the winner throughout under Flavien Prat.

A $190,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Boston’s Phinest seeks to add to a second-out graduation sprinting six furlongs on September 20 here. The Honest Mischief bay was bred in the Empire State by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Cypress Creek Equine and is out of the Curlin mare All in Time.

Team Hanley and Thirty Year Farm’s Material Girl was last seen finishing a distant third in a November 3 state-bred maiden tilt sprinting seven furlongs here. The Central Banker bay trailed in ninth-of-12 in the early stages and bumped with foes at the three-eighths pole before tiring in the lane and finishing 10 lengths back of Bernieandtherose.

Bred in New York by Spruce Lane Farm, Edition Farm, Mashnee Stables and Copper Beach Stables et al., Material Girl finished a close fourth in her October 5 debut sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs here. She is out of the unraced Candy Ride mare Tanmawwy and was a $140,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Trainer Paul Barrow will also send out two prospects in the stakes-placed Idyll Gossip [post 4, Romero Maragh] and maiden-winner Stunning Sugar [post 2, Lane Luzzi].

Francis Paolangeli’s New York homebred Idyll Gossip enters from a neck victory in the six-furlong Shesastonecoldfox on November 11 at Finger Lakes. There, she was seven lengths back in fifth at the half-mile call, but closed strongly to get up in time and collar April Storm at the wire.

“She’s been a little bit of a challenge in the races, but she’s finally learning to settle and how to run,” Barrow said. “I was very impressed with her effort being able to sit off the pace and close the way she did.”

The Central Banker chestnut graduated at second asking after a troubled debut that saw her hold a strong lead over five rivals before bolting near the quarter pole and losing jockey Jeremias Flores. That rider returned to pilot her to her 1 3/4-length maiden victory on August 26 at the Farmington oval.

“It had poured before her first race and something on the inside rail spooked her,” Barrow said. “We worked with her a lot in the mornings and put some blinkers on her, and she’s done well since then.”

Richie Rich Racing Stable’s Stunning Sugar was a pacesetting six-length winner last out at second asking in a six-furlong maiden sprint on November 18 at Finger Lakes. The Central Banker bay, bred in New York by Spruce Lane Farm, Becker, Empire Equines, Conley, Copper Beech and Gib, improved from a distant fifth in her October 28 debut where she was unsettled in the gate and ran evenly.

“I was very surprised she got beat the first time – she had the one hole in a 12-horse field and some of the horses on the outside acted up and then she acted up,” Barrow explained. “She broke in a tangle and needed the experience. The second start she was clear the whole way and was impressive.”

Barrow added it is meaningful to New York-based conditioners like himself to be able to run for a purse of $500,000 in the Stallion Stakes Series.

“It’s exciting to have one horse in it, but to have two horses that look like they might have a chance is very exciting,” Barrow said. “I love the program and these owners have trusted me with their best horses, so it’s fun to see them get a change at the big money.”

Completing the field are stakes-placed Mischief Lady [post 3, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Edward Barker; and maiden winners Bam’s Bliss Kiss [post 1, Luis Rivera, Jr.] for trainer David Duggan, Blossoming Erudite [post 5, Eliseo Ruiz] for conditioner Carlos David, the pair of Queen Atlas [post 6, Eric Cancel] and Princess Mischief [post 10, Javier Castellano] for trainer Chris Englehart, Storm Changer [post 8, Fernando Jara] for trainer Dimitrios Synnefias and D’s a Rock [post 9, Katie Davis] for trainer Chad Summers.

The Fifth Avenue is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which co-features the $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series in Race 8. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall 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 official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Sacrosanct unbeaten entering $500K NYSSS Great White Way

By Christian Abdo

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Lady Sheila Stable, Net Birdie and Schwing Thoroughbreds’ Sacrosanct is 3-for-3 with two stakes wins and seeks his biggest prize to date in Saturday’s $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible state-sired juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the New York-bred Honest Mischief bay was dominant in his one effort at seven furlongs two starts back in the local state-bred Bertram F. Bongard on September 22. He led narrowly early under Manny Franco before extending to a 6 3/4-length advantage at the stretch call and winning by 12 widening lengths, earning a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.

Sacrosanct’s next effort was a bit tighter when a prominent 1 1/2-length victor over graded stakes-winner and Grade 1-placed Mo Plex in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow going a one-turn mile on October 27 here.

“He is doing well. We’ve been pointing him to this race since he broke his maiden. He had a good run at seven-eighths then one mile,” Cox said. “We are cutting him back from one mile to seven-eighths, so we know he can handle it. If he gets a good set up, he should be tough.”

Cox said the lucrative purse was another reason to return to Saturday’s sprint distance.

“With the cutback here, there are 500,000 reasons to cut him back to seven-eighths,” said Cox, with a laugh. “After that, we will see how he does and go from there. We will give him an opportunity to go long and stretch out, but obviously cut back here.”

Cox said that Sacrosanct [post 2, Manny Franco], who also bested state-breds sprinting six-furlongs in his August 21 debut at Saratoga Race Course, looks like a future candidate for open company.

“You never know until you try. At some point we will give him the opportunity, if everything goes well on Saturday,” Cox said.

Bred in the Empire State by Burleson Farms, Mckenzie Bloodstock and Sequel Thoroughbreds, Sacrosanct, out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Vibrato, was a $260,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. His second dam is dual stakes-winner Cuff Me.

Fortune Farm’s stakes-winning New York homebred Bold Fortune [post 5, Dylan Davis] enters from a 7 3/4-length victory in the state-bred New York Breeders’ Futurity on October 21 at Finger Lakes Racetrack.

Trained by George Weaver, the Central Banker gelding earned a field-best 89 Beyer for the pacesetting score at six furlongs, improving upon an 84 at that distance in a second-out graduation versus fellow state-breds on September 22 here. He was third defeated 6 3/4 lengths by Sacrosanct in his six-furlong August debut at the Spa.

Out of the dual stakes-placed Posse mare Might Be, Bold Fortune is a full-brother to sophomore filly Walk With Me, who was second in last year’s $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue division for trainer David Duggan.

Weaver will also send out multiple stakes-placed Soontobeking [post 10, Javier Castellano], who has been ultra-consistent during his rookie campaign. The King for a Day bay has hit the board in four consecutive state-bred stakes at distances ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to one mile.

Soontobeking, while not yet able to break through for a stakes win in five attempts, earned a career-best 80 Beyer last out when third in the local six-furlong Notebook on November 16. He has banked $167,878 through a 7-1-2-3 record for owners Our Blue Streaks Stable, SGV Thoroughbreds and Weaver.

Bred in New York by co-owners Our Blue Streaks Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds, Soontobeking, out of the winning Freud mare Swayed, was an $80,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. His third dam is the 14-for-21 New York-bred and graded stakes-winner Dancin Renee.

Blue Devil Racing Stable and Jerold Zaro’s Friend Ofthe Devil [post 1, Christopher Elliott] was a last-out winner sprinting six furlongs on turf versus fellow state-breds to graduate at third asking in his first try on grass.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the Honest Mischief bay previously led in the turn of a seven-furlong main track maiden on September 2 at Saratoga under Irad Ortiz, Jr., but pulled up around the five-sixteenths pole as returning rival Buttah went on to win.

“Something happened that day. It wasn’t a physical thing, it was a mental thing,” said Martin. “Irad said he was in hand, but trying to get out a little bit. I’m not sure if he saw something and it spooked him, so I said, let me start from scratch, I took his blinkers off and started from scratch.”

Martin said that Friend Ofthe Devil deserves another chance on dirt. His second dam Sluice produced a Grade 1-winner on the main track, Mushka.

“The money is so good here for a New York-bred if you can run on the dirt in the winter. It is hard to put him away for four or five months right when he seems to be coming around,” said Martin. “I know everyone is kind of in the same boat, thinking that if Brad Cox goes with his undefeated horse then we are all running for second or third money, which may well be the case, but we’ll see.”

Bred in New York by Laurel Least, Farview Farm and Robert M. Tugel DVM, Friend Ofthe Devil, out of the Bodemeister mare Fabuleux, was a $145,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale.

R. A. Hill Stable, Adelphi Racing Club and trainer Danny Gargan’s Man in Finance [post 7, Luis Rivera, Jr.] looks to rebound off a fourth in the Notebook to filly Shoot It True. There, the Central Banker gelding did not run back to a 7 3/4-length debut win over the same course and distance on September 21.

The debut performance under returning jockey Luis Rivera, Jr. earned a career-best 82 Beyer. Man in Finance traveled one length off the pace in second position early in both career efforts.

Bred in the Empire State by Larry F. Botting, Man in Finance is out of the multiple stakes-placed Eltish mare Nicole’s Miss El, who produced stakes-placed Unique Unions. He was a $62,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale.

Gargan will also saddle Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s National Identity [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche] off a second-out 3 3/4-length graduation in a seven-furlong state-bred maiden on November 2 here. The Solomini chestnut attended the pace under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche before drawing clear around the turn.

Bred by Hunter Valley Farm, National Identity, out of the Indian Charlie mare Cheyenne Autumn, was a $150,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale. His third dam is Grade 1-winner Missed the Storm.

Rounding out the field are stakes-placed Buttah [post 8, Lane Luzzi] for conditioner Gary Sciacca; maiden-winners Smilensaycheese [post 4, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Mike Maker and Missing Rocks [post 6, Jose Lezcano] for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen; and maiden Twohonestmischief [post 3, Katie Davis] for trainer James Ferraro.

The Great White Way is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s 10-race card that also features the $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue division in Race 9. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

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