Aqueduct: East View, Damon Runyon Stakes Recaps

Posted On 09 Feb 2025

Bernieandtherose up in time in $125K East View

By Mary Eddy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Robert Rosenthal and Bradford Bernstein’s New York homebred Bernieandtherose stalked and pounced to victory in Saturday’s $125,000 East View, a seven-furlong sprint for state-bred sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Domenick Schettino, the daughter of Accelerate notched her first stakes victory under expert guidance from regular rider Katie Davis, who was aboard for each of the filly’s three previous starts. Bernieandtherose adds to a pair of dominant state-bred victories at the Big A when graduating by 7 3/4 lengths on November 3 and annexing a one-turn mile optional claimer on November 24.

Schettino said he was pleased to see how Bernieandtherose bounced back after an eye issue forced her to miss the $125,000 Busanda on January 11.

“We gave her some time to mature after the allowance win back in November and then we had her in the stakes race, but she had a little issue with her eye, and we scratched her out of there,” Schettino explained.

“We lost about a week, and she missed one workout,” Schettino added. “We sent her down to Patty Hogan and she found a foreign object – a piece of straw – under her third eyelid. She did an amazing job. She went on a Monday morning and was back at Belmont on Tuesday afternoon. She did a great job.”

Bernieandtherose was sharp from post 4-of-5 and came away from the gate with the lead, but the Kendrick Carmouche-piloted favorite Naive Melody was angled off the rail and split between Bernieandtherose and Straca to take charge through the opening quarter-mile in 23.53 seconds over the fast footing.

Naive Melody coasted along in front while Bernieandtherose watched along the inside from third through the half-mile in 47.34. The pacesetter would not have things her way for much longer as Jose Gomez made a bold early move aboard 21-1 longshot Storm Changer approaching the turn and took Naive Melody to task in her first effort against winners. Carmouche asked his charge for more, but Storm Changer was a half-length in front at the top of the lane and put away the 4-5 favorite with an eighth of a mile left to run.

Storm Changer’s lead came under threat as Davis unleashed Bernieandtherose on the outside of foes and took dead aim at the longshot after three-quarters in 1:12.73, gaining with every stride before collaring her rival in the final yards and posting the half-length score in a final time of 1:26.35.

Naive Melody finished another 2 1/4 lengths back in third while seven lengths ahead of stakes-placed Boston’s Phinest in fourth. Straca completed the order of finish.

Schettino praised the smart trip engineered by Davis to sit off of the 47.34 half-mile, which was more than a full second faster than the half-mile fraction of 48.58 set by the victorious Sand Devil in the Damon Runyon one race earlier.

“I think Katie once she broke to the lead and saw Kendrick rushing up like that aggressively, she sat a pocket trip,” Schettino said. “She made the right move; it’s smart the way she did that. That half a mile was much faster than the boy’s race [the Damon Runyon] and I saw Katie sitting there on the inside. Once she kicked her out in the stretch and switched leads, she came running late.”

Davis explained that she was content to let the Wesley Ward-trained Naive Melody do the work early.

“You know it’s funny, she popped right out of there [gate], but knowing the other horses going into the race like Wesley Ward’s and the other horse, they could go a 45, and I wasn’t looking to go a 45, and yes she broke on top, but I wasn’t trying to rush her off her feet, because I don’t want to be in that speed duel,” Davis explained. “So, I let them go, sat the pocket for the first time ever with her, she didn’t mind it, and I tipped her out and she came running home.”

Bernieandtherose is out of the Freud mare Berning Rose, who captured the one-mile 2017 Maid of the Mist at Belmont Park for the same connections. Berning Rose also produced the connections’ multiple stakes-placed Bernietakescharge, who finished second in this event last year. Bernieandtherose earned $68,750 in victory while returning $9.80 on a $2 win wager.

Schettino said he will discuss with the filly’s owners whether she will target the one-mile Listed $200,000 Busher on March 1, which awards 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, or the one-mile state-bred $125,000 Maddie May on March 8.

“I’ll have to speak Mr. Rosenthal about that and see which way we go, if we stick with the New York program coming up or the Busher,” Schettino said. “First of all, we’ll see how she comes out of this race and go from there.

“I don’t think distance is an issue – I think she’ll go two turns,” Schettino added. “The mare won the Maid of the Mist going a mile and the sister [Bernietakescharge] won going long, so I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it either down the road.”

Gomez said the Dimitrios Synnefias-trained Storm Changer struggled to change leads in the late stages.

“She didn’t switch leads until real late. Within the sixteenth pole, she switched, but by then it was a little late,” Gomez explained. “She labored a little on that left lead. It took her a little bit to switch over, but other than that, she ran a good race and just got beat by a nice horse.”

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with an eight-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack winter 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 winter meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Sand Devil a gritty winner of $125K Damon Runyon

By Christian Abdo

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Chester Broman, Sr.’s homebred Sand Devil showed grit to outlast National Identity and improve to 3-for-3 while securing his first stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Damon Runyon, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-bred sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by the current meet-leader Linda Rice, the Violence chestnut has earned his trio of wins under Jose Lezcano and versus fellow state-breds here, with Saturday’s neck score being his toughest test to date. He entered from a 12 1/2-length one-turn mile optional claimer romp on January 2 after a comfortable debut graduation sprinting six furlongs in December.

“Today was the first time he had a tussle. He dug it out,” said Rice, adding that it was a little too close for comfort. “I was just telling Jose that I thought he should have opened up in the middle of the turn. They went slow early and sprinted home fast. I thought he gave away his advantage around the turn. I thought that was a mistake and let’s not do that next time.”

Sand Devil broke alertly from post 3 and quickly overtook the sharp-starting National Identity, to hold a narrow lead over that rival through an opening quarter-mile in 24.52 seconds on the fast dirt.

“Today, we go slow and the horses sprinted hard home. My horse is a big horse and he isn’t that quick when you ask him – it takes him a couple strides to get into full stride, so this is why the other horse come very close to him,” Lezcano said of the tepid early fractions.

Sand Devil kept a half-length lead over the Kendrick Carmouche-piloted National Identity to his outside down the backside and entering the far turn, followed by Fireballin along the rail, with Rice trainee Just Licorice and multiple stakes-placed Soontobeking also in close pursuit through a half-mile in 48.58.

Sand Devil and National Identity continued to duel through the turn, and it was becoming a two-horse race as the pair hit the top of the lane with 4 1/2 lengths back to the rest of the compact field.

National Identity was in a similar position last out in the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way on December 14 here, where he was never able to go by the unbeaten Sacrosanct, but Saturday he had a head in front of Sand Devil following three-quarters in 1:12.39.

Sand Devil battled back to the inside of National Identity, fighting gamely as the pair clashed in the final furlong. Sand Devil re-claimed the lead nearing the sixteenth pole, crossing the wire a neck in front in a final time of 1:24.66.

Soontobeking finished third 8 1/2 lengths back, with Fireballin rounding out the superfecta. Just Licorice completed the order of finish.

“He kept responding every stride I asked him to,” Lezcano said. “Every race, he improves more and more. Today, he showed up and he is a good horse.”

Rice said a probable next start for Sand Devil is the local Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile for sophomores that awards 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, on March 1.

Sand Devil was nominated early to the Triple Crown and Rice said he has always shown talent.

“He didn’t come to me until Saratoga in July and he was far away from racing at that point. It just took a while to get him to the races, but he started showing himself last fall to be a horse with some talent,” said Rice.

Carmouche, also aboard for the NYSSS Great White Way, said the Danny Gargan-trained National Identity was game in another close defeat to an undefeated rival.

“The horse ran very well and was second best today. I thought he ran better than last time and hopefully we can keep moving forward,” Carmouche said. “They went pretty easy and he left me in the race enough to fight at the end. I thought my horse did everything perfect today to be successful, but he was just second best.”

Bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman, Sand Devil is out of multiple stakes-winning Mineshaft mare Mineralogist. His second dam is the graded stakes-winning New York-bred Seeking the Ante. He banked $68,750 in victory and returned $2.40 for a $2 win bet as the post-time favorite.

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with an eight-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.