Mendham Racing Stable's New York homebred Geno made a successful dirt debut in Saturday's seven-furlong $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way for eligible state-sired juveniles at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
Trainer David Donk said Geno will eye a return to state-bred stakes company in the $100,000 Gander on February 12 at the Big A.
“He cooled out really well, it was a pretty easy race on him,” Donk said. “He'll stick around. If he was just a grass horse, I would have turned him out for a bit.”
The Big Brown bay made a winning debut in September at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., against fellow New York-breds, followed by two starts against open stakes company, including a close second in the November 5 Awad.
Donk said he would like to see Geno stretch out in distance in the one-mile Gander.
“I'm not going to shorten him up. I'd rather go longer than shorter,” Donk said. “He'll get a little spacing and we'll go from there. We'll see how he runs there, I could always come back on the dirt or back to the grass in April. It will give me a lot of options.
“I debated first time out whether I should run him on dirt or turf,” Donk added. “He's a very good workhorse and he breezed very well on dirt going into this race. It was a big effort.”
Donk trained Geno's dam Weekend Hottie, a Sun King mare, through her last eight of 27 career starts, all of which were on grass.
“She was an average mare, but this is a pretty good-looking horse. He's big and scopey,” Donk said.
Bred in New York by Pete Martine [Mendham Racing Stable], Geno brought his lifetime earnings up to $337,250 following Saturday's winning effort, which garnered a 61 Beyer Speed Figure.
Donk said Joseph Bucci's Shesawildjoker, winner of the Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, N.Y., two starts back, will target the $100,000 Franklin Square on January 15 for 3-year-old New York bred fillies going 6 ½ furlongs. The daughter of first-crop sire Practical Joke was a last-out third in the November 21 Key Cents at the Big A.
Donk said five-time winning turf sprinter Big Package, also a New York bred by Big Brown, is currently turned out at Dr. Patty Hogan's Hogan Equine in central New Jersey.
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