Aqueduct: Derby/Oaks points on line in Gotham, Busher Stakes

By Ryan Martin —-

Highly Motivated seeks to continue upward trajectory in G3 Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown already campaigned a winner in a Kentucky Derby qualifier in New York when Risk Taking captured the Grade 3 Withers last month. On Saturday, they will look to earn “Run for the Roses” points with stakes-winner Highly Motivated in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The one-turn mile event is the penultimate local qualifying prep race for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs, awarding the top-four finishers points via a 50-20-10-5 scale. The historic event has been a stopping point for all-time greats like 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, whose final winning time of 1:33.40 was only one second and one-fifth off the world-record time set by 1967 Gotham winner Dr. Fager’s 1:32.20 in the 1968 Washington Park Handicap. In 1989, Ogden Phipps’ Easy Goer broke Secretariat’s one-mile track record, completing the journey in 1:32.40.

Highly Motivated has produced a consistent start to his career, with back-to-back wins following his runner-up debut effort behind stablemate Founder in August at Saratoga Race Course.

Highly Motivated graduated at second asking going 6 ½ furlongs over the Belmont Park main track on September 27, where he defeated eventual two-time winner Known Agenda, who finished third in the Grade 2 Remsen in December.

Last out, Highly Motivated displayed a winning effort in the Nyquist on November 6 traveling 6 1/2-furlongs at Keeneland. The son of Into Mischief settled a close fourth behind a grueling pace and took command just inside the eighth pole to draw off by 4 ½ lengths, defeating next-out winners Quick Tempo and Roderick while recording a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

“All three of his races have been excellent, they have been outstanding efforts,” said Brown, who trained 2016 Gotham-winner Shagaf. “He certainly has kept good company. That’s the thing about starting these horses at Saratoga in the summer and at Belmont in the fall, you never know who you’ll run into. Looking back, history tells how strong these races are and he was in some pretty strong ones. It looks to be a real solid group of 3-year-olds everywhere, and he’s one of them.”

Highly Motivated arrives at the Gotham off a sharp half-mile breeze on February 28 over a fast main track at Payson Park Training Center, completing the four-furlong journey in 49.40 seconds. He shipped to Brown’s Belmont Park division on Wednesday morning.

“Every work of his has been an improvement,” Brown said. “His last couple in particular have been very strong works. We rested him a bit and brought him back slowly. We’re ready to get his 3-year-old campaign underway.”

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan selected Highly Motivated as a weanling from Lanes’ End’s consignment at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale, where he was purchased for $240,000.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has ridden Highly Motivated in all three of his starts and will return to the saddle, breaking from post 3.

“He’s a big, strong horse,” Brown said. “Javier has come back after his races and says he should improve going further. His gallop outs have been eye-catching so that indicated that stretching out in distance won’t be an issue.”

Brown and Klaravich also team up with impressive maiden-winner Crowded Trade, a son of More Than Ready. The chestnut colt registered an 83 Beyer on debut when hustled out of the gate and settled a distant fifth off a moderate pace before taking command just a few strides out from the finish line.

Since his debut victory, Crowded Trade has made three appearances on the work tab, most recently completing a four-furlong move in 49.03 seconds on February 28 over the Belmont training track.

Breaking from post 5, Crowded Trade will be piloted by Eric Cancel.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sends out graded stakes-placed Freedom Fighter after finishing a close second to stablemate Concert Tour in the Grade 2 San Vicente on February 6 at Santa Anita.

Owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm and Robert E. Masterson, the son of Violence was after the front end early from his inside post commanding a moderate tempo and dueled with his stablemate throughout the stretch run but came up a half-length shy of victory in the seven-furlong event.

Freedom Fighter was a winner on debut going six furlongs on August 1 at Del Mar six months prior to his next out stakes debut.

“He ran a pretty courageous race after some time off to finish second to Concert Tour, who I think is a nice horse,” Baffert said. “I wanted to keep him one turn for now. I’m not sure what his distance limitations are going to be right now, but I think the Gotham is a good step up going from seven-eighths to a mile. He should be ready for that.”

Freedom Fighter arrives at the Gotham off a sharp five-furlong drill in 59.20 seconds on February 27 at Santa Anita – the fastest of 63 recorded works at the distance.

“He’s been working well. He’s coming into the race in top form,” said Baffert. “We’ll see if he can get the mile. If you look at him, he’s built for speed – a sprinter type. But so was [2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner] Smarty Jones. You never know. I’ll give the horse a chance to develop on his own.”

Bred in Kentucky by Mr. and Mrs. Troy Reed, Freedom Fighter is out of the New York-bred City Zip mare Canadian Ballet, who was a six-time stakes winner going one turn on both dirt and turf. Freedom Fighter was bought for $120,000 from the Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $120,000.

Baffert said Freedom Fighter will have to demonstrate his Derby credentials on Saturday if he is to advance to the first Saturday in May.

“I’m not really thinking Derby with him yet,” said Baffert. “He’s going to have to prove himself and then we’ll see where he fits in.”

Jockey Manny Franco has the call aboard Freedom Fighter from post 7.

Bing Cherry Racing and Leonard Liberto’s Capo Kane returns to the Big A after finishing a pace-setting third in the Grade 3 Withers on February 6.

The California-bred Street Sense colt trained by Harold Wyner graduated at second asking on November 25 at Parx, leading the field the whole way around. He shipped to Aqueduct on New Years’ Day to capture the Jerome in similar style, earning 10 Derby points.

Wyner said Capo Kane is likely to rate on Saturday and he prepared the colt with a smart five-eighths breeze in 1:00.21 on February 26 at Parx where he sat off a pair of workmates before circling his company and finishing strong.

Although the Street Sense bay has posted both career wins in gate-to-wire fashion, Wyner noted that Capo Kane ran second on debut in October at Parx going seven furlongs while utilizing an off-the-pace trip.

“We have rated him before,” said Wyner. “In his first race, he came from behind and made the lead and then got a little tired and finished second. Lately, he’s been on the lead because he has speed, but I think there will be other speed in the Gotham, so we’ll let it play out.”

Wyner said Capo Kane has benefitted from a more consistent training pattern heading into the Gotham.

“I think the cut back to a one-turn mile is going to help him,” said Wyner. “In the Withers, I didn’t really have the screws all the way tight on him because I had missed five days of training and I couldn’t breeze him when I wanted to breeze him. Going into this race, I was able to breeze him when I wanted to and train him as normal.”

Jockey Dylan Davis, who guided Capo Kane in his last two efforts, will return from post 6.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out Atlantic Road following a maiden victory at second asking on February 8 at Aqueduct, where he led from gate to wire to hold off Nepotism by a head.

Owned by Jack and Laurie Wolf’s Starlight Racing, the son of Quality Road finished fifth on debut going six furlongs on January 9 at Gulfstream Park in a maiden special weight which saw three other next-out winners. He displayed frontrunning dimensions in his following start when breaking from the rail, shaking off a confrontation from next-out winner Three Two Zone and holding off a late challenge from Nepotism.

Pletcher will be targeting his third Gotham victory having won previously with Cowtown Cat [2007] and Stay Thirsty [2011], who finished a respective 20th and 12th in their subsequent Kentucky Derby efforts.

Atlantic Road breaks from post 1 under Jorge Vargas, Jr.

Reddam Racing’s Wipe the Slate ships to New York from California for trainer Doug O’Neill and will remove blinkers and cut back to one turn after a distant sixth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis on January 30 at Santa Anita.

The son of second crop sire Nyquist was second to highly-regarded Life Is Good on debut at Del Mar before a second-out graduation on December 26 at Santa Anita going seven furlongs, which he won by 3 ¼ lengths while garnering an 88 Beyer.

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche rides Wipe the Slate from post 4.

Completing the field are Flanagan Racing’s nine-furlong maiden winner The Reds [post 2, Pablo Morales] for trainer John Kimmel and seven-furlong maiden winner Weyburn [post 8, Trevor McCarthy] for owner Chiefswood Stables and trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

The Gotham is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Diverse six-horse field vies for Kentucky Oaks points in Busher Invitational

By Brian Bohl

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Two-time stakes winner Laobanonaprayer has already proved she can win at a one-turn mile and will look to replicate that effort against the most talented field she’s faced in her young career in Saturday’s $250,000 Busher Invitational for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 42nd running of the Busher, which offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs, is one of four stakes on a packed day at the Big A. The card is highlighted by the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham in a Kentucky Derby prep race and also includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap for 4-years-olds and up and the $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational for fillies and mares 4-and-up.

Laobanonaprayer, owned and trained by Daniel Velazquez, has never finished off the board in her first five starts, compiling a 2-2-1 ledger with a field-high $252,400 in earnings. After a third-place debut effort in September at Delaware Park followed by a runner-up effort over the same track in October, the Laoban filly broke her maiden in impressive fashion with a 5 1/2-length score in the Maid of the Mist going one mile over Belmont Park’s Big Sandy on October 24 in defeating fellow New York-breds.

She concluded her juvenile campaign with an eight-length win in the New York Stallion Stakes Series Fifth Avenue on December 6 before running second in the 6 ½-furlong Franklin Square in her 2021 debut finishing 1 ½ lengths behind Secret Love on January 16 at the Big A.

Velazquez noted that inclement weather at his Parx Racing training base had interrupted Laobanonaprayer’s training schedule leading up to and following the Franklin Square.

The talented filly has recently posted a pair of sharp works, including a five-furlong effort in 1:01.61 on Saturday over the Parx main track in her final breeze before shipping to New York.

“She’s been doing good and we’ve gotten the works that we’ve needed,” Velazquez said. “We’re excited to see open company and the level change. I think this race sets up perfect. I know that I hit every work that I needed to hit. Now, it’s just a matter of her having the talent and ability and a getting a good trip to get the win.”

Velazquez said he’s been impressed with her improvement overall since starting her career in September.

“She’s calmed down a lot,” Velazquez said. “She was a bit of a hyper filly, and she still is, but that edge is there for racing, she’s just getting a little more mature. She’s always been a big filly and she’s gotten a little wider and a little stronger.”

Meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche will be the irons from post 2.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will seek his first career win in the Busher, sending out a pair of formidable contenders in Klaravich Stables’ Search Results and Louis Lazzinnaro’s The Grass Is Blue.

Search Results, unraced as a juvenile, won her first race with an impressive four-length score on January 3 at Gulfstream Park. The Flatter filly was a $310,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and will be well-rested entering her second career start after training at Payson Park in Indiantown, Florida. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount from post 3.

“We gave her some time since that race to recover and get in a good rhythm with her works,” Brown said. “She seems ready to run again now.”

The Grass Is Blue added blinkers last out for a winning effort at Aqueduct, besting Coffee Bar by one length to win the 1 1/8-mile Busanda on January 24. That victory netted the Broken Vow filly 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, placing her 14th on the current leaderboard, and marked her third win overall in five starts.

After running sixth in the Songbird in November at Keeneland – the only time in five starts she failed to place – The Grass Is Blue ran third in the Anne Arundel County on December 26 at Laurel before earning a return trip to the winner’s circle in her first 2021 start next out.

“She’s really come along nicely in her development,” Brown said. “I didn’t want to cut her back in distance, but she’s been thriving in New York this winter in the environment and I didn’t want to take that away from her. She was sharper with the blinkers on and pulling on Manny a bit, so maybe a cutback won’t hurt her.”

The Grass Is Blue will see Manny Franco ride from post 4.

Team D’s Miss Brazil followed a maiden-breaking win at second asking on November 29 at the Big A with a 6 1/4-length gate-to-wire score in the Ruthless going seven furlongs on February 8 over the same track in making her first start as a 3-year-old.

A daughter of Palace Malice, Miss Brazil has given her connections optimism that the one-turn mile should not be an issue, with trainer Tony Dutrow saying a strong performance could open up the potential to run even longer as the year progresses.

“She leads us to believe that seven furlongs to a mile is within her ability, but we’ll find out for sure,” Dutrow said. “She’ll probably meet the best horses she’s ever faced before, and with an added distance, so we know we have to past this test. But I’m happy with how the progression has gone so far.”

Eric Cancel, aboard for the Ruthless win, will have the return call from the inside post.

Gary Barber’s Make Mischief will have a quick turnaround after winning the Maddie May by a neck on February 20 at Aqueduct. Contested at the Busher’s distance, the Maddie May saw Make Mischief shoot up the rail to overtake Brattle House in the final furlong. She will return just two weeks later looking to build on a stellar 3-3-0 record through seven starts.

“She came out of that race good, so we’re running,” trainer Chris Englehart said. “She’s a big, strong filly. Last race, coming up the fence the way she did, she showed a lot of courage.”

Make Mischief was trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse for her 2-year-old campaign that saw consecutive runner-up efforts in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, Grade 2 Adirondack and the Seeking the Ante during the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.

Barber sent Make Mischief to the New York-based Englehart for the start of her 3-year-old year to get ready to compete for the winter meet with great success, as Make Mischief is 2-for-2 at the track, starting with a 3 ½-length win against optional claimers going seven furlongs on January 31, resulting in a personal-best 74 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She came to us in great shape from Mark Casse and she’s pretty much the same horse,” Englehart said.

Dylan Davis will have the call from post 6.

Late Night Stable’s Mo Desserts will step up to stakes company for the first time, looking to build on a maiden-breaking 15 1/2-length score against a five-horse field at the Busher distance on February 8 for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

The Nyquist filly started her career with big expectations, selling for $300,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Sale. Unraced as a juvenile, she ran third on debut in a six-furlong sprint on January 10 at Aqueduct before an emphatic win next out when Pablo Morales rode for the first time. Morales will have the return engagement from post 5.

The Busher is slated as Race 6 on Aqueduct’s 10-race program with a first post time of 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.