Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock, winner of last year's Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency at Belmont Park, is pointed to the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 12.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 4-year-old Maclean's Music chestnut won 5-of-8 starts last year, including scores in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream and the Grade 3 Bay Shore at the Big A.
Joseph, Jr. said Drain the Clock is one of three horses, along with Ny Traffic and Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' stakes-placed Collaborate under consideration for the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Carter Handicap on April 9 at Aqueduct.
Both Drain the Clock and Ny Traffic could also point to races on the Dubai World Cup undercard in March with the six-furlong Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and Group 2 Godolphin Mile possible.
“Drain the Clock is doing well,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He'll run in the Gulfstream Sprint in February and then he might go to Dubai. It's between the Carter and Dubai, but we hope to bring someone up for the Carter – either Ny Traffic or Collaborate.”
John Fanelli, Cash Is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley's multiple graded stakes placed New York-bred Ny Traffic is likely to make his next start in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 5.
The 5-year-old son of Cross Traffic bested fellow state-breds last out in the Hudson contested over a sloppy and sealed main track on October 30 at Belmont Park.
The versatile grey was a game second around two turns in the nine-furlong 2020 Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, but Joseph, Jr. said he would like to focus on one-turn events this season.
“He seems to be best cut back to one turn,” Joseph, Jr. said of Ny Traffic, who had to miss the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in December at the Big A after an illness. “He fought off the bug he had and he's probably going to go to the Gulfstream Mile in March. He's been working well.”
Joseph, Jr. nominated both A.P.'s Secret and Eldon's Prince to Saturday's Grade 3 Withers but said both are unlikely to make the journey with A. P.'s Secret under consideration for the Grade 2 Risen Star on February 19 at Fair Grounds.
“I might look at the Risen Star for one [A.P.'s Secret] and Eldon's Prince is going to stay on the grass for now,” Joseph, Jr. said.
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