Aqueduct Stakes Previews: G2 Demoiselle, G2 Remsen, G3 Go for Wand
Muhimma steps up to graded ranks in G2 Demoiselle
By Mary Eddy —-
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Shadwell Stable’s undefeated Muhimma will make her graded stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong route for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Demoiselle, slated as Race 8, will offer the top-five finishers 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points, respectively, towards the prestigious Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on the first Friday in May at Churchill Downs. Saturday’s lucrative 10-race card is headlined by the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by TwinSpires in Race 9, and is supported by the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen – a 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifier – in Race 7 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand in Race 4. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.
Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, Muhimma has won both of her starts in impressive fashion under Florent Geroux, beginning with a 7 1/2-length romp sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on debut in September at Churchill Downs over My Lil Punky, who exited to win next out and finished seventh in the Grade 2 Golden Rod on Saturday at Churchill. Muhimma earned a field-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.
The daughter of Munnings enters from another dominant victory sprinting seven furlongs on November 1 at the Louisville oval, where she pressed the pace before taking a 4 1/2-length advantage at the stretch call. She kept on strongly down the lane to post the 5 1/2-length win over returning rival Liam in the Dust in a final time of 1:23.77. That effort received a 79 Beyer.
The talented gray has worked at Churchill three times since, including a sharp five-furlong breeze in 1:01.20 on Friday that ranked the second fastest of 15 efforts for the distance on the day.
Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm, Muhimma was a $700,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed Tapit mare Princesa Carolina. Her second dam is dual Grade 1-winner Pure Clan.
Geroux retains the mount from the inside post.
Storyteller Racing and Schroeck Racing’s Liam in the Dust [post 2, Flavien Prat] reopposes for trainer Rodolphe Brisset off her runner-up effort in the aforementioned Churchill optional claimer.
The daughter of Liam’s Map stalked the pace in sixth under Luan Machado after being squeezed leaving the chute and improved to third position while still 6 1/2 lengths back at the stretch call. She responded well to urging in the stretch to take second position near the sixteenth pole, but could not reel in Muhimma and settled for place honors.
Brisset said the effort was a welcome result after a troubled start in the October 4 Grade 1 Alcibiades saw her attend the pace and steady sharply in the far turn before fading to finish a distant last-of-7 in her lone effort around two turns.
“It was a very important race for me and for her to see if she can redeem herself. She broke clean and got into a tight spot where Luan had to check up pretty hard and we lost a lot of ground,” Brisset said. “Then she got the kickback for the first time and she had all the opportunity to quit and say she had enough, but she actually made a run in the turn. The winner was already gone, but she galloped out strong after the wire.”
The Alcibiades is the only blemish on the filly’s 3-for-4 on-the-board record, which includes a pacesetting debut win sprinting seven furlongs in August at Ellis Park, and a game runner-up effort to La Cara in the one-mile Grade 3 Pocahontas under Luis Saez in September at Churchill.
“The Pocahontas was a really good effort,” Brisset said. “She drew the far outside in a field of 14 and she never really traveled on the bridle. I think she kind of tricked Luis a little bit and I don’t think he thought he had much horse under him. When she switched to her left lead, you can see she took off and almost got to the lead a little early. We got beat by a very nice filly and that was a good effort.”
Brisset added he is pleased with what he’s seen in the mornings from Liam in the Dust, especially after her workmate Impulse Buy won Saturday’s Fern Creek at Churchill.
“She’s been breezing with Impulse Buy, so before giving her a small break, we just feel like we’ve got to give two turns another try,” Brisset concluded.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out Ballerina d’Oro [post 10, Dylan Davis, blinkers on] for her dirt debut off a closing eighth in the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 4 over the Keeneland turf.
Campaigned by Rodeo Creek Racing, the Medaglia d’Oro gray has made all three of her starts over grass, including a second-out graduation by a neck in a one-mile tilt in September at Kentucky Downs where she rallied impressively from 8 3/4 lengths off the pace.
Last out, Ballerina d’Oro again tracked well off the pace in last-of-11 in the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine after bumping with a rival at the start. She was angled four-wide in upper stretch and then eight-wide in the lane amidst traffic in the large field, finding her best stride late to finish eighth just three lengths back of the victorious May Day Ready.
“It was kind of a weird race,” Brown said. “She found herself far back and she was running very green in the race. She finished with some interest, but I left the race wanting to get home and put blinkers on her for that reason. She really picked it up on the dirt here versus what she was in the summer, so maybe she’s just matured and developed. I’m excited to see what she can do at a mile and an eighth on the dirt.”
Brown said he added blinkers in the filly’s training in anticipation of another start on turf in the Big A’s Tepin, but opted for the Demoiselle after she impressed on dirt in her recent works.
“This horse has been training really well over the dirt,” Brown said. “Now she has some racing experience and the addition of blinkers – I really just put the blinkers on pointing to the Tepin Stakes, but her gallop outs were so impressive on the dirt, I thought there was more upside going to this type of race.”
Ballerina d’Oro was a $320,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and is out of the Tapit mare In the Moonlight, a half-sister to graded stakes-winners and sires Wilburn and Beethoven, as well as A.P. Sonata, dam of graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Grand Sonata.
Emily Bushnell and Pam Wygod’s Kentucky homebred Beauty Reigns [post 8, Junior Alvarado] steps up off a debut graduation sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on November 8 here for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott.
The Into Mischief gray was impressive when pressing the early pace set by Not the First Time before sticking her head in front in the turn and facing a challenge from My Sherrona. Beauty Reigns drifted out coming into the lane before she and My Sherrona fought gamely in the stretch, a battle that would go to Beauty Reigns by a half-length in a final time of 1:17.91.
Out of the unraced Tapit mare Ilsa, Beauty Reigns’ second dam is 2009 Broodmare of the Year Sweet Life, who produced multiple Grade 1-winners Sweet Catomine and Life Is Sweet.
Completing the competitive field are the multiple stakes-placed New York-bred Carmen’s Candy Jar [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr., blinkers on] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; stakes-placed Fortuna Mia [post 3, Eric Cancel] for trainer Linda Rice; and maiden winners Michelle [post 5, Katie Davis] for trainer Brittany Russell, Bless the Broken [post 6, Ramon Vazquez, blinkers off] for trainer Will Walden, Five a Side [post 7, Joel Rosario] for conditioner John Servis and Tip Line [post 9, Francisco Martinez, blinkers on] for owner/trainer Uriah St. Lewis.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack 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 official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
Keewaydin hones in on G2 Remsen
By Christian Abdo
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – OXO Equine’s Keewaydin was an impressive maiden-winner last out and now steps up in class for Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen, a nine-furlong route for juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Remsen awards the top-five finishers with 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points, respectively, towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs. Last year, three Remsen contestants made the Run for the Roses, including Dornoch [10th], Sierra Leone [3rd] and Domestic Product [13th] – all three also won at least one Grade 1 as a sophomore.
Four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown will send out Keewaydin [post 5, Dylan Davis] along with Aviator Gui [post 2, Manny Franco]. In last year’s Remsen, he saddled future 2024 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner Sierra Leone to a nose defeat to eventual Belmont Stakes-victor Dornoch and Domestic Product to an uncharacteristic seventh.
Keewaydin enters from a second-out graduation which earned a career and field-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure. The Instagrand bay attended the pace under returning rider Dylan Davis in the local seven-furlong October maiden tilt before being ridden out to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
“The distance this early in his career is going to be a little bit of a question mark, but I do like how he is training and galloping out,” Brown said. “Big jump from seven [furlongs] to a mile and an eighth, but with the way he’s training… I do want to give him a shot and get a nice two-turn race under him before he gets a little bit of a breather. He’s got a couple of sprint starts under his belt and ran very fast numbers.”
In his victory, Keewaydin avenged a rallying head defeat to next-out Grade 1-placed Tip Top Thomas and Rookie Card in his August debut at Saratoga Race Course.
Bred in Kentucky by Terrazas Thoroughbreds, Keewaydin, out of the Officer mare Nothing But Heart, was a $140,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. His second dam is multiple stakes winner Formal Miss.
Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Aviator Gui graduated second out by one length over next-out winners Cyclone State and Hands of Time in an off-the-turf one-turn mile on September 28 here. The Uncle Mo gray returned on turf in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Awad and finished fourth after being bumped at the start.
“Aviator Gui is more of a steady sort – not quite as fast, but he has a lot of endurance,” said Brown. “So, it will be a class test for him. I think he’ll appreciate the dirt better – a bit of an experiment last time.”
Aviator Gui is out of the Tapit mare Paulistinha, making his second dam Quiet Giant, who produced Hall of Famer Gun Runner and the Brown-trained recent Grade 3 Comely-winner Pretty Ana.
“He’s very impressive, and he comes from that same family, and that’s one of the best quality dirt families in racing right now. We think he’s got a bright future,” said Brown. “He’s going to have to show that he can step up into this type of class with stakes horses, but distance won’t be an issue.”
David Hughes’ Grade 3-placed Studlydoright [post 4, Xavier Perez] enters from a half-length victory in the one-mile Listed Nashua on November 2 here. Trained by John “Jerry” Robb, the Nyquist chestnut saved ground along the rail in third position before closing between rivals for the win.
The performance earned a career-best 86 Beyer, improving upon a previous best 82 for a 1 3/4-length win in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Tremont in June at Saratoga. He exited that race to finish a one-length runner-up to Mo Plex in the Grade 3 Sanford in July at the Spa.
“I was happy with it,” said Robb of the Nashua. “I’ve been waiting to run long, hoping that is what he wanted and thinking that is what he wanted. The Remsen is even farther, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Studlydoright added blinkers for his Nashua score, which came on the heels of a pair of September efforts, including a second in the one-mile off-the-turf Laurel Futurity at its namesake track and an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga.
“I think they helped him quite a bit,” Robb said. “He was definitely more aggressive.”
LNJ Foxwoods’ Kentucky homebred Tux [post 1, Junior Alvarado] was an impressive 3 1/2-length debut winner for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. The Tapit gray stalked the pace and showed plenty of late foot in the 6 1/2-furlong maiden on November 9 here.
Tux earned a 78 Beyer in victory. He is out of the Grade 3-winning Munnings mare Fancy Dress Party, who went 5-for-6 lifetime for LNJ Foxwoods.
Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Poster [post 3, Flavien Prat] is 2-for-2 with both efforts coming on turf. Trained by Eoin Harty, the Munnings chestnut graduated in his one-mile debut in August at Ellis Park ahead of a three-length score at the same distance on October 12 at Keeneland.
Poster is out of the winning Tapit mare Pin Up, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-victor Bernardini, who took the 2006 Grade 1 Travers, Preakness and Jockey Club Gold Cup en route to Champion 3 Year Old Colt honors.
Rounding out the field are maiden winners Surfside Moon [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] for conditioner James Lawrence, II, and Gun Trader [post 7, Francisco Martinez] for owner/trainer Uriah St. Lewis.
The Remsen is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by TwinSpires [Race 9], the Grade 2, $250,0000 Demoiselle [Race 8], which awards the top-five finishers with 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Oaks, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand [Race 4]. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack 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 official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
Tizzy in the Sky returns in G3 Go for Wand
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – KimDon Racing’s Tizzy in the Sky has four career wins, all at the Big A, and returns to the historic site for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand, a one-mile test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 5-year-old Sky Kingdom dark bay hasn’t raced since an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course. There, she broke through the gate and stalked the pace before weakening in the six-horse field that featured Randomized, Idiomatic, Pretty Mischievous, Raging Sea and Soul of an Angel – all five now have at least one Grade 1 victory.
“She is doing great,” said Pletcher’s New York-assistant Stu Hampson. “She is a generously training filly, probably one where we’d love to have another work or two, but her past couple works have been very good. She is a generous horse galloping out all the time, but her gallop-outs lately have been especially good.”
Tizzy in the Sky [post 1, Flavien Prat] was previously a pacesetting nine-length winner of the nine-furlong Listed Top Flight Invitational in April here. It was her first stakes score in her fifth attempt, including a second in last year’s Grade 3 Go for Wand over muddy and sealed footing. She boasts a 7-4-2-0 record over the local main track, with two additional nine-plus lengths romps in the allowance ranks along with a 5 3/4-length maiden score.
“She seems to run well enough fresh and she likes the track. She seems to be in very good form,” said Hampson. “Nothing gets them as fit as racing itself does, but we’ve tried to get her as tight as we could in the mornings. She loves to go out there and gallop. Hopefully, she is ready to get it done.”
Alpha Delta Stables’ Occult [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] enters from a 6 1/2-length runner-up finish in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Spinster on October 6 at Keeneland. Trained by four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Into Mischief dark bay only boosted her reputation, becoming multiple Grade 1-placed in the defeat to reigning Champion Older Dirt Female Idiomatic.
“She’s coming from Keeneland and is cutting back to one turn, which will be interesting. I think she should be able to handle it, and that was quite a valiant effort chasing Idiomatic through the stretch,” said Brown. “I was very proud of her race and quite honestly, I think that was her best career race. She’s very consistent.”
Occult was third at the Grade 1 level in last year’s Cotillion at Parx Racing and the Acorn at Belmont Park. She pursues her first trip to the winner’s circle since a 10 1/4-length score in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last July at its namesake oval.
A $625,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Occult, out of the graded stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Magical Feeling, is a half-sister to dual stakes-winner Exulting and Grade 1-placed Imagination.
Brown will also saddle Peter Brant’s Shidabhuti [post 8, Dylan Davis] off a closing two-length victory in a seven-furlong October optional-claimer at Keeneland. The 4-year-old Practical Joke bay made her prior four efforts in graded company, including a rallying win in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Distaff on April 6 here.
“She’s coming off a very sharp, smart race over at Keeneland and is training well. She’s a very honest horse and tries every time,” Brown said. “She needs a certain type of setup to see her best, but she does try hard every time and has won some nice races. Hopefully, getting out to a mile should be a good distance for her.”
Shidabhuti was subsequently a well-beaten third in the Grade 2 Ruffian at the Big A going a one-turn mile before a fourth in the Bed o’ Roses and fifth in the Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap at the Spa.
Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Comparative [post 5, Manny Franco] is 2-for-3 at the Big A for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox. The 4-year-old Street Sense bay enters from a seven-month layoff dating to a fourth to Tizzy in the Sky in the Top Flight, which followed a seventh in the Grade 2 Azeri on March 9 at Oaklawn Park.
Comparative’s pair of off-the-board results were disappointing, comparatively speaking, as she entered from a three-race win streak, including the local Ladies in January and Grade 3 Bayakoa in February at Oaklawn Park.
Out of the Bernardini mare Collective, Comparative, a full-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Shared Sense, boasts a lifetime record of 13-5-0-3 with $429,995 in earnings.
Rounding out the field are the pair for trainer Linda Rice of Grade 3-placed Ain’t Broke [post 7, Eric Cancel] and multiple stakes-placed Movie Moxy [post 4, Jose Lezcano]; Grade 2-placed Stonewall Star [post 2, John Velazquez] for conditioner Horacio De Paz; and five-time winner Rachel’s Rock [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Michelle Giangiulio.
The Go for Wand is slated as Race 4 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by TwinSpires [Race 9], the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen [Race 7] and the Grade 2, $250,0000 Demoiselle [Race 8] – the latter two award 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby and Oaks points, respectively. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack 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 official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.