Aqueduct Racetrack Notes 03/23

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Aqueduct Racetrack Notes

My Mitole adds blinkers in work towards G2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino
Sand Devil continues preparations for G2 Wood Memorial, Uncle Jim eyes Listed $150K Bay Shore
Omaha Omaha possible for G2 Wood Memorial
Surfside Moon to miss G2 Wood Memorial

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Half Hollow Stables’ My Mitole breezed five furlongs in 1:02.55 on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track towards a probable next start in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, on April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trainer Carlos Martin equipped the Mitole chestnut with blinkers for the move after a last-out fourth under Luis Rivera, Jr. in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 1 here. My Mitole picked up 10 Kentucky Derby points in the 6 1/2-length defeat to Flood Zone, and he now continues on the Derby-trail in the Wood, which awards 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

“He looked good. He went five-eighths in 1:02 and two but he came home good and looked good. He was sound, happy, Luis Rivera, Jr. worked him. We put a little three-quarter blinker with holes on him, just to get him to focus a little bit,” said Martin. “At the end of the day, he was caught wide in the Gotham, made a couple moves, but I just wanted to see him in the blinkers. I liked what I saw and the way he finished up.

“It is a little bit of a leap of faith to put blinkers on in the biggest race of his career, but I’m kind of leaning towards trying a little equipment change with him,” Martin continued.

My Mitole contested the one-turn mile Gotham on two weeks’ rest, while also stepping in class from a starter optional claiming victory at the same distance on February 14 here. In the Gotham, he brushed the side of his stall exiting the outermost post nine but recovered to stalk in fourth, maintaining that position to the wire and registering a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure in the quickly-run race.

“I think there is something to be said for running in your own backyard. Coming back in two weeks was a little bit aggressive, but now I have time to prepare for the Wood,” Martin said. “He came from post nine, [Rivera, Jr.] had to use him a little more to get position. I don’t know if we would’ve threatened the winner, but I think we could’ve been second with a better trip.”

Martin said adding blinkers could help My Mitole late as he stretches out to nine furlongs.

“Sometimes people think its counterintuitive because blinkers get horses keyed up, but I think it could be the opposite in his case, he seems to be chilling out,” said Martin. “He’s always been kind of quirky switching leads, and he switched leads the last two mornings. He went 1:01 and change the Saturday before, 1:02 but the gallop-out was great yesterday.

“Now one more breeze and we will be there. He looks like he put on weight. So that is my plan to give him another good work on Saturday and hopefully be in the Wood,” Martin added.

The Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino closed with 35 nominations. Other horses reported to be pointing to the race include Captain Cook [Rick Dutrow, Jr.], Grande [Todd Pletcher], Hill Road [Chad Brown], Omaha Omaha [Michael Gorham], Sand Devil [Linda Rice], and Statesman [Shug McGaughey].

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Sand Devil continues preparations for G2 Wood Memorial, Uncle Jim eyes Listed $150K Bay Shore

Chester Broman, Sr.’s New York homebred Sand Devil breezed six furlongs in 1:13.84 on Sunday over the Belmont Park dirt training track as he prepares for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, on April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Wood Memorial offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers. Sand Devil earned 25 qualifying points for his last-out second to Flood Zone in the one-turn mile Grade 3 Gotham on March 1 here.

Trained by Linda Rice, the Violence chestnut, working in company with Uncle Jim [clocked a half-mile in 48.61 seconds], was completing his second breeze back since the Gotham. He covered a half-mile in 49 seconds last Saturday.

“It went very well. He was with Uncle Jim. Uncle Jim only went a half-mile, Sand Devil went out three-quarters,” said Rice. “He was 1:04, 1:13 and three, and he went very nicely.”

Sand Devil entered the Gotham 3-for-3 against state-breds at the Big A, beginning with a debut graduation on December 8 sprinting six furlongs. He then scored by 12 1/2-lengths in a one-turn mile optional claimer on January 2 and captured the seven-furlong Damon Runyon on February 8.

Of the longer breeze this week, Rice said, “We are going one mile and an eighth in the Wood, so I just wanted to stretch him out a little bit. It was a good work.”

Workmate Uncle Jim, who Rice claimed for $50,000 from a last-out 3 3/4-length starter optional claiming victory at 6 1/2 furlongs on February 28 here, is also nominated to the Wood. The City of Light dark bay made one stakes start during his four outings for trainer Brad Cox– a fifth in the nine-furlong Listed Withers on February 1 here.

Rice said she is eyeing the seven-furlong Listed $150,000 Bay Shore on April 19 here for Uncle Jim.

“We will probably go to the Bay Shore with him,” Rice said. “That [last race] is why I like the Bay Shore for him at seven furlongs.”

Also on the Sunday tab working five furlongs for Rice were Grade 3, $175,000 Distaff-nominee Tipple [1:03 flat] and Listed $150,000 Excelsior-nominee Peek [1:02.61]. Those stakes are both run on Wood Memorial Day.

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Omaha Omaha possible for G2 Wood Memorial

On Your Left Racing’s Virginia homebred Omaha Omaha is possible to return to New York for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 5, at Aqueduct Racetrack. The nine-furlong test for sophomores offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Trained by Michael Gorham, the Audible bay hit the board in a pair of Kentucky Derby preps at the Big A when closing to finish second in the one-turn mile Jerome [5 points] in January and third in the nine-furlong Listed Withers [6 points] in February.

Omaha Omaha brought his Kentucky Derby points total to 26 last out with a rallying third in the nine-furlong Virginia Derby [15 points] on March 15 at Colonial Downs. He is currently 22nd in the standings.

Gorham noted that Omaha Omaha is nominated to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass, which is also slated for April 5 at Keeneland, but he currently prefers a return to Aqueduct.

“It’s a good possibility. We’ve nominated to the Blue Grass and the Wood and I’m leaning towards New York. He ran two good races up there,” Gorham said.

The late-running Omaha Omaha broke a step slow and was last-of-7 in the early going of the Virigina Derby as America Promise tracked the Hall of Famer Bob Baffert-trained pacesetter Getaway Car through splits of 23.12 seconds and 45.20 over the fast track. American Promise was in front through three-quarters in a rapid 1:08.39 and pulled away to win by 7 3/4-lengths in a track record 1:46.41.

Omaha Omaha, who was fifth at the stretch call under regular rider Raul Mena, closed five-wide down the lane put a neck in front of Getaway Car to earn show honors while less than one length back of runner-up Render Judgment.

“It was a real fast track. They broke the track record, and it was tough to close into that kind of pace where no one was really coming back,” Gorham said. “I thought he ran pretty good – he finished third, and was just beat a short way for second.

“He came out of the Virgina Derby great,” Gorham added. “He’s been back to the track. He’s training good. He was pretty sharp the next morning. He might work the end of next week or the weekend.”

Omaha Omaha has been last at the first point of call in each of his seven starts but has shown tenacity to produce a 2-1-3 record for purse earnings of $209,800. He graduated at third asking traveling one-mile in October at Delaware Park.

“That’s the way he is and that’s the way he’s been since I’ve had him,” Gorham said. “He’s never really showed a lot of early speed as a 2-year-old, so that’s why we started him out in the long races. We wanted to keep him long. He’s a one-run horse. He runs the last three-eighths of a mile and hopes for the best.”

Gorham said he’s hopeful that there will be plenty of pace to chase should Omaha Omaha make the trek to the Big A for the Wood Memorial.

“If you don’t win, hopefully you can get a piece of the pie. With everyone else jostling for the lead, some of them are going to get tired, so the closer can have a little advantage that way to get a placing,” Gorham said.

The talented bay is out of the Kitten’s Joy mare England Swings, a full-sister to 2015 Champion Grass Horse Big Blue Kitten. Omaha Omaha debuted on turf, finishing fourth in an about 7 1/2-furlong maiden in August at Delaware.

Gorham said that while Omaha Omaha is focused on dirt racing at the moment, he won’t rule out a return to the turf down the line.

“That’s a possibility in the future. He’s doing pretty well on the dirt and will stay there for now,” Gorham said. “The first start of his life was on the turf, and he ran well that day. It was shorter and he was running at the end, but it was kind of a soft turf that day. I didn’t get a true read on him – he was still a little green first time out.”

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Surfside Moon to miss G2 Wood Memorial

Trainer Chuck Lawrence said Manor Stable and Mair Lee Stables’ Surfside Moon will not start in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack after illness disrupted his training schedule.

“He came down with a little virus after the Withers and we gave him a few weeks off, so unfortunately we’ll have to miss the Wood,” said Lawrence, who added the colt will now target the nine-furlong Federico Tesio on April 19 at Laurel Park. “I’ve still got a nice horse, so that’s the main thing.”

The chestnut son of Malibu Moon was last seen finishing second to Captain Cook in the nine-furlong Listed $250,000 Withers on February 1 at the Big A, rallying from fifth-of-7 under Sahin Civaci and chasing home the winner willingly to be defeated 2 1/4 lengths. The effort was awarded a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We were just waiting for the races to be going two turns from the way he trains and the way he’d work and come back and not be blowing,” Lawrence said. “We’d love to race at Saratoga if we can get enough under our belt to deserve being there.”

Surfside Moon graduated at third asking in August going one mile over the Delaware Park turf, and was subsequently off-the-board in an off-the-turf edition of the Laurel Futurity in September and the 1 1/16-mile Listed Awad in October over the Big A green.

“He worked well on the dirt, and he broke his maiden on the turf because we couldn’t find any longer races on the dirt,” Lawrence said. “He ran well there, so we tried him in the Awad, which was kind of a wash since he was boxed in the whole way.”

The Pennsylvania-bred was a $60,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Crescent Lady, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Make Mischief, and Jody’s Song, dam of Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Jody’s Pride.

Lawrence added one goal later this spring for Surfside Moon could be the nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan on May 10 at the Big A.

“Right from the get-go, he was one of those horses that did everything right. I’m not a real speed, short distance trainer, and everything told me he was a nice horse and wanted two turns,” Lawrence said. “He’s a lovely horse. Great personality, neat horse to train, and hopefully we have a lot of fun with him this late spring and summer.”

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