Derby Prep Highlights Saturday Card
In her first workout since returning to New York from Palm Meadows in Florida, Godolphin Stable’s It’s Tricky breezed four furlongs on the Belmont Park training track in 48.77 on Sunday, Feb. 26 with exercise rider Renzo Morales aboard.
Winner of the 2011 Grade 1 TVG Acorn Stakes and Grade 1 TVG Coaching Club American Oaks, It’s Tricky is slated to commence her 2012 campaign on Saturday, Mar. 3, in Aqueduct Racetrack’s Grade 2, $200,000 Top Flight Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares. It will be the four-year-old’s first start since finishing second to Royal Delta in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic in November.
“Very good work,” said Art Magnuson, assistant to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “She’s not real fast in the morning. She galloped out well, and we’re happy with that. She came up from Florida carrying great weight. She ran hard last year, and she wintered well in Florida. Her major work was done down there. I’ll tell you, she’s training as well as she ever has.”
The McLaughlin barn admits It’s Tricky, who is accompanied to her workouts by a pony, has her eccentricities, but Magnuson said she has been better behaved in recent months.
“She’s really into a good routine,” said Magnuson. “Even toward the end of last year and right now, she’s not being very tricky at all. She’s a quirky filly who is acting very well.”
The Top Flight is part of the undercard for the Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham Stakes, with the McLaughlin barn set to send out Godolphin’s Consortium in the 1 1/16-mile event for three-year-olds.
Consortium, who in his lone 2012 start finished last of six over a sloppy track in Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes on January 29, covered four furlongs in 49.76 in company with Redding Colliery on Sunday. Redding Colliery, winner of the January 28 Evening Attire for owner Mrs. Fitriani Hay, is targeting the Grade 3 Excelsior Handicap $150,000 on Mar. 17 and was clocked in 49.65.
“[Consortium] went very well,” said Magnuson. “Just in hand, just what we wanted: a nice half with Redding Colliery.”
Other stakes hopefuls prep
Raconteur, winner of two straight on the inner track, completed major preparations for the Gotham with a 48.89 four-furlong breeze on the Belmont training track on Sunday.
Owned by Dogwood Stable, Raconteur went in company with Mike Repole’s Calibrachoa, who will attempt to remain unbeaten in five stakes starts on the inner track when he defends his title in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap at six furlongs.
“I thought it was a decent move today; I was pleased with what I saw,” said Michael McCarthy, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher, of Raconteur’s work. “He got into a nice rhythm and maintained it throughout the work, and he galloped out well.”
McCarthy also expressed satisfaction with the drill posted by Calibrachoa, who repeated in the Grade 3 Toboggan Handicap on Feb. 4.
“The horse seemed to come out of the Toboggan in decent order,” said McCarthy. “He worked nicely today. He’s on schedule.”
Green Hills Farm’s Love and Pride, victorious in the Affectionately Stakes on Jan. 29, was also on the worktab, breezing four furlongs in 50.55 as she tunes up for Saturday’s Top Flight.
“She does not need a lot,” said McCarthy. “She got over the racetrack well, galloped out well, and came back in good order.”
The stable’s other Gotham contender, Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes fourth-place finisher Dan and Sheila, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.92 on Sunday at Palm Meadows, quickest of 29 moves at the distance. The Zayat Stables color-bearer was expected to arrive in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 29, McCarthy said.
Additional New York-based Gotham workers were Hardened Wildcat (five furlongs in 1:02 at Belmont), King and Crusader (five furlongs in a bullet 1:01.30 at Aqueduct), and My Adonis (five furlongs in 1:01.32 at Aqueduct).
On the worktab in Florida was two-year-old champion Male Hansen, who worked five furlongs, handily, in 1:00.95 at Gulfstream for trainer Michael Maker and owners Dr. Kendall Hansen and Sky Chai Racing.
In addition to Hardened Wildcat, Andrew Byrnes, NYRA stakes coordinator, added Suns Out Guns Out and Went the Day Well to the list of Gotham probables. Chief Energy is no longer under consideration for the race.
Velasquez OK after spill
Jockey Cornelio Velasquez, who was taken to North Shore University Hospital last Saturday, Feb. 25, complaining of neck and back pain after being unseated in the day’s final race, was expected to return to riding on Wednesday when live racing resumed at Aqueduct, according to his agent, Matt Muzikar.
“All the tests were negative,” said Muzikar Sunday morning. “He’s just body sore. Obviously, he took off his mounts today, but he plans on riding Wednesday.”
Velasquez, 43, is in second place on the Big A’s inner-track jockey standings with 73 winners behind reigning Eclipse champion jockey Ramon Dominguez.
Sweet victory for Seventeen
Sweet Seventeen made a return trip to Aqueduct Racetrack last Saturday afternoon and scored her first stakes victory, turning back a late surge from Off Limits to win the 33rd running of the $75,000 Busher Stakes for three-year-old fillies.
The even-money favorite, Sweet Seventeen tracked longshot Marvelous Margaret through an opening quarter-mile in 23.94 seconds, a half in 48.85 and three-quarters in 1:13.96. Making her bid for the lead as the field of six turned for home, the Hard Spun filly shook clear of the pacesetter in midstretch and, switching leads on cue, had enough left to hit the wire a head in front of Off Limits.
Her winning time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:46.05.
“[Off Limits] didn’t make it easy in the last part, but my filly did good and I’m happy with that,” said Alan Garcia, aboard the H. Graham Motion trained filly for the first time. “She was settled [early], but the problem is getting her to switch leads. On the backside she was a little difficult switching and I wanted to leave her alone and then hope she could switch leads in the stretch. That was how she got beat last time, but today she switched the lead and she did it!”
Beaten a neck in the Busanda Stakes after belatedly changing leads, Sweet Seventeen is now 3-2-0 from five starts, having broken her maiden at Laurel Park in September and taking a first-level allowance at Keeneland the following month. She closed out her juvenile campaign with a second-place finish in the Glorious Song at Woodbine.
Sweet Seventeen returned $4.10 for a $2 win bet and earned $45,000 to extend her earnings to $143,300 for her owner, Mrs. John Oxley.
Off Limits was 4 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Better Lucky, who was followed in turn by Lisa T., Marvelous Margaret, and Plum. Super Quiet was scratched.
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