Aqueduct: Friday Stakes Advances

NYRA PRESS RELEASE —-

Sweet Bye and Bye headlines Forever Together

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Klesaris will send out likely favorite Sweet Bye and Bye in the third running of the $150,000 Forever Together for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack, as part of the Thanksgiving Festival that begins Thursday with the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight.

Friday’s 10-race card also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely for 3-year-old fillies at 1 ⅛ miles on the main track and the $150,000 Gio Ponti for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf. On Saturday, Aqueduct will host a pair of Grade 3 events: the Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island and the Grade 3, $200,000 Discovery.

Owned and bred by Joseph Imbesi, Sweet Bye and Bye has proven quite versatile over her 12-race career, with three wins on dirt and three on turf at distances ranging from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. The bulk of her success came last year as a sophomore, when she was first transferred to the Klesaris barn. The daughter of Sky Mesa made her 3-year-old debut on the dirt at Parx Racing in May and easily beat maiden company before rattling off another four straight victories, including wins on the dirt and turf at Parx and on the main track at Saratoga Race Course.

After concluding her 2018 campaign with an off-the-board finish in the Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx, Sweet Bye and Bye was given a nine-month vacation before returning to the races at Belmont Park on May 25 of this year. The gray filly showed no signs of rust finishing second to future graded stakes winner Oleksandra in a six-furlong turf sprint and has made steady strides throughout 2019, most recently winning an optional claimer on September 22 at Belmont and then finishing second behind Xenobia in the Grade 3 Athenia at 1 1/16 miles on turf in her graded stakes debut.

“She’s doing really well,” said Klesaris. “She really came to hand during the Saratoga meet but unfortunately the race I was pointing her to didn’t fill up there, so she came back at Belmont with a nice victory and a good second. This mare can do anything, it really doesn’t matter the surface or distance, she does it all. She’s a nice package.”

Though his main base of operations has moved south to Parx, Klesaris has enjoyed renewed success on the NYRA circuit this year with Awad Stakes winner Buy Land and See and allowance winner Enthusiastic Gal. At the center of his prosperous year is one mare, Twiggles, who is the dam of Sweet Bye and Bye, Buy Land and See, and Enthusiastic Gal, all of whom are owned by Imbesi.

“She’s been a pretty useful mare, everything runs,” said Klesaris. “It’s not often you see a mare drop so many runners, and she never even made it to the track. I have to thank Joe Imbesi, who’s given me some good opportunities. His daughter saw the mare in the ring and thought she was a pretty gray, so they paid a few thousand dollars for her. She’s now foaled two stakes winners and has two more nice ones on the ground.”

Sweet Bye and Bye will be ridden by Manny Franco from the outside post.

Fresh off a graded stakes victory on Saturday with turf warrior Sadler’s Joy in the Grade 3 Red Smith, trainer Tom Albertrani will send out a pair of runners – Andina Del Sur and Too Charming – in hopes of securing another stakes win over the Big A lawn.

The former has been a model of consistency for Albertrani and owner Don Alberto Stable. Since winning her career debut in October 2017 going six furlongs on grass at Belmont, the daughter of Giant’s Causeway has given an honest account of herself nearly every time, posting a record of 3-2-5 from 16 turf starts. The chestnut filly became a graded stakes winner early in her sophomore year when she captured the Grade 3 Florida Oaks but was winless until September 28 of this year, when she took the Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park. In her most recent start, Andina Del Sur finished third in the Athenia, half a length behind Sweet Bye and Bye. She will enlist the services of Hall of Famer Javier Castellano from post 9.

Too Charming has proven to be more volatile than her stablemate, but the Godolphin homebred is still capable of turning in a stakes-caliber effort on her best day. The 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini won the Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream in the finale of her sophomore campaign but has failed to find the winner’s circle in 2019 in four tries. The bay filly finished fourth behind Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Uni two back in the Perfect Sting on June at Belmont, and last out faded badly in the Violet, finishing a distant sixth behind Andina Del Sur. She will look to bounce back with Eric Cancel in the irons from post 6.

Runner-up in the Violet, Theodora B., will go out for trainer Michael Dickinson and owner Augustin Stable. The Ghostzapper filly has flirted with a few stakes victories this year, including second-place finishes in the Big Dreyfus at Laurel Park and the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park to go along with a nose defeat in the Violet, and last out she finished third in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf at Woodbine over its synthetic main track. Theodora B. will look to break through in stakes company from post 4 with Joe Bravo in the irons.

Rounding out the field are My Sistersledge [post 2, Julian Pimentel], who finished second against fellow Maryland-breds in a stakes race at Laurel in her most recent outing; graded stakes winner Go Noni Go [post 3, Hall of Famer John Velazquez], who is winless in two starts this year; and Shanghai Rain [post 1, Keivan Serrano] and Lounge Act [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche], a pair of fillies from the barn of trainer Eric Reed.

Matty’s Magnum, Another Broad, and Team Win are entered for the main track only.

Consistent Halladay faces Casse trio in $150K Gio Ponti

By Ryan Martin —-

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Stakes-placed Halladay will attempt to sustain a highly consistent record when taking on a field of 10, including three fellow sophomores from the Mark Casse barn, in Friday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti going 1 1/16 miles over the turf at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Gio Ponti, which will see its fourth running this year, is named in honor of Castleton Lyons’ seven-time Grade 1 winner who won three Eclipse Awards, including Champion Older Horse in 2009 for winning four consecutive Grade 1 events.

Never off the board in seven career starts, Halladay is trained by Todd Pletcher, who won last year’s edition with Bal Harbour.

Owned by Harrell Ventures, the gray son of War Front was a narrow third, beaten a half-length in the last out English Channel. Both of Halladay’s career wins took place going seven furlongs over Belmont Park’s Widener turf course. He emerged from a nine-month layoff in victorious fashion winning his fourth career start over next-out winner Sayaaf before defeating winners two starts later.

“I think the key to success in this race is getting him to settle in the first part,” Pletcher said. “Going a mile and a sixteenth that’s important. He’s been training really well and coming up to it in good shape so we’re optimistic.”

Halladay has not won past seven furlongs but, Pletcher is confident that the distance won’t be an issue.

“He trains like a horse that a mile and a sixteenth won’t be a problem for, just as long as he settles that first quarter-mile,” Pletcher said.

Breaking from post 5, Halladay will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

Trainer Mark Casse has won three stakes this meet and will look to notch another when he sends said number of contenders. Heading the Casse contingent is the well-bred Osage Moon – a Malibu Moon chestnut out of 2011 Broodmare of the Year Oatsee, who produced 2011 Preakness winner Shackleford and Grade 1 winner Lady Joanne.

Owned by John Oxley and Tracy Farmer, Osage Moon arrives off a pair of wire-to-wire victories over the turf at Woodbine. He broke his maiden at seventh asking two starts back by three lengths before defeating winners at the Toronto oval on September 28.

“He likes to be up close, that’s for sure. I would think that would be the plan.” Casse said. “He has a tremendous pedigree. It took him a while to get his act together. He’s a horse that we’re still not quite sure how good he really is.”

Osage Moon will be piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 2.

Two-time winner Pioneer Man, who also bears the turquoise and gold colors of John Oxley, will make his first start outside of Woodbine. The son of Pioneerof the Nile graduated first out over the turf at Woodbine before switching surfaces and defeating winners in his next start.

Pioneer Man enters off a fourth-place finish over the Toronto oval’s all-weather surface as the lukewarm favorite in a race won by stable mate Uncle Bull, who Casse said is bound for the Grade 1 $300,000 Hollywood Derby on November 30 at Del Mar.

“We wanted to split them up,” Casse said. “He’s another horse with an extremely nice pedigree and has been a little slow to come around.”

A homebred, Pioneer Man is out of the Giant’s Causeway broodmare Causeway Lady, who is out of multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Mystic Lady.
Pioneer Man will break from post 9.

Rounding out Casse’s contingent is Gabe Grossberg’s homebred Proliferate. The dark bay son of third crop sire Declaration of War was a troubled eighth in his last out stakes debut in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf on November 9 at Churchill Downs.

Proliferate won his career debut at Gulfstream Park before a close second next out against allowance company finishing a neck to subsequent stakes-winner English Bee.

“He was extremely disappointing last out and I think he may have struggled with the ground,” Casse said. “[Jockey] Chris [Landeros] got off him that day and said that he just spun his wheels. A lot of times these horses have such bad trips because they don’t respond well to the instructions of the rider.”

Proliferate will receive the riding services of Jose Lezcano and leaves from post 4.

Casse said Osage Moon and Pioneer Man, who have made a respective five and four starts this season, will receive a freshening after the Gio Ponti, while Proliferate will likely remain in training.

“I like running my 3-year-olds against 3-year-olds, hence why I have three in this race,” Casse said. “After this [Osage Moon and Pioneer Man] will get a break. Proliferate is just coming off a break so we may race him once or twice in the winter.”

Making his first start since June is Forty Under, who was a distant eighth in the Grade 2 Penn Mile last out.

Owned by Bill Parcells’ August Dawn Farm and trained by Jeremiah Englehart, who teamed up to win the 2017 Gio Ponti with Small Bear, Forty Under has made his last four starts over a turf course rated “yielding”. The gray or roan son of Uncle Mo notched graded stakes status in his third career start last year when he won the Grade 3 Pilgrim over the inner turf at Belmont Park en route to a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs. His lone start over the Aqueduct turf took place two back when second as the favorite in the Woodhaven.

Jockey Manny Franco has been aboard for all six of his career outings and will return to the saddle when he leaves from post 1.

Completing the field are Backtohisroots [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], Kadar [post 6, Jose Ortiz], Temple [post 8, Javier Castellano] and Chilly in Charge [post 10, Joe Bravo], and En Wye Cee [post 11] is entered as also-eligible.

Gold Standard looks to set benchmark for rest of field in Friday’s G3 Comely

By Brian Bohl —-

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Stonestreet Stables and LNJ Foxwoods’ Gold Standard handled a step up in class with a last-out runner-up effort in her stakes debut and will look for her first win against such caliber as part of an eight-horse field of sophomore fillies in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Comely at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 70th running of the Comely, contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, is one of three stakes on Friday’s card as part of the Thanksgiving Festival, with the 10-race card also offering the $150,000 Gio Ponti for 3-year-olds and the $150,000 Forever Together for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on the turf.

Gold Standard shipped to New York on Sunday, a day after trainer Brad Cox saw the Medaglia d’Oro filly work four furlongs in 49.20 seconds on the Churchill Downs main track. It was her fifth breeze at Churchill since running second to Lady Apple by a half-length in her last start in the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks on September 29.

“She breezed fantastic at Churchill yesterday and is getting on a plane this morning,” Cox said. “She’s had time off between her last start and this one, and it’s her last chance to run against 3-year-old fillies and we’re looking forward to it. She’s given us a good effort every time and we look forward to the same next Friday.”

Gold Standard earned a personal-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure for her stakes debut and is 3-2-1 in six starts. The Kentucky bred, who was purchased for $1.2 million at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-old Sale, ran second and third, respectively, in her first two career starts on the grass. After switching to dirt, she won her next three races, starting with a maiden-breaking romp at 1 1/16 miles in an off-the-turf contest on June 8 at Churchill before posting a nine-length score at one mile on July 21 at Ellis Park and a 2 ½-length win at the same track on September 2.

After earning blacktype in the Remington Park Oaks at 1 1/16 miles, Gold Standard will stretch out to the Comely distance for the first time.

“She has a lot of class and we feel that she’s a graded stakes filly; she proved that last time,” Cox said. “We think she has a big future and will improve with age as well. She’s not a real big filly but she always worked well and showed talent on the dirt. I don’t regret starting her on the turf. I think it put a good foundation in her, but she definitely prefers dirt.”

Hall of Famer and two-time Comely winner Javier Castellano will pick up the mount, with the duo set to depart from post 2.

“He’s never been on her, but she’s easy to ride. With a good trip, she can do well,” Cox said.

Mathis Stable’s Bellera will look to rebound for the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm effort on November 2 at Aqueduct in which she was squeezed by Jeltrin and jockey Jose Lezcano was unseated. Both rider and horse were uninjured, and Bellera will look to recapture the form she showed in starting her career 2-2-0 in four starts, starting with a maiden-breaking win at second asking on July 6 at Monmouth Park and a five-length score next out on August 21 on a sloppy Saratoga Race Course main track.

The Todd Pletcher trainee, bred in Florida by Hardacre Farm, will have Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons from post 3.

“Thankfully, she came out of it unscathed,” Pletcher said on the Turnback the Alarm. “You hate to waste an effort like that, but she seems to have bounced out of that in good shape. She’s been training well since then.”

Arrifana, undefeated through her first four starts, will step up to stakes company after besting an allowance field by a half length at 1 1/16 miles on November 1 at Laurel. A 10-length debut winner on August 1 at Laurel, the Curlin filly followed with a two-length victory in a seven-furlong sprint at Saratoga on August 31 and won her last two starts at Laurel. Conditioned by Kelly Rubley, Arrifana will again team with jockey Julian Pimentel, breaking from post 4.

Calumet Farm’s Oxy Lady will make her seventh consecutive stakes start for trainer Jack Sisterson. The 2018 Grade 3 Tempted-winner will be returning to the Big A for the first time since running second in the Busher on March 9. Following a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Raven Run on October 19 at Keeneland, the Oxbow filly will break from the outside post with jockey Declan Cannon on the call.

Rounding out the field is Classic Fit, who ran third in the Remington Park Oaks and was second to Dunbar Road in the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 29 at Belmont, for conditioner Michael Stidham [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.]; Stand for the Flag, who enters her stakes bow off back-to-back wins for trainer Jason Servis [post 1, Jose Lezcano]; Afleet Destiny, a five-length winner against optional claimers on November 11 at Parx for trainer Uriah St. Lewis [post 6, Anthony Salgado]; and Lightscameraaction, a winner against optional claimers last out on October 18 at Keeneland, for trainer Chris Block [post 5, Joe Bravo].

The Comely, first contested in 1945, is named in honor of the filly who, as a 2-year-old, defeated older male horses in capturing the first running of the Fall Highweight in 1914. Among its most famous winners was Hall of Famer Ruffian in 1975.

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