Aqeduct Stakes Advances

Posted On 30 Nov 2022

By Ryan Martin —-

Mind Control to make final career start against accomplished sophomores Zandon, White Abbario in G1 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables’ dual Grade 1-winner Mind Control will attempt to go out on top when he takes on a field consisting of three other Grade 1 winners in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap for 3-year-olds and upward at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Mind Control, conditioned by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, has garnered seven graded stakes victories, reaching that pinnacle every year since 2018 while boasting a record of 28-11-3-6 and field best earnings of $1,773,334. Never out of the money in seven starts at the Big A, he captured the Jerome and Grade 3 Bay Shore in 2019 before conquering the Grade 3 Toboggan and Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap the following year for trainer Gregg Sacco.

A winner of Saratoga Race Course’s Grade 1 Hopeful as a juvenile and Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial as a sophomore, Mind Control was transferred to Pletcher’s barn last summer and made his first start a winning one, capturing the Grade 2 John A. Nerud at Belmont Park over Grade 1-winner and Big Sandy specialist Firenze Fire.

Two starts later, he defeated another Grade 1-winner in Met Mile hero Silver State in the Parx Dirt Mile last September, where he ran a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure. He matched this figure with a hard-fought win over Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Hot Rod Charlie in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile on June 18 at Monmouth Park. He enters off a repeat triumph in the Parx Dirt Mile, which he won this year via disqualification over Far Mo Power.

Mind Control is by 2012 Cigar Mile winner and Pletcher alumnus Stay Thirsty. A victory would make them the first father-son pair to capture the final Grade 1 on the NYRA circuit since inaugural 1988 winner Forty Niner produced 1996 winner Gold Fever.

“He’s been a great horse for us and accomplished a lot before he even came to us, but he’s been a real neat horse to be around,” said Pletcher, who seeks a record-extending sixth Cigar Mile victory. “He enjoys his job and has always liked Aqueduct. We were looking at possible options and thought coming into the Cigar Mile fresh was the right way to approach it. Physically, there are some similarities between him and his sire. They both ran well at two, three, four and in Mind Control’s case beyond that. He just keeps going.”

Rick Sacco, racing manager for Red Oak Stable, confirmed that the Cigar Mile will be Mind Control’s final career start before heading off to a stallion career.

“I think the horse has proven everything that a horse can do. At two, three, four, five and six, he’s won a graded stake every year he’s run. He’s won from six furlongs to a mile,” Sacco said. “It would be a great sendoff for the horse. We’re looking forward to it. He’s been such a fun horse to be around. He loves NYRA, he obviously loves Aqueduct. He loves Saratoga, too, and some other tracks. All the feedback from Todd the past few weeks has been awesome. He loves the way he’s been doing. He’s happy and energetic and Todd’s team is very pleased.”

Sacco said giving Mind Control time in between races was by design, citing the quick turnaround from a third-place effort in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on August 26 into the September 24 Parx Dirt Mile.

“He broke badly that day, but he ran a really credible third. The distance was a little out of his realm, but it was credible,” Sacco said. “We wheeled back to the Parx Mile because of the success he had the previous year and those were two quick races less than a month back. So, the idea was to give him all the time for a Grade 1 over a track that he loves and a distance that he’s awesome at. It all made sense. The timing more than anything was key. He runs really well fresh, and he loves the surface at Aqueduct.”

A stud deal will likely be finalized in the days following the Cigar Mile according to Sacco, who noted the popularity of Mind Control’s close relative King for a Day – a fairly new addition to the stallion roster at Irish Hill and DutchessViews Farm.

“We’ll probably make an announcement a couple days after his last start,” Sacco said. “King for a Day is in his immediate family and he has bred 150 mares over the past two years. He’s been really popular in New York.”

Breaking from the outermost post 7, Mind Control will carry 122 pounds under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who has piloted the bay horse to six of his graded stakes triumphs.

A dozen 3-year-olds have bested elders in the Cigar Mile throughout its 34-year-history. This year will see a pair of Grade 1-winning Triple Crown alumni seek to add to those numbers with Jeff Drown’s Zandon and C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano’s White Abarrio.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner and dual Cigar Mile winner Chad Brown, Zandon has never finished out of the money in eight lifetime starts and enters Saturday’s test off a late-closing runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 24 at Parx Racing.

A triumph in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 9 at Keeneland made the son of third-crop sire Upstart one of the favorites heading into the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs. He battled down the stretch to the outside of lukewarm favorite Epicenter and was passed up by the inside rally of 80-1 upset winner Rich Strike to finish third.

Zandon followed up at Saratoga Race Course with a respective second and third behind Epicenter in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 30 and Grade 1 Runhappy Travers on August 27. The Cigar Mile will be his first start going one turn since a debut victory going six furlongs last October at Belmont Park.

Breaking from post 2, Joel Rosario will be in pursuit of his first Cigar Mile coup when piloting Zandon, who carries 120 pounds.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. will send out White Abarrio, winner of the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream Park.

Prior to his Florida Derby victory, the gray or roan son of Race Day captured the Grade 3 Holy Bull on February 5 at the South Florida oval, defeating graded stakes winner Simplification and eventual Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets winner Mo Donegal. He finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby, seven weeks before running second in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown where he was beaten one length by Kentucky Derby seventh-place finisher Tawny Port.

The Cigar Mile will be White Abarrio’s first start going a one-turn mile since last October, when he defeated winners in an optional claimer at Gulfstream Park.

“He’s training well. We’re cutting him back to a one-turn mile in here, which will suit him great,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He has tactical speed and he’s going to stay the distance strong, so I don’t think there’s any question or concern. He ran it once already and won in an allowance race. Obviously, he’s going to face deeper quality, but I’m excited about the distance.”

Joseph, Jr. said a strong effort from White Abarrio could warrant a start in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on January 28 at Gulfstream Park.

“It would make us consider it, but we aren’t thinking that far ahead,” Joseph, Jr. said. “If he were to win very impressively, we may consider sticking to one turn, but the Pegasus is right around the corner and a lot of the good horses have retired. That has us rise up a bit by default, almost.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who is currently tied with the late Garrett Gomez for most stakes wins in a single North American season with 76, will attempt to secure the landmark outright when he guides White Abarrio for the first time from post 3. He will carry 118 pounds.

Trainer Greg Foley will send multiple graded-stakes placed O Besos following a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint on November 5 at Keeneland.

The 4-year-old son of Orb was victorious two starts back going six furlongs on October 1 at Churchill Downs, which was his first start since a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Commonwealth in April, contested over a sloppy and sealed Keeneland main track. The October victory prompted Foley to try the Breeders’ Cup, where he was last-of-11 early on before making a late run to finish a willing fifth.

“He ended up having a little hiccup after the Commonwealth so we gave him some time off,” Foley said. “I thought he ran a great race in his comeback at Churchill in October. After that race we knew the Breeders’ Cup was just down the road at Keeneland and thought the Sprint would fit him best. We came with our run and only got beat 3 1/2 lengths for all of it. I think the distance in the Cigar Mile should suit him a little better.”

O Besos, who will carry 119 pounds, is owned by Tagg Team Racing, Bernard Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Terry L. Stephens.

Jose Ortiz will pick up the mount from post 5.

Gary Barber’s Get Her Number will ship from Southern California in pursuit of his first Grade 1 victory since capturing the 2020 American Pharoah at Santa Anita for trainer Peter Miller.

The 4-year-old son of Dialed In will be making a quick turnaround from a November 20 victory going six furlongs at Del Mar. Get Her Number, a five-time winner, was second in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby on July 30 at Del Mar, where he registered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Two-time Cigar Mile winning rider Luis Saez picks up the mount aboard Get Her Number, who will carry 120 pounds while breaking from post 4.

Completing the field are the Norman L. Cash trained pair of Double Crown [post 1, J.D. Acosta, 119 pounds] and Outlier [post 6, Luis Batista, 115 pounds].

Owned by Cash and Lola Cash, Double Crown, by Bourbon Courage, was an upset winner of the Grade 2 Kelso last out on October 29 at Belmont at the Big A, running down seven-time winner Baby Yoda in the final strides to the wire. The victory was his first at stakes level since winning Gulfstream Park’s Carry Back in July 2020 for former trainer Kathy Ritvo.

Built Wright Stable’s Outlier will seek his fourth victory this year and first since June 2, when winning a one-mile optional claimer at Penn National in wire-to-wire fashion.

The Cigar Mile honors Allen Paulson’s all-time great, who from 1994-96 equaled 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation’s modern-day North American record of 16 consecutive victories, a record which has since been broken by Peppers Pride, Hall of Famer Zenyatta and Rapid Redux. Cigar’s win streak included victories in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, Donn Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, Woodward, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Oaklawn Handicap, and Pimlico Special. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden primarily by Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, Cigar retired with nearly $10 million in lifetime earnings and resided at the Kentucky Horse Park upon his retirement until passing in 2014. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2002.

The Cigar Mile is carded as Race 9 and headlines a lucrative program which also features the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen, which offers 10-4-3-2-1 in Kentucky Derby qualifying points, the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, which offers 10-4-3-2-1 in Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

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

Julia Shining set for stakes debut in G2 Demoiselle

By Mary Eddy

Stonestreet Stables’ Kentucky homebred Julia Shining, a full sister to Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Malathaat, will make the step up to stakes company for her first try against winners in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong main track test for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Demoiselle, which offers 10-4-3-2-1 qualifying points for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks to the top-five finishers, is part of a stacked card highlighted by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets, along with the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand and the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen, offering 10-4-3-2-1 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Derby to the top-five finishers.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who will look to win this event for the third consecutive year, Julia Shining was an impressive debut winner on October 16 at Keeneland in a seven-furlong maiden special weight. The bay daughter of Curlin broke evenly from post 4-of-12 and dropped back to 11th as she struggled with taking dirt from her rivals. With a strong ride from Luis Saez, Julia Shining swung five-wide in the turn and made up ground with giant strides to claim the lead at the stretch call and coast home a 2 3/4-length winner in a final time of 1:29.43.

Pletcher said he was particularly impressed by Julia Shining’s ability to widen her margin.

“I thought she was kind of hopeless at the five-eighths pole. She did what a lot of first timers do when they get hit with that wave of dirt,” Pletcher said. “She was just climbing trying to get away from it. Finally, when Luis pulled her out, she made that huge middle wide move that was impressive, but most horses who do that kind of hang in the end. For her to keep going and polish it off was impressive.”

Julia Shining will look to follow in the footsteps of her accomplished sister Malathaat, who captured the 2020 Demoiselle. Julia Shining and Malathaat would be the first siblings to capture the prestigious Demoiselle since full sisters Coquette [1914] and Celandria [1915] took back-to-back editions.

Pletcher said both Julia Shining and Malathaat, who are out of the multiple graded stakes-winning mare Dreaming of Julia, show professionalism on the track.

“Physically, they’re a little bit different, but they’re both very impressive fillies to watch train and she’s shown talent from the beginning,” said Pletcher. “I always felt like the further she gets the opportunity to go, the better she’ll get. That’s why we have been pointing for the Demoiselle.”

Julia Shining has posted four works over Belmont Park’s dirt training track since her maiden score, most recently covering a half-mile in 49.05 seconds on Saturday.

Saez retains the mount from post 3.

Pletcher will also saddle Repole Stable’s stakes-winning New York-bred Gambling Girl, who won the Joseph A. Gimma against fellow state-breds on September 23 at Belmont at the Big A. The daughter of Dialed In was last seen finishing a troubled fourth in the one-mile state-bred Maid of the Mist as the post-time favorite where she was bumped hard at the break and struggled to improve position when five-wide in the turn.

The Maid of the Mist was the first time beyond sprint distances for Gambling Girl, who will look for a fairer chance at a stretch out in the Demoiselle as she makes her open company debut.

“We thought for sure she was going to improve with added distance, and it just didn’t work out that day,” said Pletcher. “They didn’t come back to her much. She’s been training good and she’s straightforward.”

Gambling Girl, who was bred by Gallagher’s Stud, will exit post 6 in rein to Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Pine Brook Farm’s Foggy Night arrives at the Demoiselle from a game runner-up effort to Good Sam in the one-mile Tempted on November 6 at the Big A. Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., Foggy Night entered the Tempted from an eye-catching 11 1/4-length victory going one mile and 70 yards at Parx Racing in October where she set the pace under Paco Lopez and drew away rounding the final turn. The effort was awarded a field-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure.

Lopez returned to pilot the Khozan filly in the Tempted and put pressure on Good Sam through the first half-mile, but was bested in the turn and defeated 3 1/2 lengths by her rival. Reid, Jr. said he was pleased with the performance from Foggy Night, who breezed a half-mile in 50.67 over the Parx main track Saturday.

“She came back with a real nice breeze and she’s coming into the race perfectly,” said Reid, Jr. “A mile and an eighth is a natural distance for her. It’s hard to say what they’re going to be like in the beginning, but she’s a big, rangy filly and has a nice, big stride on her. Anything is possible with her.”

Lopez has the call again from post 1.

Completing the field are the AMO Racing USA’s maiden Affirmative Lady [post 5, John Velazquez] for conditioner Graham Motion and a trio of maiden winners in Breffni Farm’s Royal Spa [post 2, Joel Rosario] for trainer Rodolphe Brisset; Sofia Soares, Matthew J. Mercurio, Michael Imperio, Douglas P. Allocco, Gary Cioffi and Vincent Valente’s La Vita Sofia [post 4, Manny Franco] for trainer Rudy Rodriguez; and Harold Lerner LLC, AWC Stables, Nehoc Stables, Scott K. Akman and Paul Braverman’s Tribal Queen [post 7, Eric Cancel] for trainer Tony Dutrow.

The Demoiselle is slated as Race 6 on Saturday’s 10-race program. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

Tuskegee Airmen ready for takeoff in G2 Remsen

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Cash is King and LC Racing’s undefeated Tuskegee Airmen will make his graded stakes debut for trainer John Servis in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen, a nine-furlong main track test for juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Remsen, which offers 10-4-3-2-1 qualifying points for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby to the top-five finishers, is part of a stacked card highlighted by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets, along with the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand and the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, offering 10-4-3-2-1 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Oaks to the top-five finishers.

Tuskegee Airmen, a bay son of Street Sense, enters from an impressive 3 1/4-length score in the one-mile Rocky Run on October 15 at Delaware Park where he showed a strong turn of foot under Paco Lopez to secure his first stakes win. Tuskegee Airmen broke outwardly from post 5-of-6 and tracked in fourth behind the pace set by fellow Remsen aspirant Midnight Trouble through the first three-quarters. He appeared well-beaten as the field rounded the final turn, but the bay colt had something left under urging from Lopez and ducked down to the rail for the drive to the wire and persevered in a final time of 1:37.74.

“Mentally, the light hasn’t gone on yet, but he has flashed some talent,” said Servis. “We are excited about him. His last race at the three-eighths pole, I didn’t think he was going to beat a horse. He dropped back under a drive and it looked like he was finished and all of a sudden, he went back to running again. We’re letting him bring himself along at his pace. He’s doing it all on raw talent and the sky is the limit.”

The victory came three weeks after a dominant debut score sprinting seven furlongs in stalking fashion at Parx. He closed from eighth-of-14 under Luis Saez to post the 5 1/2-length victory over next-out winner Didinger.

Tuskegee Airmen is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Lucky Cover, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Team Colors and stakes-winner Team of Teams. His second dam, Teammate, was a dual Grade 2-winner and is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner and leading sire War Front. Tuskegee Airmen was purchased for $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

“He’ll run all day. He’s a big, strong horse,” said Servis. “Ironically enough, I was actually the underbidder on him for another client, and then ended up getting him in my barn and I was really happy about that.”

Saez has the call from post 2.

Chester and Mary Broman’s New York homebred Arctic Arrogance, a grey son of Frosted, enters from a dominant victory over returning rival Quick to Accuse in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow on October 30 at Belmont at the Big A for trainer Linda Rice.

Ridden to victory by Jose Lezcano, Arctic Arrogance made the early lead and was briefly headed by Starquist at the three-quarters call, but kicked clear at the top of the stretch and drew away to a 4 1/2-length score, stopping the clock in 1:37.90. The effort was awarded an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.

Rice said Arctic Arrogance has come a long way to earn a stakes victory.

“We had a hard time getting him to leave the gate and he was a difficult gate horse,” said Rice, who won the 1996 Remsen with The Silver Move. “After that, he’s been a horse who wants to be heavy, and between races I was able to get more works into him. He’s in very good shape in regards to that right now.”

The Sleepy Hollow came on the heels of Arctic Arrogance’s lone loss in three career outings when runner-up to longshot winner Jackson Heights in the state-bred Bertram F. Bongard sprinting seven furlongs in September at Belmont at the Big A. There, he set the tempo to the top of the stretch under Lezcano, but was collared at the sixteenth pole by Jackson Heights and settled for second two lengths back.

Arctic Arrogance, whose other start was a debut pacesetting victory on September 5 at Saratoga, has been assigned post 4 with Lezcano aboard.

Rupp Racing’s New York-bred Quick to Accuse will also make his first start outside state-bred company after finishing second to Arctic Arrogance in the Sleepy Hollow for conditioner Horacio De Paz. There, he rallied from fifth-of-10 to make up considerable ground under regular pilot Manny Franco, but could not catch the runaway winner.

De Paz said he is hopeful Quick to Accuse, who is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed New York-bred Mr. Buff, will relish two turns.

“I think the two-turns will be easier for him, but we won’t know for sure until we try him,” said De Paz.

The bay colt was a dominant winner at second asking, posting a visually impressive 9 3/4-length victory in a one-mile state-bred maiden special weight on October 7 at Belmont at the Big A in gate-to-wire fashion. That effort came on the heels of a debut fourth-place finish sprinting seven furlongs over a sloppy and sealed main track in August at Saratoga Race Course.

“He’s not as stout as Mr. Buff, but he’s a good-sized horse. He needed his first race and came back and won nice second time out,” De Paz said. “We tried him in the stake and that was a good field of horses to test him against and I was happy with his efforts. He got a little antsy in the gate. This looks like a logical spot.”

Franco will ride again from post 6.

Graded stakes-placed Prove Right enters as the most seasoned horse in the field for trainer James Chapman, who co-owns the Justify colt with Stuart Tsujimoto. Prove Right was last seen finishing a close third 2 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Champions Dream in the Grade 3 Nashua on November 6 at the Big A. He set the pace in the one-mile test but was collared by the winner and runner-up Full Moon Madness in the stretch, finishing eight lengths ahead of fourth-place American Speed.

Prove Right graduated at second asking in June at Churchill Downs and is still in search of his first victory against winners after he crossed the finish line first in a half-mile optional claimer in August at Timonium, but was disqualified and placed third. The Remsen will be his ninth lifetime start and second outing beyond sprint distances.

Jose Gomez has been tasked with the ride from post 3.

Completing the field are David L. Neilson’s Midnight Trouble [post 5, Paco Lopez], who finished second to Tuskegee Airmen in the Rocky Run for trainer Peter Walder; and last-out maiden winners in Alexandres LLC’s Il Miracolo [post 1, Javier Castellano] for trainer Antonio Sano and West Paces Racing and Stonestreet Stables’ Dubyuhnell [post 7, Jose Ortiz] for trainer Danny Gargan.

The Remsen is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 10-race program. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.